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BUILD-IN WOOD FIREPLACE COMPARISON PAGE

Sorted By: MAXIMUM OUTPUT

In maximum output testing, manufacturers can cram the firebox with high-btu wood and open the draft control all the way to give the fire all the air it wants. This raging, short-duration fire is just the opposite of how people burn their stoves, and can be misleading: if all you look at is the maximum output rating, a little bitty stove with a big air intake can seem just as powerful as a size-large stove. For a real world picture, see the Average Output column.

To sort the table, click the column header (ie; Viewing Window, Framing Dimensions, etc.)

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Model	Viewing Window	Framing Dimensions	Shipping Weight	Firebox Size	Hardwood Capacity	Max. Log Length	Heating Efficiency	EPA Emissions	Maximum Output	Average Output	Heating Capacity
Pacific Energy FP30	10"t 18-1/2"w 185 sq.in.	63-1/2" T 56" W 24" D	625 lbs	3 cubic ft	60 lbs	20"	76.8%	2.47 grams/hr	99,000 btu	48,392 btu/hr	2000 - 3000 sq ft
Pacific Energy FP25	9-1.2"t 17-1/4"w 164 sq.in.	62" T 56" W 24" D	595 lbs	2.5 cubic ft	50 lbs	18"	72.6%	3.47 grams/hr	85,000 btu	36,460 btu/hr	1200 - 1800 sq ft
Hearthstone Montgomery WFP-75	10"t 24"w 240 sq.in.	47-1/16" T 37-13/16" W 27-1/4" D	620 lbs	2.5 cubic ft	50 lbs	20"	77%	4.4 grams/hr	75,000 btu	38,670 btu/hr	1200 - 2000 sq ft
Pacific Energy FP16	9-3/4"t 15-3/8"w 150 sq.in.	55-1/2" T 42" W 24" D	360 lbs	1.6 cubic ft	32 lbs	16"	70.2	3.09 grams/hr	70,000 btu	22,562 btu/hr	800 - 1200 sq ft

To visit any fireplace's page, click its photo in the table above.

Note: Woodstove maximum output ratings don't tell the whole story.

In fact, maximum output ratings can be downright misleading. For example, one manufacturer of a little woodstove with a 1.3 cubic foot firebox lists a maximum output rating of 64,200 BTU/hr, which is enough output to heat a 2000 sq. ft. home, yet in the same brochure they rate the same stove to heat just 1200 sq. ft. The reason for this apparent discrepancy is twofold: first, a 1.3 cubic foot firebox will only hold enough fuel to burn for about 2 hours at maximum output level, and nobody wants to refuel that often; second, sustained operation with the draft control wide open like that would likely burn the stove to a crisp in short order.

Another reason to distrust the maximum output rating : high density materials like cast iron and soapstone transmit the heat from the fire slowly and evenly, which is why woodstoves made from these materials can be easier to live with in smaller rooms. This relatively gentle heat transfer occurs even when the draft control is wide open and the fire is raging. If maximum output is the only basis of comparison, our cast iron and soapstone models can appear less powerful than our same-size plate steel models. And that just isn't so.

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