What is the very best wood stove. Price no consideration

[SS396driver]

Well my 30 yr old Vigilant is roaring right now. Its 16° outside and 74° in the house . I don't care how much you pay for a stove if it heats and 30 years later you can still get parts for it its the best stove. I just bought 4 new grates and a door handle for my stove in the fall . Mine burns ---- dare I say coal too---:msp_sneaky: and there is 400 lbs for when it gets really cold out and I need a 10 hour burn

 

[Rebelion Diesel]

I have a Jotul 600 CB Firelight thats their biggest stove, Jotuls are considered by alot of folks to be the premier stove, but I can tell you it does not compare to the Pacific Energy Summit I have. Alot of factors affect the performance of stoves especially the wood you use and the Chimney. Goto ********** forum for an unlimtited supply of oppinions and good tech data, just like here!!

 

[mesupra]

I have recently installed a Quadrafire Cumberland Gap after it came highly recommended from a close friend. Its a nice looking, "decorative" stove that is a pleasure to use, great heat output, easily heats an adequately insulated 2000 sq.ft home. Good burn times of around 8-10hrs with good out put and plenty left to restart without paper. As mentioned above it is a very clean burning stove as well. I bought it used (1 season) for $1500, not cheap but I would do it again!! Its 5 degrees here in Monmouth ME right now and the stove has kept the house at 70-73 all day with no problem.

 

[1project2many]

Actually, I think one poster hit the target right on the bullseye:

we sold house in Pennsylvania and moved to south.

Hard to beat the sun's 1292000000000000000000000000 btu output with a little woodburner.

 

[SS396driver]

Actually, I think one poster hit the target right on the bullseye:



Hard to beat the sun's 1292000000000000000000000000 btu output with a little woodburner.

But now he wants to know the best A/C unit as his house is 120° in july....

 

[arborealbuffoon]

I vote for the stove that someone else bought, expertly installed (humped it into the hut), and mysteriously left a couple cords of bone dry oak and hickory nearby.

Secondly, I would vote for the one keeping my dumb azz warm right now.

But seriously, folks....I would have to admit that a GARN unit would be too cool, if only I had the shack big enough to justify it. And, of course, I would still need that stove inside as well so I could watch me a little "cave man TV".....

 

[firewood guy]

Not sure if you want a free-stander or a built-in, but I'm a definate Vermont Castings fan. Have a reliant in the cabin (free standing) and their Sequoia III EPA-rated catalytic in my primary house. Cooks me out in over 2500 sq ft, but very spendy. Absolutely beautiful though, and built to last a lifetime.

 

[benp]

Money's no object?

Build a Russian Fireplace, then design your house around it. Efficient as all get out with literally tons of thermal mass to give off constant, even heat from short hot fires.

I just googled that. Excellent excellent concept.

 

[Como]

This thread could be very cut and dry. Make a spread sheet with efficiency numbers, emissions (g per hour,) btu output for sizing, weight for an idea of how much steel is there, and any other specs you feel are necessary to call one best. I found the bigger they are the less efficient they are.


I have a Quadrafire Millennium 3100 rated at 1.1g/hr emissions, 90.2% efficient and output of 51,000btu with a weight of 325lbs. I love it.

No Stove could be this high, even the very best Boilers with Lambada controls just about reach this.

My expectation is that in reality the best you could expect is 60%.

Using ideal situations no doubt you could nudge it higher.

 

[CrappieKeith]

Sticking to the OP's "best" wood stove and not whole house furnaces or OWBs, the specs on each heater are only a beginning.
Every stove is like a romance: it takes time to get into the routine of getting the beast to perform on both sides.

We chose NOT to build in a Masonry/Russian Fireplace for a few reasons. Cost of the structure. Experience with varying the heat output in shoulder times. And, the infrastructure cost and space needed. Users also were not all that happy with the overall experience for heating.

We've gone from a coal tent stove from mil use to an Ashley creosote machine, Franklin Fireplace stove, Lange, an old Morso 2BO that "recirculated" the smoke, Tempwood top load which is still used in a workshop, VC Vigilant, to now on our 3rd VC Encore cat with a Jotul Oslo doing the job in a second wing.

I've tried out one of the $$$ cute Rais soapstone stoves that were pretty, but only that; fine if you need only to entertain and love to cut 12" sticks.

There's no best. You have to do some study, play with the stoves at the dealers, talk to owners who use the stove hard. Important is how the appliance looks to you and your boss: if you like the square look of the say BK stoves and not classic cast, fine. You and yours will be spending a lot of facetime in front of the stove.

QC. Does the product have good quality, good backup and parts and advice ? Example: I'd stay away from ANY Vermont Castings' stoves now. Jotul, Pacific Energy, Blaze King, Woodstock, Morso all have good reps for making a good stove and backing them.

Forget all about the cost of the stove: you'll more than get your payback faster than any other product.

I tried to rep ya for this but is says I must spread more bs first....LOL
Good reply.....

 

[psuiewalsh]

We have 4 hitzer 983 inserts in the family. Mine heats 2700 sqft. Weighs 600lbs though. I prefer the cast iron grates to a solid bottom as I can remove the ashes without messing with the fire.

 

[Dieselbreath]

BLAZE KING would be my preference.

+1. expensive but very long burns

 

[lampmfg]

Forget a stove and get a furnace... :msp_biggrin:

Kuuma Vapor Fire "Smokeless Burn"

.45 Gr/Hr. Emission
99.4% Combustion Efficiency
99% Smokeless Burns
>80% Overall Efficiency

 

[Como]

That is interesting, I have not seen a gassifying furnaces.

Just wondered how long a burn, presumably it has no storage.

 

[logbutcher]

Forget a stove and get a furnace... :msp_biggrin:

Kuuma Vapor Fire "Smokeless Burn"

.45 Gr/Hr. Emission
99.4% Combustion Efficiency
99% Smokeless Burns
>80% Overall Efficiency

Shameless capitalist !!

We thought seriously about ALL wood options including gasifier wood furnaces when building. We chose the simple, cost effective, space heating, off-grid stand alone wood stoves.

Furnaces are more efficient (though "99.4 % combustion efficiency" and "99% smokeless burns" are a long stretch in reality for any heater except electric or gas ), yet most need some source of power to pump water or air. A system of distribution through the home is needed; expense and space. Any wood burner will "smoke" on loading; most wood stoves will clean burn after coaling.

Sure a furnace is more efficient in combustion and manpower for feeding. In 1999 we spent a long time researching and asking about Masonry Heaters and furnaces such as Tarm. Butt, our wood stoves are basic radiant space heaters used where we spend the time. They have to be loaded more often, need more fussy operation and maintaining than furnaces. They are more romantic than running down to the cellar to fill the furnace ! I like romance :msp_wub:.

It's all a matter of choice.

 

[lampmfg]

That is interesting, I have not seen a gassifying furnaces.

Just wondered how long a burn, presumably it has no storage.

Not only is it's design unique but VaporFire 100 gives you a clean, safe, and automatic front to back burn that delivers very even heat for 10-12 hours per load followed by many hours of coals. Even heat output results from the front to back burn principle in our VaporFires. It heats approximately 3500 square feet.

Sorry no storage only indoor and forced air, but we do offer an optional H2O that works great for heating domestic hot water.

Definitely a capitalist... We did some very strict testing with Intertek which produced the best results we have seen for any forced air wood furnace on the market. A PDF of the results is available on our website. Combustion efficiency 97%, 98%, and 99% on our tests...

 

[Como]

100,000 btus an hour?

I only have softwood so I guess that would be a 6 hour burn.

 

[lampmfg]

100,000 btus an hour?

I only have softwood so I guess that would be a 6 hour burn.

What I need to know about BTU ratings?
A lot of people are mixed up on the BTU's required to heat a home because oil and gas furnaces do no run steady hour after hour. If they did you'd spend $20,000/yr. to heat a home. As it is some people are spending over $4000/yr. to heat their homes. They cycle on and off. Your BTU needs are delivered intermittently. If your home is poorly insulated, or if for some reason you let it cool down, your oil and gas furnace would then run steady. Generally, a furnace rated at 100,000 BTU/hr. runs from 1/4 to 1/3 of an hour on the coldest of MN. days delivering about 30 to 40,000 BTU's/hr. to maintain a comfortable heat level for your home, i.e. 70 degrees F. Most people feel cool in their homes in between the on and off cycles of the oil and gas furnaces, therefore many people prefer wood heat because it's continuous.

Now, heating a home with our VaporFire furnaces is really special because they deliver very even continuous heat hour after hour. They don't smolder the wood and then blast the wood (the two extremes) like other wood furnaces. Instead, its unique automatic draft system avoids these extremes with a continuous front to back burn pattern that allows the user to adjust the burn rate, which in turn varies the BTU output. In mild weather you use a low setting for 15-25,000 BTU's/hr., in moderate weather a medium setting for 25-45,000 BTU's/hr., and in cold weather a high setting for 45-60,000 BTU's / hr. It adjusts simply by turning the knob on the computer from low to high and anywhere in between. Most people never go above the medium setting all winter long.

Keep in mind that all wood has the same # of BTU's pound for pound. The heavier more dense wood (oak, hickory, maple) have more available BTU's/piece than the lighter less dense wood such as poplar and pine, only because each piece weighs more. Every pound of wood that is 100% dry has approximately 8,600 BTU's /pound. Say for instance your home needed 100,000 BTU's/hr. to heat, it would take 11.6 pounds/hr. of 100% dry wood to heat it. Now, if your wood has a 20% moisture content, each pound of wood has only 6,880 BTU's in it (it's 8600 x .80). Then if your wood furnace is only 60% overall efficient, your BTU's would only be 4,128 BTU's/pound (that's 6,880x.60). This would result in a ridiculous amount of wood, 24.2 pounds/hr., to get the needed 100,000 BTU's/hr. In a 24 hr. period that would mean 576 pounds of wood needed for 100,000 BTU's/hr after hr. This would result in probably more than 20 cords of wood to heat your home for one winter. It makes more sense to say that most homes in the coldest of weather only use the 30-40,000 BTU's/hr and probably use 7-10 cords of wood/season to heat their homes. With our VaporFire furnaces that are 85% overall efficient and 99% combustion efficient most people use only 3-5 cords of wood to heat their home/season and that's what makes our furnace very special. To top if off we also have the clean burn of less than 1 gr. emissions/hr. :msp_rolleyes:

 

[Como]

I do have a pellet stove to heat a small house with pretty much the same outputs you mention, and where I am it just about heats 1100 sq ft. 80% efficient.

But then I live in a cold location, -3 tonight and it can get much colder. Much colder. And the building is not very well insulated.

In the other building I have 2 stoves, to keep it simple one is a Heartstone Phoenix. Now that has a burn time of up to 8 hours and supposedly can heat 2,000ft. It can not do either. May be able to do so in a warmer climate or a much better insulated building. Hardwood would help. I am sitting next to it now and half fill it every 90 minutes so that is 3 hours.

Which is why I question sq footage. if I know my heat demand I can modify for fuel source and altitude, I do not know how to modify sq footage and there are no numbers I have come across.

Now it may be my altitude and lack of hardwood are so so small a part of the market that it does not really matter.

 

[NWnewguy]

Hard to say the best

Not getting a lot of great answers here to a difficult, but sincerely asked question. I would personally say that the Pacific Energy Summit in one of their porcelain enamel finishes would be real hard to beat. I love them because they are a super efficient stove that puts off a lot of heat with great engineering and stainless baffles. My wife would say it's wonderful because of the porcelain coating making it look so nice. I would warn against getting a Summit if the area isn't big enough to justify it though. Pacific Energy makes models for most sizes of house and climates, and all of them basically work the same way. I have been using the mid sized one for the last 6 years and it has worked wonderful as our full time and only used heat source. Definitely worth a look in my opinion. They also have a real high opinion of them over at **********.