Just put up a 14 by 20 addition that leads to the rest of my house. 2 stories 600 sq ft each level. I am going to put a stove in the addition for supplement heat. I’m not planning on heating the whole house with it. I would like to have something that I don’t have to restart lighting every 6 hours if I can help it. Just wondering what everyone likes. I looked at pacific energy and they seem to be a nice stove and the the stove shop said there should be coals left after 8 to 10 hours to restart. Wondering what everyone uses and if you like what you have. Thanks
Picking a woodstove
- Thread starter sam s
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You want 10 hours I recommend a firebox that is 3.0 cube.
Fire box size is most important for burn times. If its an EPA stove they all will work well
I have a PE summit and love it. Get 10 hours easy with hardwood. 12 hours sometimes and if its real good wood and i damper it down i can stretch it to 14 coal to coal. But you need a lot of ash left in their to help keep coals
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I second the 3.0 cu ft plus firebox. I would avoid a top load downdraft stove, I have one. Ours is a vc encore and it’s too damn sensitive. It heats well but I wouldn’t buy it again.
Where at in Mn? Did you design/install a straight up and out venting system?
Wood Hound
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The PE is a very good stove and so is the Lopi...
Southern Minnesota. It will be straight up about 17 ft.
Pacific Energy Super 27 here in Iowa. Been my only source of heat for the 2100 S.F. ranch for 20 some yrs. I've replaced the door gasket once. Been a great stove, I'd buy it again.
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ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
Blaze King
I take it you can have coals left in the morning after 8 hours or do you have to restart the fire. Just asking cuz I think the firebox is 2 cubic ft. How does the baffle look after 20 years? Seems really impressive that you haven’t had to put much money into the stove after 20 years.
I know they have a cat you have to replace once in awhile. Is that a problem? Do you have more creosote in the chimney with this brand?
I favor secondary combustion.
My opinion is that Catalytic stoves are engineered to break.
My opinion is that Catalytic stoves are engineered to break.
The firebox size is 2.7 hence the 27 in the name/model. I always have plenty of coals remaining to light off a reload in the morning. Once winter temps are here to stay I'm burning 24-7 and I dont ever have the need to restart. If I'm not needing much heat like in the spring and fall, It will hold live embers for many hrs if you dont disturb the ashes. My only issue with the stove is live coals will build up too much with certain types of wood and in certain conditions. If I'm burning the stove hard in really cold temps then it seems that it will burn the new wood and not burn down the coals. Oak will not coal up as much as the Elm that I normally burn, so for those times adding in some Oak or softwood will help with the coaling issues. It's my understanding that many of these EPA secondary burn type stoves can have this problem.
The baffle on the PE stoves is a stainless steel rectangular type hollow box that sits in the top of the stove and brings in oxygen rich fresh air to the top of the fire thus supporting a secondary burn and mine is in great shape, showing no signs of wear ,etc. The other reason that helped me decide on the PE brand is their floating firebox design. My understanding is that the actual firebox and outer shell of the stove are not welded together so they can expand and contract at different rates as fires heat and cool. Mine shows no signs of stress cracks in the corners or anywhere that may let air in and not allow control over the burn with the lever on the stove.
I have a BK Ashford 20 (1.8 CF fire box) I am very happy with, it heats my 1100 SF ranch nicely, almost never have to run the oil boiler
.
It can provide usable heat for 8-12 hrs on a lower thermostat setting. I loaded the stove about 12 hrs ago and there are still nice red coals, and the stove is still
putting out heat, the top is over 400*.
of creosote between the BK and the previous stove Regency F1100 . Generally clean the chimney twice per year.
The Regency developed several cracks and needed thefirebrick and baffles replaced .
.It can provide usable heat for 8-12 hrs on a lower thermostat setting. I loaded the stove about 12 hrs ago and there are still nice red coals, and the stove is still
putting out heat, the top is over 400*.
I just recently replaced the cat after 5 years, not a problem, normal expected maintenance. I have not noticed much difference in the amount
of creosote between the BK and the previous stove Regency F1100 . Generally clean the chimney twice per year.
Don't really agree with that, other than routine cleaning and the cat replacement, the stove has been problem free.
The Regency developed several cracks and needed thefirebrick and baffles replaced .
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I find the PE stoves to be very simply designed yet durable (floating parts) and effective.
JMO
Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]
I am a Blaze King owner and can say I would not go back to a regular secondary burn equipped stove (tube or perforated baffle) by choice. The long burn times, operation simplicity, smooth linear heat output and wood usage reduction of a Cat equipped stove are really true benefits. In a Cat stove consider the BK's and Woodstock's. Both are industry leading and widely respected. My last Catalyst lasted 4 years. I kept it for a back up as it was in fine physical condition but getting slower to react. If you have questions regarding my experience with Cat equipped stoves, feel free to PM me. Anytime. Or post here.
If you decide to pursue a Non cat model then by all means the PE stoves are well respected, as mentioned. You can likely find a half dozen non cat stove manufacturer's that generally offer similar performance. The one non cat tube stove I really have been personally impressed with is the Drolet HT2000 model. Considered a reasonable priced stove it outperforms its cost. It is now called a HT3000 in the states to meet the new EPA criteria. There are a few users posting HT3000 results on a couple other wood burning sites. Worth researching. If I was going back to a non cat it would be that stove. Priced right. Quality construction. Great burn times with super heat output. I helped a buddy install the 2000 a handful of years ago. Its been very impressive since.
17Ft straight up and out sounds great.
There is a HT2000 F/S on C.L. just north of Albert Lea. It is brand new, never fired. However the owner stored it in a shed and it needs cleaned up. Food for thought.
If you decide to pursue a Non cat model then by all means the PE stoves are well respected, as mentioned. You can likely find a half dozen non cat stove manufacturer's that generally offer similar performance. The one non cat tube stove I really have been personally impressed with is the Drolet HT2000 model. Considered a reasonable priced stove it outperforms its cost. It is now called a HT3000 in the states to meet the new EPA criteria. There are a few users posting HT3000 results on a couple other wood burning sites. Worth researching. If I was going back to a non cat it would be that stove. Priced right. Quality construction. Great burn times with super heat output. I helped a buddy install the 2000 a handful of years ago. Its been very impressive since.
17Ft straight up and out sounds great.
There is a HT2000 F/S on C.L. just north of Albert Lea. It is brand new, never fired. However the owner stored it in a shed and it needs cleaned up. Food for thought.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
I have 10 years on the catalytic converter in my BK princess, though it'snot doing so great this year. Heats ~1400 sq ft in Alaska on around 2.5 cords a winter.
Blaze king! Best money I ever spent. I replaced my cat this year after 6 years or so. It takes 10 mins and most of that time is cleaning the area. Unless it’s like zero degrees out I only fill it before I go to bed usually 1030-11Then I too it off before I leave for work at 530 and I don’t touch it again till I go to bed again. If it’s a really cold stretch of days maybe I’ll add a little to it when I get home from work at 530.
The blaze king replaced a big old Shenandoah in the cellar which I did like a lot but these cat stoves are in a different league.
I also have a fireplace insert that I used to heat with full time when I was totally broke. Now I just use it to heat during the shoulder season. Worst think about that I’d waking up at 2 to refill it so it isn’t dead when I get up at 5.
The blaze king replaced a big old Shenandoah in the cellar which I did like a lot but these cat stoves are in a different league.
I also have a fireplace insert that I used to heat with full time when I was totally broke. Now I just use it to heat during the shoulder season. Worst think about that I’d waking up at 2 to refill it so it isn’t dead when I get up at 5.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
The cat does wear out, though the stove doesn't stop functioning.
I clean my chimney once a year. Mostly collects some creosote toward the top and at the cap, where it's cold. Maybe 2-3 cups worth.
Heats my house fine on 2 loads a day. 3 if it's well below zero.
Like today, it's close to -10*. I filled the stove at around 1700 it's 0645 now and I just refilled. Plenty of coals left.
It seems like if someone has a cat stove they say they wouldn’t ever go back to a tube stove. Is it because they have a more even output?
Im thinking I would be happy with any good brand of wood stove just want to make the right decision. Seems like a non cat will burn long enough for an overnight burn and enough coals so you don’t have to restart it.
As for as blaze king owners why does this brand stand out so much for you? If it’s 10 degrees out will there be advantages in efficiency over day a good quality non cat?
Thanks for the replies, seems like most everyone likes the stove they have.
Im thinking I would be happy with any good brand of wood stove just want to make the right decision. Seems like a non cat will burn long enough for an overnight burn and enough coals so you don’t have to restart it.
As for as blaze king owners why does this brand stand out so much for you? If it’s 10 degrees out will there be advantages in efficiency over day a good quality non cat?
Thanks for the replies, seems like most everyone likes the stove they have.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
My friend has a non cat, "air tube" stove. I forget the brand, it's a well known brand.
I'd probably not burn wood if I had that stove. At best a load of wood lasts maybe 6 hours.
I don't think anyone will argue that Blaze King is the leader in turning wood into long lasting even heat. It's been labelled as the most efficient wood stove in the world.
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