Where should I buy my stove?

[Bapa323]

This is my first post. I live in Schuylkill County Pa. I have a 1700 sqft area to heat that currently uses an oil furnace with forced hot air. I want to have a wood stove installed to save money on oil (I have 15 acres of mixed hardwood to use)
My question is where can I buy a catalytic wood stove? All the box stores around me only carry secondary burn stoves.
Also, if you can, which cat stove is best?

 

[bholler]

This is my first post. I live in Schuylkill County Pa. I have a 1700 sqft area to heat that currently uses an oil furnace with forced hot air. I want to have a wood stove installed to save money on oil (I have 15 acres of mixed hardwood to use)
My question is where can I buy a catalytic wood stove? All the box stores around me only carry secondary burn stoves.
Also, if you can, which cat stove is best?

A stove shop.

As far as what cat stove is best that will depend on your needs really. Blaze kings are best at long low btu burns. But if you need higher BTUs there are other options. Regency Woodstock buck and several others have proven units that work well

 

[yooperdave]

Welcome. Nice straight forward questions. I bought two stoves (non-cat) from box stores and have no regrets. I did need to call the manufacturer about both stoves and was very satisfied with their handling of the problems. I wouldn't even have thought of approaching the big store on it. I'm sure a stove shop will refer you to the manufacturer also....or maybe call them for you?

Hmmm......"which cat stove is the best"? Brand loyalty can run pretty high. Husky vs stihl....ford vs chevy.....

My advice is to research and read reviews. Read the negative reviews, not the good ones. You won't learn anything from "I love this stove, I just got it home and it looks great! Can't wait to use it!"

 

[peakbagger]

BTW, 15 acres of green hardwood is basically useless for two years until its cut split and seasoned. Modern stoves do not run on green wood. So unless you have a proven source of dry firewood, you will not be savings any heating oil for two years. If you think you can buy it, good luck, unless it comes from a kiln designed to dry firewood (rather than treat wood for export) its highly likely its not going to be dry enough to burn.

Sad to say this is without a doubt the number 1 hurdle to new wood burners and many dealers do not help by educating their potential customers as it means a potential lost sale.

 

[marty319]

Most replies here will be blaze king.

 

[jalmondale]

If you're just looking for burn time and efficiency, I think Blaze King is the winner there, but anything that's EPA certified should be pretty good. Other things you might want to consider: Is the stove going to be in a living area where aesthetics matter, and what look are you going for? Do you want to be able to cook on the stove? Would you prefer side, front, or top loading? How many BTUs do you want from it, and how long of a burn time (which will tell you roughly how big a firebox you need)? The ratings section has a lot of good info if you're checking it a specific brand or model.

I got my stove direct from the factory, because that's the only way Woodstock sells theirs (it was actually pretty cool, I got to do a quick tour of the whole shop to see how the stoves got put together), but I think typically you'd find a dealer that also does installation.

 

[peterz]

I strongly recommend that you stay away from the catalytic stove us. We have had good luck with Pacific energy Stoves From British Columbia Canada. I'm sure there are lots of other cleanburning efficient noncatalytic with Stoves available to you. Also two years Dry split hardwood is nice but one good year with good ventilation stacked in single rows is normally sufficient. Good luck with it

 

[brenndatomu]

My question is where can I buy a catalytic wood stove?

Woodstock Soapstone Co.

Woodstock Soapstone Company has been providing clean, radiant heat to homes throughout the United States, and the world

www.woodstove.com

 

[bholler]

I strongly recommend that you stay away from the catalytic stove us. We have had good luck with Pacific energy Stoves From British Columbia Canada. I'm sure there are lots of other cleanburning efficient noncatalytic with Stoves available to you. Also two years Dry split hardwood is nice but one good year with good ventilation stacked in single rows is normally sufficient. Good luck with it

Why stay away from cats?

 

[brenndatomu]

Why stay away from cats?

Allergies?

 

[Burning]

If you want a good cat stove go older Jotul or any blaze king. They are the best cat stoves on the market there’s a reason they have such an amazing reputation. Woodys fireplace is kinda near you they have many stores and are good people they are a bk dealer
Another thing your land is not useless for 2 years at all. Cut down now through April and it will be ready for the burning season. I do it every year and my wood is all around 16-20 percent moisture start cutting

 

[brenndatomu]

If you want a good cat stove go older Jotul or any blaze king. They are the best cat stoves on the market there’s a reason they have such an amazing reputation. Woodys fireplace is kinda near you they have many stores and are good people they are a bk dealer
Another thing your land is not useless for 2 years at all. Cut down now through April and it will be ready for the burning season. I do it every year and my wood is all around 16-20 percent moisture start cutting

Maybe if you are burning Ash and Silver Maple...sure nuff not gonna have any Oak down under 20% in that time...would be lucky to have that in 2 years honestly...takes 3 years to reliably get Oak that low around here (and even then you'll still get a sizzler once in a while)

 

[bholler]

If you want a good cat stove go older Jotul or any blaze king. They are the best cat stoves on the market there’s a reason they have such an amazing reputation. Woodys fireplace is kinda near you they have many stores and are good people they are a bk dealer
Another thing your land is not useless for 2 years at all. Cut down now through April and it will be ready for the burning season. I do it every year and my wood is all around 16-20 percent moisture start cutting

Older jotuls (other than the horrible firelight) were all noncat. Blaze kings are absolutely the best at low and slow if that's what you need they are the obvious choice. But not everyone needs that.

 

[xman23]

Why stay away from cats?

That's always a debate here. My non cat stove has been running 22 winters, with not much repair cost. Other than a few door gaskets, $11 each and a roll of insulation blanket. Yes call me cheep, but I buy the best quality I can afford. I like the reliability and the peace of mind that it's just going to work.

So to the cat guys. Can you elaborate on your experience with them? What's the average time you get out of a cat? What's the cost of replacement? How do you tell the cat is an issue and how long do you run them as there performance degrades? And what are the up side of cat stoves?

 

[Bapa323]

BTW, 15 acres of green hardwood is basically useless for two years until its cut split and seasoned. Modern stoves do not run on green wood. So unless you have a proven source of dry firewood, you will not be savings any heating oil for two years. If you think you can buy it, good luck, unless it comes from a kiln designed to dry firewood (rather than treat wood for export) its highly likely its not going to be dry enough to burn.

Sad to say this is without a doubt the number 1 hurdle to new wood burners and many dealers do not help by educating their potential customers as it means a potential lost sale.

I've been planning this for a long time. I have many cords of dry wood already split and stacked. I spend all summer in a camper and burn wood every day. The stove will be new, using firewood isn't.

 

[Bapa323]

I strongly recommend that you stay away from the catalytic stove us. We have had good luck with Pacific energy Stoves From British Columbia Canada. I'm sure there are lots of other cleanburning efficient noncatalytic with Stoves available to you. Also two years Dry split hardwood is nice but one good year with good ventilation stacked in single rows is normally sufficient. Good luck with it

Why stay away from a catalytic stove? The long slow BTU release seems to be just what I'm looking for.

 

[EbS-P]

Why stay away from a catalytic stove? The long slow BTU release seems to be just what I'm looking for.

I will say I am very happy with a heatpump and secondary combustion stove. Using the heatpump down to 40-45 degrees is just effortless. Once it’s that cold the slow burn isn’t needed.

I kicked around the idea of a blazeking. I could not justify the extra cost Vs a value insert from Drolet. The difference in price is more than 1.5 ton diy mini split.

That said I have dreams of 36 hour burns on a BK king.

 

[Burning]

If you were going a cat stove. Bk all day but your fairly newer stoves with out a cat have great burn times I have a quad 5700 and get a solid 8 hours of that stove never going below 400. It’s impressive

And about the oak. I burn oak as well as ash cherry and other hardwoods. All are fine in a year as long as there split and sitting. You won’t have a problem at all

 

[Burning]

And what kind of heat are you looking for ? Do you want a stove you don’t have to load often that’s going to give you 350-450 degrees constant off the stove or are you going to want a raw heat that’s going to make you warm fast at 700 degrees

 

[brenndatomu]

And about the oak. I burn oak as well as ash cherry and other hardwoods. All are fine in a year as long as there split and sitting. You won’t have a problem at all

What is this oak, the top half of a long standing dead tree(s)? There's just no way you can CSS live Oak early in the year and burn it in an EPA stove the following winter with no problem...unless you are kiln drying or something.

 

[bholler]

That's always a debate here. My non cat stove has been running 22 winters, with not much repair cost. Other than a few door gaskets, $11 each and a roll of insulation blanket. Yes call me cheep, but I buy the best quality I can afford. I like the reliability and the peace of mind that it's just going to work.

So to the cat guys. Can you elaborate on your experience with them? What's the average time you get out of a cat? What's the cost of replacement? How do you tell the cat is an issue and how long do you run them as there performance degrades? And what are the up side of cat stoves?

I am not a cat guy or a non cat guy. Right now I am running a princess and there are many things I like about it but it just doesn't have the BTU output to heat my home when it's really cold. But the even heat output is great most of the time. I just replaced the cat after 3 years for about $200. So it is definitely an added expense. Each person needs to decide if the benifits are worth that expense to them or not.

 

[Burning]

It all depends on how you let it dry. If it’s split and under a roof or over hang not getting soaked every time it rains then yes 6-8 months is plenty for any wood cut down in feb-march

 

[Burning]

I’ll agree on a full 12 months if your leaving it out in the elements for oak

 

[bholler]

It all depends on how you let it dry. If it’s split and under a roof or over hang not getting soaked every time it rains then yes 6-8 months is plenty for any wood cut down in feb-march

That simply is not true. I can barely get oak below 20% in that time frame in a solar kiln. How are you determining moisture content?

 

[brenndatomu]

It all depends on how you let it dry. If it’s split and under a roof or over hang not getting soaked every time it rains then yes 6-8 months is plenty for any wood cut down in feb-march

Stacked out in the open where it can get plenty of wind and sun...and its top covered too (sides open)
6-8 months is only enough for a few species...most take a year plus...and a whole bunch more need 2 years...and a few, like Oak, need 3 to be really right...yeah, you can use it in 2, but it lights easier, burns cleaner, and makes more heat at 3 yrs CSS'd.

If you insist on burning <1 yr CSS Oak, then I vote we change your Hearth user name to "Smoldering"