Woodstove suggestions?

[Wye Oak Tree]

Hello all. I currently have a Drolet Escape fireplace insert. I've had it for about 5 years. I haven't used it in the last 2 years because I'm sick of it.

The problem is it has to be fed cordwood at least every 3-4 hours. I can't get a long burn out of it. And although it has a blower, it really only heats 2 rooms of my house. I was wondering if it's because it's too small, being just a insert, or the way it was designed. It's the kind that has the refractory bricks that line the inside of the box and "reburn" some of the exaust gasses. Oh, but it is EPA certified!!!!!

Any suggestions on a free standing stove that I can get a longer burn out of? I got sick of waking up in the middle of the night to repack the one I got.
I would like another heating source for general use and for when the power goes out.

I was burning 90% Red Oak, with some Maple, White Oak, & Black cherry mixed in. All seasoned at least a year.
Chimney is clear. The Insert came with a stainless liner and I swept it every year.

Thanks in advance,
Wye

 

[pauljoseph]

Can’t give you any suggestions if we don’t know how big your houses, among other specifics.

 

[Mustang71]

Epa stoves and inserts are completely different than an old stove. This will be my second full season on an epa wood furnace and I've been making adjustments every year. They do not operate like a regular stove. You can not pack them full and cut the air and get smoldering heat for hours. It takes a while to figure them out and sometimes throwing a big log on a large bed of coals will get enough heat for hours where as throwing cord wood onto a bed of coals will burn up hot and fast. The epa stove is all thats sold and have a giant learning curve. I remember being very upset when I removed my non epa furnace and replaced it with an epa one. The house would not get real warm in an hour but now after 3 it is warmer than it ever was and requires little wood to keep that going.

Also I dont think the epa ever said you would have a more efficent insert. I think they said it would be cleaner burning.. plan on burning lots of wood to heat a house all winter.

 

[aokpops]

Had the Drolet Tundra for 5 years . I burn a lot less wood and the stove pipe stays clean . The wood furnace has a heat exchanger in it were the stoves don't heat was never a problem or feeding it . A easy 8 hours when bitter cold out . We had a wood stove last winter to heat a little shop . The Tundra would be so much better like comparing a jet heater to a candle .

 

[Mustang71]

I'm the odd guy at wood burning. I only burn when I'm home. That being said my house is warmer with the epa furnace and I use the same amount of wood but half the propane. On the weekends I can burn wood with almost no propane use and like i said throw a log on the bed of coals and it will hold the temp for many hours. Every time I light a fire I'm bringing the house up 10 degrees but maintaining the heat uses minimal wood and thats the difference for me from my non epa furnace.

 

[unclemoustache]

There's only one stove.
Blaze King.You pay for it, but it's worth it. 40-hour burn times are not uncommon.
I have the princess, and a big drafty barn of a house. I try and set it so that when I load it after dinner, it's just about burned down by morning - some 10-12 hours. No problem. Could go longer, but I need the heat.

 

[Wye Oak Tree]

I appreciate the info. Thanks!!
My house is a old cape (Built in 1930) with mostly poor insulation and old windows that I put plastic over in the winter.
I only care about the downstairs and it's less than 1000 SF in living space.

 

[Mustang71]

I appreciate the info. Thanks!!
My house is a old cape (Built in 1930) with mostly poor insulation and old windows that I put plastic over in the winter.
I only care about the downstairs and it's less than 1000 SF in living space.

Honestly an insert should heat 1000sqft no problem. Ive seen them heat 2 story 3000sqft houses. Get the initial house temp up and keep it within 5 to 10 degrees and it should be no problem. When i burn full time on the weekends we are sweating at bed time and warm enough to keep the lp off then i reload on a bed of coals in the am and off again. Its a learning process.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

They do not operate like a regular stove. You can not pack them full and cut the air and get smoldering heat for hours.

That's how I run my EPA stove.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

There's only one stove.
Blaze King.You pay for it, but it's worth it. 40-hour burn times are not uncommon.
I have the princess, and a big drafty barn of a house. I try and set it so that when I load it after dinner, it's just about burned down by morning - some 10-12 hours. No problem. Could go longer, but I need the heat.

I have a Princess as well. Heats ~1400sq ft without trouble. I use in the area of 2.5-3 cords a winter.
Usually load it twice a day. 3 times when it's well below zero.

I doubt I'd heat with wood if I had to mess with the stove every 4-6hrs.
Did that growing up, but several of us took care of the stove.

 

[Mustang71]

That's how I run my EPA stove.

Does yours have separate controls for secondary air and primary air? Mines all one and i thought being epa certified it has to always allow a minimum amount of air in to stop smoldering smokey fires. I guess if you can control the secondary air it might be different.

 

[pauljoseph]

Does yours have separate controls for secondary air and primary air? Mines all one and i thought being epa certified it has to always allow a minimum amount of air in to stop smoldering smokey fires. I guess if you can control the secondary air it might be different.

I ended up cutting my secondary air combustion intake by half with some mods I did. I still get a clean burn but I have better control over the fire. I think that’s one of the downsides with a lot of combustion tube stoves. Like you are saying, They don’t give you any way to control the secondaries. Before then my stove and get intensely hot and I think I was losing a lot of head up the chimney.

 

[Mustang71]

I ended up cutting my secondary air combustion intake by half with some mods I did. I still get a clean burn but I have better control over the fire. I think that’s one of the downsides with a lot of combustion tube stoves. Like you are saying, They don’t give you any way to control the secondaries. Before then my stove and get intensely hot and I think I was losing a lot of head up the chimney.

I used a lopi stove that had controls for both. Mine when its really going you can shut the air as much as possible and it will roll right along on secondary burn. Kind of scary that I can't completely control the air. Ive even blocked the intake pipe and it still keeps going most likely through the ash drawer.

 

[SS396driver]

I'm going on three years with the drolet 3000 stove has no problem heating my 2000sqft +home . Plenty of heat after a all night burn

 

[Mustang71]

I heat a 1700sqft raised ranch so 3400sqft above ground with an englander 28-4000. If i were home more I'd have more consistant temps on the same amount of wood. Its the same as the englander nc 30 wood stove but with a jacket and bigger blower. Also my main wood is ash. Ive burned other wood and had a lot less coaling. But if I'm home 24 7 I can heat with wood only and minimal wood consumption. Unlike a stove that radiates heat im still tweaking the furnace for the best delivery of heat off minimal wood.

Either way the wood shed holds 7 face cord and I haven't burned that much in years. The back row is old lol. Last year, my first full season with an epa furnace, I hit the back row with 40 percent of a 500 gallon lp tank left. Usually im at 5 percent. Epa stoves work but are different to operate from my experience.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Does yours have separate controls for secondary air and primary air? Mines all one and i thought being epa certified it has to always allow a minimum amount of air in to stop smoldering smokey fires. I guess if you can control the secondary air it might be different.

Set and forget.

Fill with wood, let it get burning well, engage catalyst diverter, turn down intake air and come back in ~12 hours.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

like i said throw a log on the bed of coals and it will hold the temp for many hours.

This is also how we heat.
We are retired and home a lot in the winter.
Add three or four pieces to hot coals and burn wide open.
Open windows a crack if necessary.
We use a Vermont Casting Defiant, which is a top load. It holds a ton of wood, not having front or side load, the entire wood box can be filled if needed.
It also has an 8" flue, which many new stoves designs have gotten away from.
We have run a couple Vermont Casting stoves since about 1993.
Will it heat an entire house well?
Depends on the house design, and air circulation, more than stove choice.
Our house, now 25 years old, was designed with a wood stove in mind from the start.

If buying a new stove, ask the dealer how his relationship is with the various manufactures he represents.
VC was employee owned for a period, and the salesman take was they did not manage things well, had cash flow issues, and, he said, that filtered down to him. They have been bought out several years ago and things were turning around slowly. But his take on different brands was interesting.
We loved our previous VC, the top load, and wanted to stay with an 8" flue.

 

[ElevatorGuy]

We had a VC encore installed in 2018. I wish I had done more research on the whole process. It’s not big enough, That’s my fault. I hate the downdraft setup, I wish I bought a front loader with the other cat design. If you knock it back too quickly it will backpuff. Part of that is the epa crap. My buddies insert is bigger but he can choke that damn thing almost all the way and burn for 12+ hours. We’re lucky to see 8.

 

[pauljoseph]

This is also how we heat.
We are retired and home a lot in the winter.
Add three or four pieces to hot coals and burn wide open.
Open windows a crack if necessary.
We use a Vermont Casting Defiant, which is a top load. It holds a ton of wood, not having front or side load, the entire wood box can be filled if needed.
It also has an 8" flue, which many new stoves designs have gotten away from.
We have run a couple Vermont Casting stoves since about 1993.
Will it heat an entire house well?
Depends on the house design, and air circulation, more than stove choice.
Our house, now 25 years old, was designed with a wood stove in mind from the start.

If buying a new stove, ask the dealer how his relationship is with the various manufactures he represents.
VC was employee owned for a period, and the salesman take was they did not manage things well, had cash flow issues, and, he said, that filtered down to him. They have been bought out several years ago and things were turning around slowly. But his take on different brands was interesting.View attachment 856731
We loved our previous VC, the top load, and wanted to stay with an 8" flue.

Love it

 

[Mustang71]

This is also how we heat.
We are retired and home a lot in the winter.
Add three or four pieces to hot coals and burn wide open.
Open windows a crack if necessary.
We use a Vermont Casting Defiant, which is a top load. It holds a ton of wood, not having front or side load, the entire wood box can be filled if needed.
It also has an 8" flue, which many new stoves designs have gotten away from.
We have run a couple Vermont Casting stoves since about 1993.
Will it heat an entire house well?
Depends on the house design, and air circulation, more than stove choice.
Our house, now 25 years old, was designed with a wood stove in mind from the start.

If buying a new stove, ask the dealer how his relationship is with the various manufactures he represents.
VC was employee owned for a period, and the salesman take was they did not manage things well, had cash flow issues, and, he said, that filtered down to him. They have been bought out several years ago and things were turning around slowly. But his take on different brands was interesting.View attachment 856731
We loved our previous VC, the top load, and wanted to stay with an 8" flue.

Thats y i really do think that if I were home full time I wouldn't burn to much more wood. When I cold start the furnace every night after work and bring the temp up 6 or 7 degrees i burn a lot of wood. Then with warm air from coals and minimal wood it takes hours for the temp to drop to where I should fully reload it.