St Croix or NPS45

[sgrove]

I'm new to this pellet stove thing and I'm very nervous about getting one because all I can find on any stove is that all they do is break down. No matter what brand it is.

I'm looking at a St Croix afton bay and a Nepoleon NPS45. I have already put a deposit on the St Croix that I can get it back if I change my mind.

Which of these stoves would you get if you had the choice? I have found alot about the St Croix. Good and bad. Mostly bad, just like every other stove I look up. Can't find much on NPS45 besides its ranked in consumer reports. These are the two stoves I have kind of narrowed it down to. Open for other suggestions though.

I'm trying to heat a 1100sq foot ranch and would be putting the stove in the living room pointing toward the hallway.

All and any advice is welcome.

Thanks

 

[bbfarm]

I can only speak for our afton bay.

We really love it. I like the looks of the stove and it has been really easy to clean and work on. We just replaced the combustion fan this week. only took 10 minutes to remove and 15 minutes to put back in.

The dealer carried the part in stock.

We bought our stove used and the manufucture stamp says it is a 2006. Nothing until now has ever been replaced on it according to the man we bought it from.

It burns really well and has no problem keeping our 1800 sq foot 2 story old farm house built in 1870 warm and toasty.

Other features I like is the high quailty thick metal it is made of. It doen't get burn your fingers hot on the outside like some stoves we looked at and that was a safety factor with having 3 dogs in the house.

When we were looking at different models at a dealer he was telling us they had a pretty good record of not having a lot go wrong with them.

We installed it ourselves complete with the thermostat - piece of cake.

 

[cold front]

I think you have come to the right conclusion....no matter whomever makes the stove you are going to have some break downs from time to time. Try to pick the one with the best repair record, it really is like buying an automobile in some ways.

 

[dfolker4]

Both stoves are plenty big enough to keep your house warm. Keep in mind that people are much more likely to complain on these types of forums if they are having problems than if their stove has been running well. Make sure it is installed the right way, be careful dealers have been known to take shortcuts. The single most important thing you have to do is maintain your stove. You can find all kinds of helpful tricks on this site. If I had to choose between the two I would go with the dealer I felt I could trust the most.

 

[imacman]

As a general opinion of both brands, based on seeing many threads on this forum about maintenance and repair of both brands, I'd stay away from the Napoleon.

Are these the ONLY 2 stoves you have available? What about mail order, such as the Englander stoves that you can get shipped to your house?

If you're the least bit mechanically inclined, they are easy to work on, and have a repair record that is at least as good as any other stoves out there.

 

[heat seeker]

I'll second everything bbfarm had to say about the Afton Bay. Well made, well designed, easy to clean. No matter what stove you get, you will be much better off if you learn to maintain it yourself, and take proper care of it.

A clean stove is a happy and safe stove, and a proper installation is a life-and-death must!