Which Stove

[Lookin4lunkers]

Hey Fellas, I just bought a house with a wood stove (my first), the chimney passed inspection but I need to replace the stove as it is not WETT certified. The house is a 1300sq bungalo and the stove is in the semi finished basement. I have access to all the ash, oak and maple I can cut, my question to you is what stove would you recommend?

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Look at the Vermont Castings line. Expensive, but we've been heating with ours for fifteen years and have no complaints.

One of the best investments we ever made. Our house is a 1933 Craftsman Bungalow, with little or no insulation. Three cords of wood per winter keep us pretty toasty (with the help of propane).

 

[fishercat]

i don't trust cast any more.

i'd look at Pacific Energy,Regency,or Quadrafire.

 

[Wood Doctor]

My next stove if my Federal Airtight ever wears out:

Jotul Oslo

But, this one keeps on going and going....

Doors are usually closed because I love the heat that "Jaws" still kicks out after 21 years of service. Not too many woodstoves swallow a 25" log.

 

[HuskyMike]

Jotul is a sweet stove

I have a thread going on the new Jotul F500, I am picking one up when I pay it off later this summer.

The reason the looked at Jotul is because the guy who sweeps my chimney also installs and services wood stoves. (he DOES NOT sell stoves)

He told me that the best stove on the market as far as build quality and long range quality is the Jotul. He told me IF he sold stoves they would be Jotul.

With that on my mind I went shopping for new stove, I had 4 stoves picked out to look at and Jotul was NOT one of them. Just so happens that there is a shop near me that carries lots of brands. I went in to look at the 4 I wanted. The sales man (very knowledgeable) showed me the 4 and the differences in all of them. The goods and the bads. then he said that if I want a real nice stove that is built well and can heat like the ####ens then look at Jotul. I giggled and said that I am not rich. He told me that I would be suprised.

Well, long story short, I ended up putting a deposit on the Jotul F500. I loved the looks and the fire box size. I liked that the door can be taken off and a screen be put into place to have the "fireplace" option and I also like how well and solid it is built. Oddly, it is NOT the most expensive one, 2 of the 4 that I wanted to look at are More $$ but less quality.

I have asked around and have heard nothing but great things about Jotul.

One draw back is: I really like having a blower and have one know and it really makes a difference in pushing heat around the house. The Jotul DOES NOT come with a blower and to buy one is close to $300!!!!!

The guy at the shop swears I will not need one on the Jotul but my house is 2 stories and the stove is located all the way to one side. The heat travels upstairs via an opening high up on a cathedral wall into the upstairs hallway.
I really like to push the heat toward it to warm the bedrooms because I have a 2 and 1 year old that need to be warm at night.

 

[howellhandmade]

Anyone have a Napoleon? Considering one for a fireplace insert.

Jack

 

[Wood Doctor]

My Federal Airtight 288 ("Jaws") has a blower. I use it about 15% of the total operating hours--usually when the temp or wind chill outside is near zero. (1) I am not sure a blower is really that important, (2) they sometimes need repair, (3) you need electricity close to the stove and a cord has to reach the wall socket, and (4) they make noise.

Getting good combustion efficiency, quality construction, and control of the fire is far more important. The side loader is also a huge plus.

 

[Lookin4lunkers]

That Jotul looks very similar to this Napoleon http://www.napoleonfireplaces.com/Stoves/stoves_wood/1100c.html
I was checking out. Anyone know the pros and cons of each. A guy I know and trust sells and installs Napoleon and Osburn

 

[lobsta1]

The Vermont Casting of today is a far different stove than the older ones. Unfortunately NOT for the better. VC has gone through several changes of ownership, including bankruptcy in the past year. Quality control is all over the place & they more than doubled the price of replacement parts.

A good basic stove is an Englander NC 13. The Napoleons have a good rep also, although they can also be over fired a little easier than most. If you have lots of money, you can jump up to Hearthstone, Quadrifire or Pacific Energy.

These are just three price points to look at. One thing to remember is that today's stoves require THOROUGHLY seasoned wood.
Al

 

[sbhooper]

I put in a Norseman 2500 furnace last summer. It has two blowers and we connected it to the existing duct work in the house. It is fantastic and the only problem is cutting enough wood to keep the 24 inch firebox full. It has saved me over $1800 in propane this winter. My wood is pretty much free except for some gas and labor. A Norseman 1500-which has one blower-would probably be all you would need for your house.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I put in a Norseman 2500 furnace last summer. It has two blowers and we connected it to the existing duct work in the house. It is fantastic and the only problem is cutting enough wood to keep the 24 inch firebox full. It has saved me over $1800 in propane this winter. My wood is pretty much free except for some gas and labor. A Norseman 1500-which has one blower-would probably be all you would need for your house.

Anyone who (1) owns a Stihl MS 361 (2) heats his whole house with wood, and (3) lives in Nebraska while doing it is my friend for life.

 

[howellhandmade]

SNIP The Napoleons have a good rep also, although they can also be over fired a little easier than most. SNIP
Al

Al, would you care to elaborate a bit on this comment? I assume you mean that building a fire that is too hot and damages the unit. What sort of damage occurs, and how great a disadvantage is this?

Jack

 

[gink595]

I have a Napeleon 1100 wood stove. I've heated soley with it the last 2 years. It has done me fine. I wish it had a larger firebox so I wouldn't to split so small. Seems to be very efficent. I use about 5 cord a season. I think the quality and design is fine.

 

[Richard_]

i'd look at Pacific Energy,Regency,or Quadrafire.

Pacific Energy ftw

 

[lobsta1]

I've been heating with wood for over 30 years. Last year I decided to update from my 28 year old Russo to a more modern stove that I could fit into my fireplace. I had no preconceived ideas on what stove to get. Did not even know what was out in the market place as the last new stove I bought was back in 1975.

Started researching & ended up spending a lot of time on the ********** site. For all my research, I ended up jumping on a clearance priced NC 13 from Lowes last spring. Before that I had been looking at the Napoleons. What users reported was they had a tendency to run hot. I think a lot of that was the learning curve with a new EPA rated stove with the secondary burn technology.

I believe occasional over heating (cherry red top) would not be a problem. However repeated burns like that would end up warping the stove.
Al

P.S. Just saw the post from Richard. Wish I could have been able to afford a PE Summit.

 

[Zodiac45]

My next stove will be one of these. The Fireview or classic Woodstock soapstone stove. They are a little pricey $2400 but you can find them on sale and also get the 30% tax rebate as they meet the new efficiency ratings. I've been burning wood most of my life and have an old Glenwood cookstove in the kitchen that does the bulk of heating (and cooking) duty in winter. I need to light it every morning though due too smallish firebox. This second stove will be my 24/7 burner and keep the furnace from kicking on at 2am till 6am. While I use less than 300 gals of oil, I'd like to cut that even more. The soapstone's are great heaters and store allot of heat.
http://www.woodstove.com/pages/wood_stove_fireview.html

 

[HittinSteel]

Just finished our 1st season burning 24/7 in our 1500 sq. ft. drafty craftsman style home with the Napoleon 1400. It did a very good job, we used about 5 cords. Only thing I might consider, is getting the bigger 1900 if I did it again. However, the only time we could have used the extra fire box size was when it was brutal for a week or 2 in Jan and Feb.

 

[lobsta1]

Just finished our 1st season burning 24/7 in our 1500 sq. ft. drafty craftsman style home with the Napoleon 1400. It did a very good job, we used about 5 cords. Only thing I might consider, is getting the bigger 1900 if I did it again. However, the only time we could have used the extra fire box size was when it was brutal for a week or 2 in Jan and Feb.

Did you have any problem with coaling when you were burning it hot & hard?
Al

 

[HittinSteel]

Did you have any problem with coaling when you were burning it hot & hard?
Al

Not sure what you mean by coaling. Certainly had a lot of coals at the end of a burn cycle, but that's a good thing, especially in the morning after an overnight burn

 

[Lookin4lunkers]

Thanx for all the great info Fellas. Is there any advantages or disadvantages to a pedestal type stove like Hittinsteels, compared to a leg model?