Another stove recommendation thread

[EXCALIBER]

Blaze King!! Have a 2010 Blaze king ultra with side sheild, ash pan, and fan kit. I looked high and low at all kinds of stoves for two years and honestly nothing compared to the blaze king and I liked the no bs way they told you the truth. Don't believe literature of any stove out there. The EPA rating is the only one to pay any attention to as the stove maker can claim whatever they want to claim. Example they say 250,000 BTU's but really only put out 25,000 BTU's in real life. Blaze king tests their stoves with real world tests. With any type of wood I have tried I can get an easy 6hr burn on high which will heat 1500sq ft to well over 100deg. On med I get 24 plus hr burn, and on low two days plus. Burning pine, elm, or cottonwood. They are expensive but well worth it in the long run IMO

 

[logbutcher]

You need the ones with the ash pans, like mine. I heat 5000 square feet exclusively with these two stoves. It is currently about 20 degF outside, and it is 75 in my living room.

Downside is that I have already burned three cords this year.

Nice setup, lovely stove, excellent surrounds. THEN YOU SHOVE A CARDBOARD BOX AS A WOOD RACK NEXT TO THE STOVE !!!!! :yoyo:
Moustache, do not use this as an example of Interior Decoration.....please.
We need to speak with your supervisor Ambull. Now.

 

[Ambull]

Lol the cardboard box is long gone.

Mustache, I do heat an amazing amount of space with these stoves, but it is because the house is insulated so well. It is a timber frame with polystyrene panels attached to it. The walls and roof are a complete sheet of insulation, only broken up by doors and windows. No studs in the walls at all. I put outside air ducts in for both stoves, but obviously I cannot hook them up. I got a couple old stove burner grates to cover up the holes. I can feel the cold air gushing out if I put my hand over the grate. I haven't tried plugging them up, but they seem to do just fine bringing in fresh air behind the stove. Actually it probably helps get the heat away from the stove.

Here are some pics, the frame part way built, the panels going up, and a few of the stove showing the outside air.

 

[coog]

For 5,000 square feet? Two stoves? I think he's doing well. That's a large home in a cold climate.

 

[coog]

He needs raw btu power, just like that old platform stove was designed to deliver. My Jotuls are nice heaters, but don't throw half of the heat of Ambull's beauty.

 

[Ambull]

"The walls and roof are a complete sheet of insulation, only broken up by doors and windows. No studs in the walls at all."



It's also a home that is insulated to extremely high standards! It is nothing at all like the home Uncle Stash has and probably needs about 1/10 the btu for heating.

Hell........with Uncle Stash's large family their body heat alone would heat this house.



/

I ran a Jotul Firelight last year, and the Round Oak puts out more BTU's than the Firelight, and that is Jotul's largest model. On the coldest days last year I needed to supplement the two stoves with additional heat. Now it is not even close. The Round Oak burns more wood no doubt, but I will say that it is 10 times cleaner than the Jotul. No dust in the room, and the chimney stays much cleaner. The extra wood needed just supports my CAD. I would rather cut wood than dust any day.

Another nice thing is the ash pan is huge, and can hold a week's worth of ashes. The Jotul had to be emptied almost every day. Another reason for the increase in dust.

Hey my stuff is not for everybody, but I am just telling you how it works. It is what it is.

 

[Ambull]

He needs raw btu power, just like that old platform stove was designed to deliver. My Jotuls are nice heaters, but don't throw half of the heat of Ambull's beauty.

You are right about that. They can throw so much heat, that they are a little bit of a fire hazard. If I leave the vents open and forget about them, the single wall chimney will start glowing red.

I paid about the same price for my stoves as what a new Firelight costs.

 

[coog]

That is hardly a true statement and is leading Uncle Stash in the wrong direction in his effort to heat his house.............his purpose for asking his question in the first place.

Once again, in your zeal for EPA stoves, you ignore the facts. Josh already HAS an EPA stove that he is unhappy with. Ambull used to have EPA stoves that he, too, was unhappy with. I think the new stoves efficiency over the old stoves is highly over-stated, and I speak as the owner of three Jotuls. A cold spell in MN has me feeding my Oslo like a newborn, just like the good old days.

 

[lopro]

A cold spell in MN has me feeding my Oslo like a newborn, just like the good old days.

LOL...I know what you mean. My wife complains when I tend to my 1.5 cu ft EPA stove because I don't get a good overnight burn without feeding it late in the night, and feeding it early in the morning. I think I can even hear it crying for more wood and I'll wake up!

 

[coog]

Er, he tried Jotul's largest stove and it didn't heat the place. I think we can call that a "fact". You seem pretty dismissive of the "fact" that his house is huge. A cord a month or a huge gas bill...he'll have one or the other in a house that large. I wouldn't advise a newcomer get a stove like Ambull's, but Josh is, after all, "the terror of the timber"!

 

[greengiant]

Picking a stove seems way too complicated given factors like: insulation in building, square-feet, ceiling height, style/layout of building, stove type; epa, secondary burn, blowers, chimney style, draft, etc.

Too bad there isn't a graph or table we could just look at that would decide what we would need .

 

[sunfish]

I've burnt about one cord this winter, with a Jotul F118CB and has been down close to 0 a few morning. What I like about this stove, is I can close off the secondary burn air and run it like the good old stoves (yes it can be closed off completely). Or use the secondary burn for more heat and cleaner flue. 24" wood. No cat or refractory to have to replace either. It's old school with a new twist and a damn fine stove.

Maybe not the best choice for a huge, drafty old house, though.
I think I'd fix the house first

 

[Henry and Wanda]

Hello,
I'd go with the Napoleon 1900. Check it out !!!!!!




Henry and Wanda

 

[Ambull]

Picking a stove seems way too complicated given factors like: insulation in building, square-feet, ceiling height, style/layout of building, stove type; epa, secondary burn, blowers, chimney style, draft, etc.

Too bad there isn't a graph or table we could just look at that would decide what we would need .

You got that right. One big factor too is how many windows, and what direction do they face.

For what it is worth I burn at a rate of two cords per month if it is consistently below freezing. It has only been above freezing one or two days this month. It hasn't gotten above the mid twenties for about 10 days now. I am on pace for about nine cords this year I think.

Never said the Round Oaks were twice the BTU's of a Firelight. Just said they were more. If I had to guess, I would say about 25%-50% more. This is simply because the firebox is so much larger, over 3.5 cubic feet, and it has so many vents on it. I only open the vents to get it started. As soon as it is going, close them off.

I got the first Round Oak completely for the look of it. I was so amazed with the way it heated that I got another one. Treeco I totally understand that you are skeptical, because I was too.

 

[Wife'nHubby]

I got the first Round Oak completely for the look of it.

I love the looks of your stoves! We have a Giant Oak sitting in our kitchen just as a decorative item but it doesn't have all the fancy nickle trim.

I've seen yours and every time I do I am reminded of the ol' "General Store" as seen in the old Westerns on TV - I keep looking at your photos looking for a pickle barrell............

Shari

 

[coog]

We have a Giant Oak sitting in our kitchen

Doesn't that get messy?

Love to see a picture of it.

 

[Ambull]

I love the looks of your stoves! We have a Giant Oak sitting in our kitchen just as a decorative item but it doesn't have all the fancy nickle trim.

I've seen yours and every time I do I am reminded of the ol' "General Store" as seen in the old Westerns on TV - I keep looking at your photos looking for a pickle barrell............

Shari

Love to see a pic too.

I got the second Round Oak, the fancier one, right up in your neck of the woods, in Madison Wisconsin. I will give a plug to the builder, Rick Gloe. He has nice stuff and reasonable pricing.

http://madisonstoveworks.com/index.html

 

[CrappieKeith]

Uncle 'Stash--- As you well know, advice on the site is typically biased toward whatever particular brand we own. We all like to justify and promote our rationale for our purchases. Now with that said, I did a tremendous amount of research for stoves available in our locale.

I talked to 7 different dealers, some selling identical manufacturers and also some selling differing mfgs. The reason why I bought the Napoleon 1900 pedestal stove for my application is a result of the information I received from the dealers and also people who have it in use.

The majority of dealers concurred that the Napoleon 1900 had the best chance of meeting my needs. I am heating a tight, well insulated, reasonably new home with about 2,000 feet on the main floor, and a full basement. This is a completely different situation than yours.

My stove is a steel stove lined with fire brick. It is very tight, has an outside combustion air option, provides 85,000 BTU's and heats 3,500 plus square feet. I get awesome burn times. I can load my large 3 cubic foot fire box with a full load of large hickory splits on a nice bed of coals and it will still be heating in 12 hours. All I have to do is pull the coals to the front toward the glass door, add some splits and presto, we are quickly burning again.

The burn time really depends upon the quality of the wood. Toss a full box of some marginal elm in and maybe 6 to 8 hours is all it will do. Fortunately I have a wonderful supply of Shagbark Hickory that burns very well, therefore my stove really rocks in the burn time stats.

The 1900 also has a very nice large ash pan that is user friendly. It has a hinged lid that folds neatly over the ashes, providing full encapsulation as you walk through the house to dump the ashes on the garden. My wife really likes that feature---less dust!

For the loading features, the 1900 only is a front loader. A deep fire box that will take a 22" log works well for me. My research from actual owners of Harmon stoves with top load capabilities revealed that the stove often smokes badly when opening the top. A side load feature can also be a hindrance unless the stove has plenty of clearance on the side. If you have a very open area, it may work well in your application.

The 1900 also has a very efficient infinitely adjustable blower that distributes the heat very quietly. I would highly recommend the blower on any stove!

Now I have highlighted the attributes of the Napoleon 1900. The downsides..... really very few. We have had the stove burning 24-7 throughout the Indiana heating season for going on 4 years. The vermiculite baffles in the heating chamber will probably need replaced next year at a cost of $60. The door seal is holding up very well, as is the easy to operate air control.

There is my review of the Napoleon 1900 which I believe is just what I wanted and if something arose to place me a situation to buy a new stove, the Napoleon 1900 would be at the top of my list. However, I would certainly research any new options as the stove manufacturers are always making improvements! Good luck at keep us posted with your decision!

And Merry Christmas!!!!

Dang fine post...what I liked is that you went out on a hands on mission to get educated.
Now in all of these which stove posts/threads should I get I do not hear much about house layouts.
Will a stove really heat a whole home? At least one that does not have an open style floor plan.
I get asthetics...
I also see several threads over at that other forum on how do I get heat here or there and the answers range from cutting holes in wall and mounting fans to many other types of ways to mount fans in stairwell or the like.

I also see the term stove to stand for many types of wood burners.
So when a guy asks for "what brand of stove should I buy"? Is he really asking for a stove or could he also mean furnace.

When it come to owb's or stoves I pretty much stay clear as to advice of what's what ,but when it comes to furnaces I'll pipe up and state my view.

If the original op really needs a stove...you guys and gals are doing fine....but I thought to interject another view for a Mn. second...back to shovling snow...seeya.

 

[coog]

I think Keith is probably right; hard to beat a wood furnace if you have a big drafty house. Hard to get enough heat out of any stove, let alone move it around evenly.

 

[USMC0802]

I'm a soapstone stove owner (Hearthstone Mansfield) and it heats the house well - 2 story, no basement. My wife wanted something that looked nice since the stove is out in the open on the first floor. I have one room that doesn't heat well and it's the living room on the first floor. It was an addition and the wall the stove is on was the exterior wall and is the shared wall between the room with the stove and the living room. The heat just takes forever to turn the corner if the house cools down. I'm hoping that adding a low return to the HVAC system will help pull that cool air off and draw the heat down from the stove that's being pumped through the ventilation system.

I'm happy with the stove for a couple reasons:
1.) I burn a lot less wood than I did compared to the old, leaky stove that had a crack in the back.

2.) There are coals in the stove and I can restart without kindling in the morning without having to feed it at 3 am.

3.) It really does have that soft, gentle heat that you can sit/sleep/whatever right next to it.


The stove usually has the house around 72+. Last night, with all the sun we got and there wasn't much wind, the thermostat in the hall upstairs read 77. It was 72 this morning when I got up around 7.

I've only had the stove since the summer months and I'm working on learning how to burn it to get even more out of it.

http://arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=157107



It has a single air control lever to mess with, front loading only on the Mansfield, but the Equinox (rated to 3,500 sq ft) has front and side loading, ash pan/draw with a grate you can push the coal over to let the ash fall out, but I find it's a PITA to close the grate back up with the embers stuck in the opening or filling up the area where the grate slides to close up the opening. The Equinox is a monster stove.