Too many options....1st timers trying to make a good choice

[CockedAndLocked]

My wife and I have looked at a lot of wood burning stoves within the last couple of days. We would like to make the right decision for us and now we are lost.

The stove was going to be put in the basement but after looking at them we decided to put it upstairs in the living room. We both think we will get better use and enjoyment out of it there. Our house is around 1700 sq feet and we just want to save a little on electricity. I also like the idea of being able to heat my house if the power went out. We both like the cast iron look and differnt porcelian color options. My wife likes the idea of being able to cook with it if she wants too.

Vermont Castings Defiant was our first choice. But after reading some reviews we got scared away from that brand. We do not want to make a big purchase and then have to break out more cash each year for a lot of up keep.

Now we have looked at and like the Napoleon 1400c and Jotul f55 (don't think you can cook on it though). And my wife looked at the Quadra-fire Yosemite and a couple of the Harman's today and liked those too.

Cat or Non cat...I think the non because of what I have read so far on cost. We also like the blower option.

Every sales rep we talk to says the brand they carry is the best and we just want some straight forward information so we can try to narrow this down. Can you please give us some of your ideas and opinions?

 

[Huntindog1]

Whats your floor plan look like?

How big is the room your putting the stove in?

 

[MaintenanceMan]

If you like an enamel cast iron look that you can cook on check out the Pacific Energy Alderlea line. They have swing out arms for cooking and have several enamel color options.

 

[Huntindog1]

If the stove is going to be upstairs in the room your gonna be in aot watching tv and such and if the room isnt big and open then a cat stove may give you a more control over the heat. Whats nice about the cat is it can be turned down and you can get a smaller cat stove as it will burn longer with smaller loads of wood. I guess what I am trying to say it wont burn you out of the room.

Cat stoves are more expensive and you have to clean the cat element every year and replace the cat element in the stove every 5 or 6 years.

Non-cat stoves work good also thats what I have. They are cheaper. Less maintenance. They have good burn times but not as good as cat stoves. A correct sized one wont burn you out of the room. But many say you can just burn smaller loads to control the heat better. Dont get me wrong they can be turned down and controlled just not the range a cat can be.

The way I look at it is 8 hours burn time is all I need but best to get a stove that claims more burn time as they are usually over rated.

Better go buy your wood now and find some good dry wood and buy you a moisture meter.

 

[corey21]

I suggest you start working to get ahead on your wood supply.

EPA stoves need good SEASONED wood to operate correctly no matter which stove it is.

 

[CockedAndLocked]

Whats your floor plan look like?

How big is the room your putting the stove in?

I have a really open floor plan. My kitchen, dining room, and living room is pretty much one large room (30' x 30') under a 13' vaulted ceiling. I am wanting to put the stove in a corner in the living room. i think that will look the best.

 

[CockedAndLocked]

I suggest you start working to get ahead on your wood supply.

EPA stoves need good SEASONED wood to operate correctly no matter which stove it is.

Not really worried about the wood. Built my house 4 years ago and have a lot of logs piled up.

 

[jotul8e2]

What kind of climate do you have? In most of the US an F55 is overkill for 1700 sq. ft. of normally insulated living space. If you are considering the F55 I would certainly take a look at the Jotul F600 as well; it takes 24" wood which would be a big deal to me.

Yes, a cat stove will cost a little more in maintenance, but if you are buying wood you will recoup some of that is better efficiency. And they are certainly more controllable. Someone more knowledgeable may correct me, but I think most of the complaints about the Defiant concern the non-cat version.

For back up heat, for creating a cozy spot in the house that is always warm, for the ability to be self-reliant, wood stoves are great. For saving money, not so much. A new F55 and quality flue can easily exceed $4,000. If you buy wood, it is that much more. That will buy a lot of kilowatts.

 

[Swedishchef]

Welcome to the forums!

+1 on getting wood now. Don't assume that "logs" are dry, they likely are not. Cut a piece off of one (middle), split it and take a moisture reading. It may be dry then again it may not...

Have you tried looking at Osburn?? Perhaps the Osburn Matrix?0 Obviously I own an Obsurn so I am bias. It is mid price range for a nice little unit. It all depends what you are looking for. What is your price range? Do you have a chimney yet?

Good call on putting it on the main floor. My stove isn't on the main floor, it is in the basement. And I regret it. Simple. It takes too much time and energy to heat the basement before the heat rises to the main floor.... Next time I will have a stove in my basement and one on my main floor. I won't have to heat the entire basement in order to get wood heat on the first level.

There are several great stove brands out there. It really depends on your budget, taste and desires!!

Andrew

 

[jotul8e2]

Whole logs (depending upon the species) may not season at all. The white oak I burn here has to be cut, split, and stacked to season - it will rot before it seasons if left as logs.

 

[rideau]

Look online at the Woodstock stoves. They are cats, but that is no problem: they are easy to run, and take so little care that it is minimal. The time you save in not having to clean the chimney very often because of how clean burning they are will more than make up for the time required once a year or so to brush the cat. The Woodstock stoves are of a quality that means you won't have a problem with the stove for your lifetime. There is also a no questions asked 6 month period during which you can return the stove for full refund for any reason whatsoever. Can't beat that level of customer care. Customer service is excellent. The stoves are beautiful, and available in several colors. I think you can also get custom colors. Probably either the Keystone (more modern appearance) or the FIreview (more traditional) would provide enough heat to heat your entire home. They don't have and don't need a blower. Keep in mind too that a blower will not work if you have a power outage. You can certainly cook on top of these stoves. I had a Fireview and cooked on it all the time, as do others who have them. Replaced my Fireview with a Progress Hybrid, just because my home is over 3000 feet and I needed a bigger stove. Fireview is rated by Woodstock to very conservatively be able to heat 1600 sq feet as sole heat source.

If you decide you like Keystone or Fireview and the price is high for you, look on Craig's List or advertise here for the stove you prefer....there are many of them out there and they have been made for a good number of years, so you can find used ones fairly easily, and they are generally in excellent shape used. Woodstock may even have refurbished stoves available at a discount....

Anyway, worth your while to visit the Woodstock website.

 

[CockedAndLocked]

What kind of climate do you have? In most of the US an F55 is overkill for 1700 sq. ft. of normally insulated living space. If you are considering the F55 I would certainly take a look at the Jotul F600 as well; it takes 24" wood which would be a big deal to me.

Yes, a cat stove will cost a little more in maintenance, but if you are buying wood you will recoup some of that is better efficiency. And they are certainly more controllable. Someone more knowledgeable may correct me, but I think most of the complaints about the Defiant concern the non-cat version.

For back up heat, for creating a cozy spot in the house that is always warm, for the ability to be self-reliant, wood stoves are great. For saving money, not so much. A new F55 and quality flue can easily exceed $4,000. If you buy wood, it is that much more. That will buy a lot of kilowatts.

Live in Mo its a climate like no other....it can be freezing cold to blazing hot in a 24 hr period. Yeah definitely do not want to burned out of my living room. I am not looking for overkill here. I have the wood I do not have to purchase it.

 

[Huntindog1]

Well with the big open ceilings and floor plan you can get a bigger stove and not over heat your self as a matter of fact some guys on here with situations like that said they need a little bigger stove than what is called for usually. Especially on real cold nights.

 

[weatherguy]

Live in Mo its a climate like no other....it can be freezing cold to blazing hot in a 24 hr period. Yeah definitely do not want to burned out of my living room. I am not looking for overkill here. I have the wood I do not have to purchase it.

The fireview sounds like the perfect stovge for you if its in your price range, it wont overheat you and you can get a longer slower burn for the milder weather, and as mentioned you can cook on it. If you get frigid weather it should have no problems heating your house.

 

[corey21]

Not really worried about the wood. Built my house 4 years ago and have a lot of logs piled up.

They will not season till cut split and stacked up off the the ground.

 

[theonlyzarathu]

Burning wood that is less dry than you'd like is easily possible. You just have to get more oxygen under the fire, and the wood needs to be split more. PE recommends putting the logs such that their ends face the clear ceramic in the door. But if you do that with less than really dry wood your won't get much fire. For that you have to put two quarter splits against the sides of the stove with their ends facing the door. Start a good fire with 1/2 inch splits in between the logs and then put your other logs cross wise in front of the door. Most stoves will slam air under the fire and give a good burn even in less optimum conditions of the wood. Also with less than optimim wood, you need to split it into smaller pieces. This is hard to do if you are using an axe. Going outside to split pieces is a real hassle. But if you get a Bailey's Smart Splitter, you can put it in another room almost as a piece of furniture, and split your wood in the house, down literally to any size you want.

Its all about technique.

 

[begreen]

Live in Mo its a climate like no other....it can be freezing cold to blazing hot in a 24 hr period. Yeah definitely do not want to burned out of my living room. I am not looking for overkill here. I have the wood I do not have to purchase it.

If the wood has not been split and stacked it may not be ready to burn this season.

If your wife likes the Yosemite, start looking at the Cumberland Gap. I think the Yosemite will quickly prove to be too small.

 

[jotul8e2]

Live in Mo its a climate like no other....it can be freezing cold to blazing hot in a 24 hr period. Yeah definitely do not want to burned out of my living room. I am not looking for overkill here. I have the wood I do not have to purchase it.

I am in Polk Co., Mo. My Jotul Oslo has been great for my 2500 sq. ft. Granted, I have taken considerable pains in insulating and minimizing heat losses.

On paper, the Fireview recommended above does sound like a good fit as well. I had considerable experience with a similar sized Hearthstone and there is a lot to like about soapstone stoves.