Your stove recommendations for our Farmhouse

[Casbeck]

We've just moved into our 1300 sq ft renovated farmhouse, and need to install a stove in the next few months. You guys are so knowledgeable, I really value your opinions.

Here is the criteria:

Poulsbo WA, Hood Canal
Open layout & stairs
800 sq ft first floor, 500 second
decent insulation for old construction, including blow-in green "foam" under a metal roof
West facing on a marine exposure hill = windy
big double-pane windows, french doors
added hardy board siding layer on top of previous old siding
stove location, not ideal central, but on north wall of an addition
Backup heat: high-tech oil burning heater and in-bedroom electric wall heaters
Home will not be occupied much during day
Want it easy as possible- to burn the longest and start up from coals.

Our list:
Jotul Castine or Oslo
PE Spectrum - like the Classic
Hearthstone : considering - don't know which model?
Others?

Price is a factor. We'll go to a dealer and get the tax rebate -- (much of our renovation was scavenged and/or bartered.)

thanks - you guys rock.

christine

 

[mellow]

On that side of the coast you have a better chance at find a deal on a BK stove. That would give you the extended burn times you are looking for. Have you looked at the woodstock fireview yet?

 

[Todd]

http://www.woodstove.com/

 

[Highbeam]

Hello, I grew up in Silverdale and spent lots of time in Poulsbo which is not on the Hood Canal but close. Poulsbo sets on the Puget Sound, If you are on the canal near Poulsbo then you must be up on that high bluff which is a very nice area and yes, windy.

From your list, the PE is the long burning champ. A nice square stove that is easy to use and durable. I like the Alderlea version, the T5, for the looks of cast iron.

I have a hearthstone heritage in my 1700 SF and I really like it but if I was putting in a new stove I would be looking at the catalytic models from Blaze King (made in Walla Walla) or from woodstock (from Vermont). Your small square footage allows you to utilize the smaller 6" flue model BK and the fireview from woodstock should do a fine job.

Both will do fine with our softwood fuel supply. Check out the chimneysweep's site. He's from Bellingham and sells PE and Hearthstone stoves, this site lists prices and has pictures of all the options.

(broken link removed to http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/fswood.htm)

 

[Casbeck]

Thanks Pyro. We are up near the Hood Canal Bridge, but a Poulsbo address...

I was considering the Blaze King Princess based on this review:
(broken link removed)

but the King would hold more - perhaps too much for our 1300 sq. ft. We'll check with dealer...

RE Catalytic converters...Sorry if this is a dumb newbie question :-> BUT they don't require electricity, right? Only the fan-operated stoves do? We get power outtages.

woodstock stoves - thanks for link. i like the Keystone better than the Fireview visually, is it comparable in performance?

thanks
christine

 

[Dix]

We've just moved into our 1300 sq ft renovated farmhouse, and need to install a stove in the next few months. You guys are so knowledgeable, I really value your opinions.

Here is the criteria:

Poulsbo WA, Hood Canal
Open layout & stairs
800 sq ft first floor, 500 second
decent insulation for old construction, including blow-in green "foam" under a metal roof
West facing on a marine exposure hill = windy
big double-pane windows, french doors
added hardy board siding layer on top of previous old siding
stove location, not ideal central, but on north wall of an addition
Backup heat: high-tech oil burning heater and in-bedroom electric wall heaters
Home will not be occupied much during day
Want it easy as possible- to burn the longest and start up from coals.

Our list:
Jotul Castine or Oslo
PE Spectrum - like the Classic
Hearthstone : considering - don't know which model?
Others?

Price is a factor. We'll go to a dealer and get the tax rebate -- (much of our renovation was scavenged and/or bartered.)

thanks - you guys rock.

christine

Welcome Christine, to the forums.

Good luck with your search. I'd advise getting wood now, and if you can, seasoned wood, what ever your choice ends up being.

Unless you've already done that

Woo hoo, the odds are getting better ;-P

 

[Todd]

Thanks Pyro. We are up near the Hood Canal Bridge, but a Poulsbo address...

I was considering the Blaze King Princess based on this review:
(broken link removed)

but the King would hold more - perhaps too much for our 1300 sq. ft. We'll check with dealer...

RE Catalytic converters...Sorry if this is a dumb newbie question :-> BUT they don't require electricity, right? Only the fan-operated stoves do? We get power outtages.

woodstock stoves - thanks for link. i like the Keystone better than the Fireview visually, is it comparable in performance?

thanks
christine

I think the BK King would be overkill, way too big. The smaller Princess woulld be ok, but I think you would be happier with soapstone in a smaller home. Catalysts don't require electricity, they burn the smoke and gas and produce higher efficiency. The Keystone has a smaller fire box than the Fireview but still has 8-10 hour burn time compared to the Fireviews 10-12 and would have no problem heating your house IMO.

 

[begreen]

All good advice. I agree with the PE stove. Our next door neighbor is heating his Puget Sound home with similar sq ftg and vintage with this stove. Good combo. The Oslo would be my choice in cast iron as long as there is room for a side-loading door.

Never burned a Woodstock or BlazeKing here, but can't see why it wouldn't work out fine. There is a bit more maintenance and rules burning a catalytic stove, but nothing outrageous. Mostly, be sure you burn only clean, well seasoned wood. The burn times may be shorter than advertised when burning only NW softwoods, but should still be good.

 

[madrone]

Heating a very similar house in Portland area with a Lopi Endeavor. It's about the right size, at 2.2 cuft. The PE is in that size range, and similar style, so seems like a good fit. Don't know about the others.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

We've just moved into our 1300 sq ft renovated farmhouse, and need to install a stove in the next few months. You guys are so knowledgeable, I really value your opinions.

Here is the criteria:

Poulsbo WA, Hood Canal
Open layout & stairs
800 sq ft first floor, 500 second
decent insulation for old construction, including blow-in green "foam" under a metal roof
West facing on a marine exposure hill = windy
big double-pane windows, french doors
added hardy board siding layer on top of previous old siding
stove location, not ideal central, but on north wall of an addition
Backup heat: high-tech oil burning heater and in-bedroom electric wall heaters
Home will not be occupied much during day
Want it easy as possible- to burn the longest and start up from coals.

Our list:
Jotul Castine or Oslo
PE Spectrum - like the Classic
Hearthstone : considering - don't know which model?
Others?

Price is a factor. We'll go to a dealer and get the tax rebate -- (much of our renovation was scavenged and/or bartered.)

thanks - you guys rock.

christine

I'm in pretty much the exact place you are - Mason Co, 1300 sq ft house (uninsulated roof) - And I narrowed my short list to the spectrum and the Castine. I really love the look of the Castine but my hunch was that the only thing it has on the Spectrum Classic is looks and the feedback I got here supported that. The Spectrum Classic in black enamel and nickel trim will still be less than the flat black Castine while looking 90% as good as the enameled Castine.

 

[Jags]

You may wish to check the specs of the PE super27. It might just be the fit you are looking for. Just a thought.

 

[lexybird]

a NC-30 englander might be worth looking at

 

[Jags]

a NC-30 englander might be worth looking at

Thats alot of heat for 1300 sqft.

 

[begreen]

The Castine is a 1.5 cu ft stove. It's not as close a comparison and will need to be fed more frequently, especially burning softwood. The Oslo at 2 cu ft is a much better fit if longer burn times are important. The PE Super 27 and Spectrum are also 2 cu ft stoves. This is a good fit for a 1400 sq ft farmhouse in the PacNW.

 

[Casbeck]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I consulted with my husband, and we're down to these 2. We can live with either visually. We didn't like the Woodstock Firelight (and efficiency of 72% didn't seem as effective).

BlazeKing Princess, Ultra or Parlor (legs), $2200 with fan. Catalytic.
Pacific Energy Super27 - black legs, $1820 with fan. Non-cat.

What do you think? performance seem similar (although BK burns longer, with fewers BTUs per hour).

also, someone just responded to my Craigslist ad with a 2008 Castine, asking $1500. But the Oslo sounds better for 1300 sq ft. Is anyone else in Seattle interested?

thanks
Christine

 

[Wet1]

Hi Christine,

We didn’t like the Woodstock Firelight (and efficiency of 72% didn’t seem as effective).

I assume you mean the WS Fireview. The looks are subjective, most folks either love the appearance or don't really care for it. But, the efficiency of the Fireview should not be a concern, it will be higher than the PE Super 27 and any other non-cat stove. It's a very efficient stove.

Regarding the BKP and the PES27, both are great stoves. The BK will probably out perform the PE in just about every regard, but you can't go wrong with either. Personally, my first choice would be the BK P, then the WS FV, Jotul Oslo or the PE S27... given the list of stoves you've considered.

 

[branchburner]

I think the PE will be lowest maintenance and easiest to use.

 

[Slow1]

That 72% number for the Fireview is misleading - I believe that is some EPA default number so I wouldn't go with it for comparing stoves. However, if you don't like the looks then so be it...

Between the remaining two, I'd go with the BK from everything I've read but I have no experience with either one of course. Certainly you have narrowed things down to some good choices in any case.

 

[Highbeam]

Choosing between the princess and the super I think is easy. It is especially easy if you like the looks of both and the 400$ does not bother you.

The princess is the superior performer for these two key reasons:

-The princess is much larger to hold more wood (stored heat) yet it can be turned down to a lower output to burn much longer not only due to the additional wood load but also due to more efficient combustion. The longer burn at ANY temp is very important. You just can't turn a non-cat stove down to a lower temp.

-The princess has a thermostat. This means that you can select how hot you want the stove and then walk away and it will happen until the wood runs out. The non-cat will have a burn cycle that will make the stove hot and then cool off slowly. I like to fiddle with the air intake but will admit that this feature is better automated.

Both stoves have excellent reputations with a long history of satisfied customers. Both stoves are made pretty locally of welded plate steel construction.

Really, either stove would be great but I would be buying that princess. You might shop around for a better price. They are made in Walla Walla and you might take a drive down there to crush some wine grapes and pick it up.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I consulted with my husband, and we're down to these 2. We can live with either visually. We didn't like the Woodstock Firelight (and efficiency of 72% didn't seem as effective).

BlazeKing Princess, Ultra or Parlor (legs), $2200 with fan. Catalytic.
Pacific Energy Super27 - black legs, $1820 with fan. Non-cat.

What do you think? performance seem similar (although BK burns longer, with fewers BTUs per hour).

also, someone just responded to my Craigslist ad with a 2008 Castine, asking $1500. But the Oslo sounds better for 1300 sq ft. Is anyone else in Seattle interested?

thanks
Christine

The BK princess is quite a bit more stove than than the Super 27 but either one will make plenty of heat.

 

[firefighterjake]

I think either of the two choices would work well for you based on what I've read from users of both types of stoves. I personally like the looks of the PE better, but the Blaze King certainly is attractive from the long-burning stand point . . . add in the thermostat and I think the Blaze King would be coming home with me.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Just FYI - They have a couple different Princesses in stock at Kitsap Lumber right off Loxie-Eagans.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

a NC-30 englander might be worth looking at

naah , the 30 would lift the roof of that house, its little brother the 13-nc would be a nice fit though. although its a bit smaller firebox than the OP seems to be looking for. i'd lean towards the 2.2 CF PE or the BK princess though more expensive they do have a <2cf firebox, which seems to be the criteria

 

[Highbeam]

Just FYI - They have a couple different Princesses in stock at Kitsap Lumber right off Loxie-Eagans.

Ah yes, I'm very familiar with that area. The military housing and planned parenthood district, I grew up in Silverdale off of Newberry Hill. What prices were you seeing on that princess in Kitsap?

The dang flue on the BK stoves comes out near the middle which puts the rear of the stove really close to the wall if your flue is built for the standard non-cat stove.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Just FYI - They have a couple different Princesses in stock at Kitsap Lumber right off Loxie-Eagans.

Ah yes, I'm very familiar with that area. The military housing and planned parenthood district, I grew up in Silverdale off of Newberry Hill. What prices were you seeing on that princess in Kitsap?

The dang flue on the BK stoves comes out near the middle which puts the rear of the stove really close to the wall if your flue is built for the standard non-cat stove.

I wanna say $1800. . .

Asking price on the King was $2200.