when to/how much of an upgrade (Lopi Republic 1250 to 1750)?

[blacktail]

I'm kicking around the idea of upgrading from my Lopi Republic 1250i to a 1750i. It would be a change from a 1.6cf firebox to a 2.2cf. My house isn't that big and my climate is mild, so the current stove will keep it warm IF I'M HOME TO KEEP IT LOADED. Keep in mind I have access to mostly soft woods and the hardwoods I have access to aren't the same caliber as other parts of the country (alder and bigleaf maple). If my fireplace was centrally located it might heat the house quicker, but my fireplace is in the worst possible location. It's in a back corner of the house with an exterior chimney and it takes a while to get heat moved around the house. On a good day, I may have some coals when I get home from work after 10 hours, but the 1250 hasn't been blowing heat for a long time and the house is cold.
I guess my question is, would a change from a 1.6cf stove to a 2.2cf stove be worth it?

 

[Charles1981]

I have a 2.3cuft stove. With good hardwood (ash and oak) I still have to load at least 3x a day to the brim, but at least at every 9-12 hours it give you time to go away, goto work, have a day trip ect and not come home to a cold house.

With softer maple species like you have... It would be better than what you have but probably not leaps and bounds better. The question is the purchase of a new stove worth the mild-moderate amount of improvement you would note.

You would want 3+ cuft ideally and even then with softer woods it is a stretch to say you could leave the house for 8 hours at a time except with something like a BK probably and still expect the house to be warm. Tough situation it sounds like.

 

[aansorge]

(broken link removed to http://www.blazeking.com/EN/wood-stoves.html)

...Pick the style and size you want and thank me later!

 

[blacktail]

Thanks. Right now I'm thinking it's not worth the $$$ to upgrade.

 

[begreen]

How many sq ft is the house? A good medium sized stove with a longer burn is the Pacific Energy Super 27, but the 1750 would be an improvement.

 

[Augie]

I have the Avalon version of the 1750, same stove different door. I live in SE Michigan and can get 12-14 hr burn times with hardwood keeping the house warm (in the high 60's stove room in the high 70's) with soft wood, i can easily get 8hr burn times.

 

[isipwater]

I have the Lopi Endeavor, same size firebox as the 1750. I live in MA, probably colder here than where you are. My house is about 1450sqft. I usually do two loads per day during winter. One around 5:30am and one around 5:30pm. I use a mix of pine and oak. It keeps my house warm enough so I usually don't need my secondary heating source to turn on. A difference though is that my stove is centrally located in my floor plan. Good luck.

 

[blacktail]

How many sq ft is the house? A good medium sized stove with a longer burn is the Pacific Energy Super 27, but the 1750 would be an improvement.

House is just under 1200sf.

 

[Charles1981]

Well that certainly isn't a monumental area to consider heating.

The 1750 would be an upgrade and would be better, but from looking at suggested retail it is about 1700$ suggested retail without the fan that brings it close to 2k.

You have 1.6cuft now and 2.2cuft will be an improvement for sure, but I guess my questions is would you do better with a larger unit.

Some might say the NC30 may blow you out of your 1200sq ft, but it is much cheaper and you could open a window if you did end up getting blown out of the house (but some people have found too much stove is a problem).

I posted this in another thread but a breakdown of ideal recommended larger stoves:

Englander NC30 (3.5cuft) biggest and the cheapest of the lot to boot - burn tube stove (~900$)
Ideal Steel...kind funky looking stove (3.2cuft) - hybrid stove (~1800-2200 based on accessories)
Blaze King Princess (2.85 cuft) - cat stove (expensive 2500-3000?)
Progress Hybrid... soapstone pretty (2.8cuft...getting smaller unfortunately) - hybrid also expensive ~3k.
PE summit (3cuft) - (can't find retail but probably 2200-2500$)

The Englander and Ideal Steel would give you the most bang for your buck. Some might say too much stove though for 1200sq feet.

The 1750 may be just the "right fit" or the right bowl of porridge for you (not too hot, not too cold)..but it could also leaving you hoping you had gotten more.

I heat 2000sq feet from the basement with 2.3cuft and wish I had more but find my situation acceptable and I am not going to go buy another stove for a few more years at the earliest.

 

[blacktail]

The 1250 is staying. It's heated my house for the last three years with very little help from my electric heat. I just looked up my account with the utility district and in the last 2 years my bills have ranged from a low of $57 to a high of $104 (billed every other month). An extra $20-25 a month in electricity during the peak of winter doesn't justify spending well over a grand for a slightly bigger insert. In real dollars and cents an upgrade isn't even close to justified.

 

[isipwater]

Well that certainly isn't a monumental area to consider heating.

The 1750 would be an upgrade and would be better, but from looking at suggested retail it is about 1700$ suggested retail without the fan that brings it close to 2k.

You have 1.6cuft now and 2.2cuft will be an improvement for sure, but I guess my questions is would you do better with a larger unit.

Some might say the NC30 may blow you out of your 1200sq ft, but it is much cheaper and you could open a window if you did end up getting blown out of the house (but some people have found too much stove is a problem).

I posted this in another thread but a breakdown of ideal recommended larger stoves:

Englander NC30 (3.5cuft) biggest and the cheapest of the lot to boot - burn tube stove (~900$)
Ideal Steel...kind funky looking stove (3.2cuft) - hybrid stove (~1800-2200 based on accessories)
Blaze King Princess (2.85 cuft) - cat stove (expensive 2500-3000?)
Progress Hybrid... soapstone pretty (2.8cuft...getting smaller unfortunately) - hybrid also expensive ~3k.
PE summit (3cuft) - (can't find retail but probably 2200-2500$)

The Englander and Ideal Steel would give you the most bang for your buck. Some might say too much stove though for 1200sq feet.

The 1750 may be just the "right fit" or the right bowl of porridge for you (not too hot, not too cold)..but it could also leaving you hoping you had gotten more.

I heat 2000sq feet from the basement with 2.3cuft and wish I had more but find my situation acceptable and I am not going to go buy another stove for a few more years at the earliest.

Overheating leading to opening windows in the middle of winter = wood down the drain

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I'm kicking around the idea of upgrading from my Lopi Republic 1250i to a 1750i. It would be a change from a 1.6cf firebox to a 2.2cf. My house isn't that big and my climate is mild, so the current stove will keep it warm IF I'M HOME TO KEEP IT LOADED. Keep in mind I have access to mostly soft woods and the hardwoods I have access to aren't the same caliber as other parts of the country (alder and bigleaf maple). If my fireplace was centrally located it might heat the house quicker, but my fireplace is in the worst possible location. It's in a back corner of the house with an exterior chimney and it takes a while to get heat moved around the house. On a good day, I may have some coals when I get home from work after 10 hours, but the 1250 hasn't been blowing heat for a long time and the house is cold.
I guess my question is, would a change from a 1.6cf stove to a 2.2cf stove be worth it?

Skip the Lopi and get one of the PE Super-type variants. Less moving parts, longer burn time, less $$$

 

[Highbeam]

Skip the Lopi and get one of the PE Super-type variants. Less moving parts, longer burn time, less $$$

I agree. If I had to pick a non-cat for in the home, the PE line is known to be one of the, if not the, longest burning options. As you are finding out, burn times are extremely important for home heating. Heating a smaller home is difficult with a non-cat. By nature they burn hot so you have to choose a small stove to prevent overheating but then burn times go down the toilet and 1.6 CF, 1.6 CF is tiny. How do you even have room to work in there? Any of the woods that grow in western WA will give me 24 burns from my 3 CF BK. When you compare that to your best case burn time of 12 hours in a 2 CF stove, the larger BK is actually giving off less heat over the same 24 hour period. Big stoves don't have to be hot stoves.

And about our woods. Bigleaf maple and red alder are no slouches, neither is doug fir on a btu per cord basis. Just imagine those poor souls living where the only options are cottonwood, willow, and aspen.

 

[begreen]

The 1250 is staying. It's heated my house for the last three years with very little help from my electric heat. I just looked up my account with the utility district and in the last 2 years my bills have ranged from a low of $57 to a high of $104 (billed every other month). An extra $20-25 a month in electricity during the peak of winter doesn't justify spending well over a grand for a slightly bigger insert. In real dollars and cents an upgrade isn't even close to justified.

Sounds like a reasonable assessment.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

The 1250 is staying. It's heated my house for the last three years with very little help from my electric heat. I just looked up my account with the utility district and in the last 2 years my bills have ranged from a low of $57 to a high of $104 (billed every other month). An extra $20-25 a month in electricity during the peak of winter doesn't justify spending well over a grand for a slightly bigger insert. In real dollars and cents an upgrade isn't even close to justified.

It'd be a ten year payoff assuming it's 5 months out of the year and your electricity rates stay level.

25 x 5 x 10 = $1250

 

[aansorge]

I say keep an eye on Craigslist for a stove you want, buy it and sell yours. Could cost you close to nothing.

 

[aansorge]

(broken link removed to http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/for/4545385598.html)

With a little elbow grease, this could work.