Stove choice

[Charles123]

Hello, my wife and I are in the market for a wood stove. We live in southern NY, on Long Island. We have a 2500 sq foot colonial built in the 70’s. I say the installation is adequate not great. We’re going to install the stove in the front living room which has a semi open layout to 1100 sq feet with an open stairwell to the second floor. We like the second floor on the cooler side. So it’s okay if we can’t get it in the 70’s up there. This stove would be used as primary heat and we can use our boiler to supplement when needed.

We want to take advantage of the rebate program and have interests in 3 stoves. Looks are important to us, as this will be the focal point of the room. Below are the stoves that appeal to us and would fit the installation restrictions we have with corner clearances and ceiling height.
1- VC encore
2- BK ashford 30 (Is the 20 to small?)
3 - Green mountain 60


I’m looking for a stove that won’t be overly complicated for my wife to use. Which I think rules out the Encore. After reading through threads I think the ashford is easiest to operate. I’m not crazy about the fact that the Ashford doesn’t have the dancing flames unless I keep it on high. Would the Ashford 20 be better fit for us? I am petrified of going to small of a stove.

Any thoughts?

Side note. My neighbor has the same exact house layout and stove location and burns a Jutol 500. We also like the PE T5 but it doesn’t qualify for the rebate.

 

[begreen]

The Green Mountain is a hybrid and will burn a bit brighter with a clearer window. You might also like the Hearthstone Shelburne for its visual appeal.

 

[kborndale]

If your looking for an easy to use stove I would stay away from the VC. Do you have your wood yet?

 

[Charles123]

Yes I have approx 3 cords of white oak already split. It was free wood so they vary in sizes 16-18” 2 cords are already seasoned 1.5 years.

 

[Charles123]

The Green Mountain is a hybrid and will burn a bit brighter with a clearer window. You might also like the Hearthstone Shelburne for its visual appeal.

We do like the green mountain. Another point to mention is my wood storage would sit to the right of my stove so the left hinge door makes sense. IYO is the GM easy to operate? As mentioned I’d like my wife to be able to operate it while I’m at work. I work 15 hour days so when I’m at work I’m at work and won’t be able to help /“supervise” the stove work.
She does a good job with our traditional fireplace. I’m weary of adding air controls, dampeners levers etc. she has enough on her plate with the kiddos.
The set it and forget it concept with a flame show is our goal. I’m okay with reloading more frequently when it’s run full bore.

 

[tabner]

I heated my house with a GM60 for 1.5 seasons. And now I use an Ashford 20. So hopefully I can help a bit.

I think the GM60 wins hands down on aesthetics and flame show. I love the simple/minimalist cast iron design with giant glass window. It throws a ton of heat, and with a good load of dry wood, you get a really cool flame show (i have some videos on here somewhere if you're interested). However my stove sits in my basement, and I am also quite busy with work and two small kids, so running up and down the stairs multiple times to get it dialed in for a long slow burn, was not a great fit for us. Also my chimney setup has two 90 degree turns with a 26" horizontal run, and the GM60 definitely seems to prefer a good strong draft - I would only recommend it to someone with a full straight up chimney.

The Ashford 20 is awesome for 'set it and forget it'. The reload takes off quicker, gets up to temp well, and then i dial down the thermostat and walk away. However it definitely doesn't throw as much heat as the GM60 when run this way. And the flame show is not nearly as intense/impressive. For me the Ashford is much preferred simply because it excels from a utility standpoint. I would definitely recommend a 30 box if you can fit it. I only got a 20 box cause i found a good deal on a used one. But the box is quite small, and the door opening is much smaller than the GM60, so it's a bit of a trick to really fill it up. I think the 30 boxes turn down just as low, so there's really no reason to go with a 20, that I can see.

If you want the stove to look like a beautiful fireplace with cool flames, and pump out serious BTUs quickly to really make the house toasty, I'd go with the GM60. If you just want a simple heater that will provide steady even warmth and you'll forget it's there - go with the Ashford.

 

[begreen]

We do like the green mountain. Another point to mention is my wood storage would sit to the right of my stove so the left hinge door makes sense. IYO is the GM easy to operate? As mentioned I’d like my wife to be able to operate it while I’m at work. I work 15 hour days so when I’m at work I’m at work and won’t be able to help /“supervise” the stove work.
She does a good job with our traditional fireplace. I’m weary of adding air controls, dampeners levers etc. she has enough on her plate with the kiddos.
The set it and forget it concept with a flame show is our goal. I’m okay with reloading more frequently when it’s run full bore.

Read up on the postings for Green Mountain stoves in the Hearthstone forum.

HearthStone

This forum is for discussions and information regarding Hearthstone Stoves

www.hearth.com

Also look at the Lopi Rockport and Evergreen.

For simplicity of operation, it may be worth considering a non-cat stove with no bypass or catalyst to monitor. That may have a higher value than the $2K credit. Get the stove that best fits your needs.

 

[Woody Stover]

Getting a stove that's well-designed, durably-built, and easy to maintain would trump the rebate in my book, if I was buying now. It's a long-term investment that you want to be glad you made, and so the lost rebate is going to be diluted over many years of ownership.
I got a T5 for my SIL a few years back. I'm glad I did, and so is she. 👍

 

[Charles123]

Getting a stove that's well-designed, durably-built, and easy to maintain would trump the rebate in my book, if I was buying now. It's a long-term investment that you want to be glad you made, and so the lost rebate is going to be diluted over many years of ownership.
I got a T5 for my SIL a few years back. I'm glad I did, and so is she. 👍

I couldn’t agree more with that statement. If we find the stove that meets our needs we shouldn’t be hung up on the credit. The only thing that bothers me is the right hinge on the T5. My hearth location forced me to build wood storage to the right of the stove.

 

[blades]

2 story home- heat rises cold sinks- so in the winter you get a nasty cold air draft coming down the stairs heading straight for the stove because that hot air is rising leaving a negative that cold air fills. In days back when, the 2nd story stairwell always had a door ( guess why) at one end or the other. I do not believe I have seen a door on the stairs in anything built from 60"s forward. Even with the modern? heating units the draft is still there- maybe not as noticeable. Just a word to the wise.

 

[bikedennis]

I would look at Woodstock also.

 

[Charles123]

Woodstocks are nice stoves a few of my family members have them. I believe the side load would be cumbersome or an issue with the tight clearance I’ll have with my corner installation.

 

[Charles123]

2 story home- heat rises cold sinks- so in the winter you get a nasty cold air draft coming down the stairs heading straight for the stove because that hot air is rising leaving a negative that cold air fills. In days back when, the 2nd story stairwell always had a door ( guess why) at one end or the other. I do not believe I have seen a door on the stairs in anything built from 60"s forward. Even with the modern? heating units the draft is still there- maybe not as noticeable. Just a word to the wise.

Good point. Thank you

 

[bigealta]

2 story home- heat rises cold sinks- so in the winter you get a nasty cold air draft coming down the stairs heading straight for the stove because that hot air is rising leaving a negative that cold air fills. In days back when, the 2nd story stairwell always had a door ( guess why) at one end or the other. I do not believe I have seen a door on the stairs in anything built from 60"s forward. Even with the modern? heating units the draft is still there- maybe not as noticeable. Just a word to the wise.

I have a stairway door to upstairs on my 1940's cape house. It's a huge help keeping the downstairs much warmer, especially since the upstairs is like a wind tunnel when the wind blows, which is most days here 1 mile from the ocean.

 

[bcrtops]

I couldn’t agree more with that statement. If we find the stove that meets our needs we shouldn’t be hung up on the credit. The only thing that bothers me is the right hinge on the T5. My hearth location forced me to build wood storage to the right of the stove.

The hinge / door swing used to be reversible on the T5. My old one is - check with dealer.

 

[vbu]

I have a stairway door to upstairs on my 1940's cape house. It's a huge help keeping the downstairs much warmer, especially since the upstairs is like a wind tunnel when the wind blows, which is most days here 1 mile from the ocean.

My house was built in the late '60s. There was originally a door there but someone took it out over the years. In my first year heating with the stove I could not heat up the downstairs, but it would be 75 upstairs. I put a pocket door back in upstairs, and it's made a huge difference. With it open there's literally a breeze of hot air coming up