Indoor Wood Stove Recomendations

[Encore]

We have a VC Encore non cat and although they have gotten a bad rap in the past, we've never had a single problem with it. Was more than enough to heat our 1600 sq ft ranch unless it was about -15 or more. Then it got a tad chilly.

Pick a couple stoves that seem to your liking and read some reviews on them. the hearth forum mentioned above is a good one.

We live right on the edge of amish country and the Drolet mentioned above is indeed a favorite. Very good quality stove.

Take your time and read up on them and you'll be happy with it. If you are inexperienced with wood stoves, it's best to pay someone to install it to ensure it's done correctly and you get the most out of your stove.

A good working stove a very rewarding, whereas a stove working improperly is a HUGE pain in the neck and very frustrating.

 

[wreckscuba]

I have a u.s stove company model. 2015 magnolia. Its in the basement we heat 2500sq ft. This is are 4th year with this stove. Year 1 we had green wood burnt what ever we could get. Stove out put sucked. Year 2 we had are wood cut, split and stacked the first week in june. Stove worked great. Year 3 all wood was cut and stacked the year before in july. We burn 5 to 6 cord a year.I have 18 cord now cut and ready to go. Learn if we want a warm home make sure wood is cut,split and stacked to dry longer the better.

 

[Richard_]

another Pacific Energy owner here , very impressed on how easy it is to operate , been burning in it since 2006

 

[Zare]

Upstairs I have a Pacific Energy Super 27 freestanding wood stove. Its there medium size model. All diff types of exterior finishes but same firebox. Had to replace side rails (that hold the top burner) after 9years. Thats it. Paid for itself many times over and is bullet proof. Rated for 10hr burn and i get it. Longer sometimes, depends on the wood.

 

[jimbo64]

I think the technology of the cat Vs. non cat are a lot closer than you are suggesting. I personally am not a fan of the cat stoves.

A friend of mine has the VC DEFIANT cat and he's had a lot of problems and expensive repairs from warping from the high heat of the cat . Here are some efficiency figures on three popular stoves and the not cat quadrafire is just as efficient at the VC Encore cat.

VC Encore, Efficiency 76 % Cat
Jotul Oslo, Efficiency: 72% Non Cat
Quadra-Fire 5700 Step Top Efficiency: 76% Non Cat

had a quadra fire 5100 fireplace insert that heated 2800 square ft in Pennsylvania all the time we lived there-----had a blower-no cat and created very little cresote- we burned hot and long-had it piped to use outside combustion air-their feature- worked great -miss it although it would be overkill here in tx.