If you could do it over again - which stove would you choose?

[mminor]

Considering your same house, same room and same stove location and knowing what you know now - which stove would you choose if you were given a 2nd chance?

1) Which stove / insert / ZC FP do you have now?

2) Which stove / insert / ZC FP would you go with if given a chance at a do-over and why?

 

[Tegbert]

1- lopi rockport

2- not sure but would probably try a blaze king only because of the long burn times. But whatever it would be I would chose a stove that could accept the same length logs n-s and e-w as that is really my only pet peeve in my stove now. Other than that since someone is always home the super long burn times are not a huge need as the ~10 hour burn time for mine is good enough for me.


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[Supersurvey]

Hampton HI200 changed to HI300 for longer burn times.

 

[firefighterjake]

1) Jotul Oslo

2) Jotul Oslo (only in the blue black enamel instead of matte black) . . . although I might be sorely tempted to go with the F-600 or maybe the Woodstock PH.

 

[bholler]

1. Regency 3100

2. what ever I come across at a good price that I think may work well for me. There are a few I will not consider but many I would be willing to give a shot.

If I am ever get around to putting a stove upstairs to it would probably be a cast one jotul hampton ashford just not a vc lol.

 

[Highbeam]

You can do it over again! I did.

1) First stove in this house after removing a Lopi Freedom insert along with the masonry was a hearthstone heritage. It was a pretty stove and performed per the specs. It could burn overnight barely and I was always starting new fires. Used lots of wood, high flue temps, inefficient design. The nail in the coffin on the hearthstone was the hinges and door latches wearing out rapidly which is not repairable without a full rebuild. Not cool, that stove was not made for long service.

2) On the advice of owners from this forum I was convinced to switch to a Woodstock or Blaze king cat stove for long burns with easy overnight burns. Sold the hearthstone in August for exactly what I bought it for and bought a new BK. The Woodstock wouldn't fit on the hearth with the goofy rear exit. The BK is excellent in my relatively moderate climate and well insulated house. I can usually get 24 burns with it.

Happy camper. Don't suffer with a stove you don't like. Try to sell it and then get your dream stove. They are relatively cheap compared to cars or guns.

 

[mitchell721]

1 Englander madison

2 blaze king princess. For the long burn times. Once I finally get the barn up englander might go there though[emoji848]

 

[bcrtops]

1) PE Alderlea T5

2) Not sure. We like/love the T5. Being retired & getting old we would like the firebox/door up higher. Some of the contemporaries like the PE Neo, or the Quad Discovery series, though the look doesn't really fit our old house. Maybe build a stepped hearth & just raise the T5 up? Would take a look at the BK's, but not sure I'd drink the kool-aid. I am pretty much sold on the simplicity of the PE line & its baffle system.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

1) Jotul Castine

2) PE T6. The Castine was our first EPA stove and it was recommended we go with a smaller stove so as not to overheat the main room. Bad advice. The stove is too small. Also, the local dealer that sells PE Stoves is way more supportive of their products and actually services them if need be. I've come to find our Jotul dealer does not. Add that to the fact that it is impossible to get in touch with Jotul directly, despite phone numbers on hearth or elsewhere.

 

[electrathon]

Have a hearthstone heritage. Pretty stove, gobbles up wood, puts out little heat, very short burn times.

Likely would replace it with a Blaze king. Previous stove was one. Used less wood, made way more heat, similar burn times.

 

[webby3650]

I'm really enjoying this thread. Thanks!
I don't feel like I can really chime in on the previous/next thing, but I like seeing the personal experiences.

 

[JulieInColorado]

Hi-I just purchased a house that was build in 1943 and I am removing the old stove. I am wondering if anyone has information to share as I'm going to attempt to sell it (if it's worth anything) or give it away to whomever will move it. It measures 34" high, 26" wide and 19" deep. Everything is intact except the cellophane type material on the door. Its brown with a black-ish stain on it.

I am sorry to barge in on the thread but I can't for the life of me figure out how to start a new topic...

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[bholler]

Have a hearthstone heritage. Pretty stove, gobbles up wood, puts out little heat, very short burn times.

Isnt that the one you put a water coil in that was heating so well?

 

[electrathon]

Isnt that the one you put a water coil in that was heating so well?

Yes, the output of the stove was not changed by the coil if that is what you mean. It can heat 50 gallons of water about two times in 24 hours, depending on how hard I am pushing the stove.

I generally put in two or three pieces of wood every couple hours. It has been cold here (in the teens) and I decided to try again loading it full like many here recommend. I loaded the stove as full as I could, about 3 times as much as usual. The heat output was about the same as I usually get, maybe a tad more. Two hours later I was out of wood, down to coals and needed to load it again. I would just like to be able to get my living room warmer than mid 60's. I have been having to supplement with my furnace.

Adding this info as an edit so I do not bump the thread over a hijack: I had one of the guys I work with run some BTU numbers. Rounded off some things due to so many variables. Assumed BTU of the stove was 60,000 Two tanks of water raised from 50 degrees to 110 degrees. Here is the big one, water coil located inside the firebox. This would use up about 3.5 percent of the heat output of the stove. Not huge, but not a nothing change. Here is the issue though, the coil is located above the heat baffle plate. The system coil almost operated as a stack robber. I understand that a stack robber really removes almost no output from the stove, but gets its output from waste heat. At the most the water heating system would draw about 1 to 2 percent of the stove heat, likely way less, but I wanted to be generous. When I first put the coil in I did some tests of the stove temp and couldn't really find and difference. A slight difference in the loaded wood or fire size would affect the output more than the coil does.

 

[webby3650]

Yes, the output of the stove was not changed by the coil if that is what you mean. It can heat 50 gallons of water about two times in 24 hours, depending on how hard I am pushing the stove.

I generally put in two or three pieces of wood every couple hours. It has been cold here (in the teens) and I decided to try again loading it full like many here recommend. I loaded the stove as full as I could, about 3 times as much as usual. The heat output was about the same as I usually get, maybe a tad more. Two hours later I was out of wood, down to coals and needed to load it again. I would just like to be able to get my living room warmer than mid 60's. I have been having to supplement with my furnace.

Unfortunately this is the experience with many soapstone stove users. More wood doesn't necessarily equate to more heat, just more heat up the flue... The stone can't release any more heat no matter how much wood goes into the box.

 

[bholler]

Yes, the output of the stove was not changed by the coil if that is what you mean. It can heat 50 gallons of water about two times in 24 hours, depending on how hard I am pushing the stove.

So you take the btus out to heat the water and you have not changed the heating characteristics? You cant modify a stove and then complain it doesn't work right I am sorry.

 

[electrathon]

So you take the btus out to heat the water and you have not changed the heating characteristics? You cant modify a stove and then complain it doesn't work right I am sorry.

I complained about the lack of heat output years before I added the coil. I was disappointed from the beginning. If the room heat output dropped I would have pulled the coil back out immediately. The coil is not in the firebox, it is above the baffle. It is by design closer to a stack robber.

 

[webby3650]

I complained about the lack of heat output years before I added the coil. I was disappointed from the beginning. If the room heat output dropped I would have pulled the coil back out immediately. The coil is not in the firebox, it is above the baffle. It is by design closer to a stack robber.

It was a nice try. I applaud you!

 

[electrathon]

Unfortunately this is the experience with many soapstone stove users. More wood doesn't necessarily equate to more heat, just more heat up the flue... The stone can't release any more heat no matter how much wood goes into the box.

Unfortunately I figured this out after I bought the stove. Another real annoying thing is that if you load through the front door it almost always drops ashes every time you open it. Not sure how many other brands of stoves do this.

 

[webby3650]

Unfortunately I figured this out after I bought the stove. Another real annoying thing is that if you load through the front door it almost always drops ashes every time you open it. Not sure how many other brands of stoves do this.

Most all side loaders that I've ever seen...

 

[electrathon]

Most all side loaders that I've ever seen...

On this stove the side door works well. Little ash falls out, most smoke stays in the stove. Open the front door and ash and smoke escapes. That was actually the first thing that the stove store told me about the stove: Use the side door, not the front door.

 

[blacktail]

1. Lopi Republic 1250i
2. Lopi Republic 1750i or PE Super

My little insert does ok most of the time but more heat/longer burns would be nice during the few times when we get colder than normal. The bigger inserts would also do NS loading without having to cut my wood in short lengths.

 

[cableman]

Hampton hi300
Great insert and heats my house well, but if it was 1 year later...

Blazeking sirocco 25 for the huge glass and auto adjusting long burn times. I feel like im always adjusting the hampton.

Would also consider lowering my hearth so i can fit an ideal steel just inside the fireplace which would eliminate the insert fan. This stove would have been my 1st choice if i didnt have a fireplace altogether

 

[Wickets]

hearthstone heritage

looking for anything that isnt a hearthstone heritage

 

[electrathon]

hearthstone heritage

looking for anything that isnt a hearthstone heritage

I feel your pain! It is like we are in a club that we didn't ask to join.