Blaze King or a Lopi

[Draughts15]

Hello,

Hoping to get some advice. I am purchasing a home, ranch style with an unfinished basement. Basement will be finished down the road but that's not important right now I don't think. I have propane heat right now and ideally this would be a secondary source (used sparingly). Planning on putting a wood stove in the large living room, house is mostly open concept, around 1300 sq ft, and this would be a new install. Ceilings are ten foot i believe and the house is pretty tight. Wondering if I should go with a blaze king for the burn times, output, and efficiency? Or would a lopi be better? I plan on having dry wood. I will be purchasing kiln dried wood until I am able to split my own and let it season. Winters can be rough. We're in the middle of blizzard right now, -30 wind chills tomorrow morning expected. Not uncommon to have -20s for high temperatures during the day. Any insight on how a blaze king would hold up or if you have another suggestion would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Highbeam]

Hello,

Hoping to get some advice. I am purchasing a home, ranch style with an unfinished basement. Basement will be finished down the road but that's not important right now I don't think. I have propane heat right now and ideally this would be a secondary source (used sparingly). Planning on putting a wood stove in the large living room, house is mostly open concept, around 1300 sq ft, and this would be a new install. Ceilings are ten foot i believe and the house is pretty tight. Wondering if I should go with a blaze king for the burn times, output, and efficiency? Or would a lopi be better? I plan on having dry wood. I will be purchasing kiln dried wood until I am able to split my own and let it season. Winters can be rough. We're in the middle of blizzard right now, -30 wind chills tomorrow morning expected. Not uncommon to have -20s for high temperatures during the day. Any insight on how a blaze king would hold up or if you have another suggestion would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Both combustion technologies have their strong points. The blaze king is a big seller in Alaska so it’s not a choice to make based on how cold it gets outside. Do you need to be away from the house during the day?

Is your 1300 sf just the upstairs or does that include the basement?

 

[avsmusic1]

What drew you to those 2 brands?
Are there specific models you’re looking at or simply the brands?
Can you provide a floor plan sketch?

 

[Draughts15]

Both combustion technologies have their strong points. The blaze king is a big seller in Alaska so it’s not a choice to make based on how cold it gets outside. Do you need to be away from the house during the day?

Is your 1300 sf just the upstairs or does that include the basement?

1300 sq ft is just the main level. Basically one level living. Thinking of turning the fan on the furnace to circulate some air every now and then. My wife and I both work days so being able to burn during the day while we're gone would be a plus. We'd be away from the house roughly 6a-4p.

 

[Indianawood]

I own 2 Blaze Kings and couldn't be happier. I've never owned a Lopi.

 

[Nealm66]

I was in the same boat. I ended up with the blaze king princess. I stoked it full at 6am and just got home and cranked it up to burn down some of the leftovers. It’s an amazing stove. Very glad with my work schedule that I ended up with it. That being said, changing out the catalytic or whatever maintenance that may pop up doesn’t bother me. There’s a lot of good support on here for questions as well. There’s a ton of information on here about operating them as well

 

[Nealm66]

I should add that the glass gets dark and there’s probably ways to prevent but it’s not an issue for me but something to consider. It stays just clear enough to see what’s going on. I want to say it’s a purpose built stove with no frills but it’s actually been very fascinating coming from an old pre epa wood stove

 

[DBoon]

I've owned and used two Lopis (an Answer and a Republic 1750). I can tell you that they are solidly built stoves that can take some punishment and not be damaged. Having said that, the home I am renovating is 1750 square feet, very very tight (1 ACH50, 20 kBTUs/hour to heat at 0 degrees, HRV to be installed), and I will use a Woodstock Keystone (catalytic) in it just so I can spread the burn over more hours and avoid overheating. I had the Lopi 1750 installed there and it worked fine, but I also spend too much time getting it settled into the burn before I could leave it alone.

 

[Highbeam]

The first stove I had in this 1700 sf house was a lopi freedom bay. A big stove. Lopi and BK are both Washington made. I was cold a lot in the mornings and after coming home from a shift at work. Then I could quickly warm the house up with a fire. It was okay and how most people get by.

Fast forward to now, at least before COVID, and I only load the Bk stove once per day in the evening but wake up to a warm home and a half full firebox, then I walk past the stove and go to work for 10 hours, and when I get home the stove and house are still warm. Usually for less than one week a year when we are in single digit temperatures I’ll throw in a few splits before I leave in the morning and run the stove a little warmer.

I fully recognize that your climate is colder but you can choose to load once per day and supplement with the furnace or twice per day at the 12 hour point for lots of heat and little or no furnace. I don’t know of any forum members that need three full loads per day in a BK and certainly not with just 1300 sf to heat.

I have used both of your options and would absolutely buy the Bk again today.

The Woodstocks are excellent stoves as well but they have an old school insulated hearth requirement.

 

[Stir224]

20 kBTUs/hour to heat at 0 degrees

holy cow what size house did you achieve that with? Is this normal for new houses?

 

[DBoon]

What Highbeam said earlier is why I am going to ditch the tube-burning Lopis and go with the Woodstock Keystone.

 

[DBoon]

holy cow what size house did you achieve that with? Is this normal for new houses?

It's 1750 square feet (not including the basement) in a 7500-8000 degree day heating climate in Central NY. It's a two-story house with about 1000 square feet on the first floor and 750 square feet on the 2nd floor. So far, my heat loss (based on radiant heat water temperature curve) is matching design calculations and expectations.

The heating or tightness is not what I would call normal for a new house, and it's a remodel. Not to toot my own horn to much, but I don't think most remodels can achieve this ACH50 number.

The walls are 4" thick and have about 2-2.5" of CCSF and the balance is rockwool custom cut to thickness to fit the wall cavity space remaining. The studs, top/bottom plates and headers have a 1/2" of polyiso strips over them, cut to size (these replaced the thickness of the lathe after the old lathe and plaster walls were removed). A few (newer) walls are 5-1/2" thick and some older walls are built out another 1-1/2" or so with furring strips (when I replaced the windows on those walls) for room for a little more insulation - my original plan was to build all the walls out this extra thickness but I pulled back from that (if I hadn't, it would have made the Rockwool job a lot easier). The ceiling is R-60+ (combination of 2" of spray foam and either Rockwall or cellulose). The basement floor is R-19 rockwool. None of the insulation values are superinsulation class, but they are all very good. Realistically, the windows dominate the heat loss (R-2 for the old ones with storms, R-4.5 for the newer ones), and there are a good number of windows. Windows are about half the heat loss, so it doesn't make sense to go much better on the walls or ceilings.

Here is why it is hard to get this. I marked all hidden cavities that I wanted to make sure were filled with foam, and I had the spray-foam company spray it while I supervised. Then, I sent them away and found all the places I marked to fill that they didn't fill enough and put about 40-50 large cans of low-expansion foam into them, in total (yeah, that's a lot of missing foam on their part). I sealed up all framing seams with Dymonic 100 sealant. There is Blueskin on the outside of the building to reduce air movement through the walls in case the foam opens gaps over time. I removed all of the top sash window weights in the old double-hung windows and filled half the cavity with rigid foam and air-sealed around that. I personally did all the low-expansion foam filling around the windows to make sure I got a full depth fill instead of the marginal job I would have gotten from the spray-foam crew. I personally installed all of the extra Rockwool and the sealant and had a friend help me with the blower door test so I could find problem areas, then addressed them. The old windows were weatherized (by me) and all plumbing and electrical penetrations were sealed by me. I used Cape Backdraft dampers for the bath fans and kitchen fan.

Would I do it this way again - no way. But it was effective. I wouldn't trust anyone but myself to do this level of sealing and insulation. When I was done, I trusted the drywall crew to cover it up, knowing that there were no holes left to plug up.

That's why this is not normal for a new house or a renovated house. It takes a motivated homeowner willing to do the ridiculous.

 

[jetsam]

I should add that the glass gets dark and there’s probably ways to prevent but it’s not an issue for me but something to consider. It stays just clear enough to see what’s going on. I want to say it’s a purpose built stove with no frills but it’s actually been very fascinating coming from an old pre epa wood stove

Haha I went the same route (smoke dragons straight to BK with no stops in between).

I've had it for years and I still think it's magic.

 

[begreen]

A big stove. Lopi and BK are both Washington made.

Not that it matters, but aren't many BK stoves made across the border in Penticton, CA?

 

[Stir224]

It's 1750 square feet (not including the basement) in a 7500-8000 degree day heating climate in Central NY. It's a two-story house with about 1000 square feet on the first floor and 750 square feet on the 2nd floor. So far, my heat loss (based on radiant heat water temperature curve) is matching design calculations and expectations.

The heating or tightness is not what I would call normal for a new house, and it's a remodel. Not to toot my own horn to much, but I don't think most remodels can achieve this ACH50 number.

The walls are 4" thick and have about 2-2.5" of CCSF and the balance is rockwool custom cut to thickness to fit the wall cavity space remaining. The studs, top/bottom plates and headers have a 1/2" of polyiso strips over them, cut to size (these replaced the thickness of the lathe after the old lathe and plaster walls were removed). A few (newer) walls are 5-1/2" thick and some older walls are built out another 1-1/2" or so with furring strips (when I replaced the windows on those walls) for room for a little more insulation - my original plan was to build all the walls out this extra thickness but I pulled back from that (if I hadn't, it would have made the Rockwool job a lot easier). The ceiling is R-60+ (combination of 2" of spray foam and either Rockwall or cellulose). The basement floor is R-19 rockwool. None of the insulation values are superinsulation class, but they are all very good. Realistically, the windows dominate the heat loss (R-2 for the old ones with storms, R-4.5 for the newer ones), and there are a good number of windows. Windows are about half the heat loss, so it doesn't make sense to go much better on the walls or ceilings.

Here is why it is hard to get this. I marked all hidden cavities that I wanted to make sure were filled with foam, and I had the spray-foam company spray it while I supervised. Then, I sent them away and found all the places I marked to fill that they didn't fill enough and put about 40-50 large cans of low-expansion foam into them, in total (yeah, that's a lot of missing foam on their part). I sealed up all framing seams with Dymonic 100 sealant. There is Blueskin on the outside of the building to reduce air movement through the walls in case the foam opens gaps over time. I removed all of the top sash window weights in the old double-hung windows and filled half the cavity with rigid foam and air-sealed around that. I personally did all the low-expansion foam filling around the windows to make sure I got a full depth fill instead of the marginal job I would have gotten from the spray-foam crew. I personally installed all of the extra Rockwool and the sealant and had a friend help me with the blower door test so I could find problem areas, then addressed them. The old windows were weatherized (by me) and all plumbing and electrical penetrations were sealed by me. I used Cape Backdraft dampers for the bath fans and kitchen fan.

Would I do it this way again - no way. But it was effective. I wouldn't trust anyone but myself to do this level of sealing and insulation. When I was done, I trusted the drywall crew to cover it up, knowing that there were no holes left to plug up.

That's why this is not normal for a new house or a renovated house. It takes a motivated homeowner willing to do the ridiculous.

Wow amazing work it seems. We plan to build a new house in a few years (Southern NH) and my goal is to get numbers like this but I’m not really able to do a lot of that work myself. We’ll have to shop around for a contractor that shares our goals.
Thanks for the info!

 

[Nealm66]

I think if a guy was to use the same type wood species/dryness/volume, you can set the thermostat to give the desired room temperature and then just get used to the reload pattern for outside temperatures. That to me is really hard to beat. But it’s hard not to get down on your knees and peer into the darkness looking for the glow and question the magic ha ha!

 

[Nealm66]

One other thing to consider is weight. The lopi cape cod is heavy!

 

[Highbeam]

Not that it matters, but aren't many BK stoves made across the border in Penticton, CA?

The Washington company has a factory in Canada as well.

 

[stoveliker]

From a recently new BK (Chinook 30) owner, in the finished basement, with 1100ish sqft main floor and 500ish sq ft on top of that, and having used an older cat stove for two seasons and noncats overseas before, I can say that I can't be happier with the BK.

The ease of use, i.e. no need to keep checking, loading, adjusting - it beats everything for me.

Example, yesterday early evening I put 5 small splits of sassafras (light soft wood), one small stick of red oak, and a dogwood ugly in there. Box about half to two thirds full (was on top of significant coals from a previous half load of sassafras, and gotta take some ashes out...). Had it cruising below mid Tstat range in 10 minutes. (I.e. walk away time was 10 minutes).

This morning around 8 I had enough coals left to reignite easily if needed (not, because it was 50s today outside). Woke up to a nice and toasty main floor, and a comfortable second floor.
Set the Tstat at high and got 2 more hours of usable heat out if it.

All with a 10 minute time investment and a half load of soft wood

Check the BTU output ranges of the two stoves; if the top limit is similar (and sufficient for your home), then you can't go wrong with the BK. Ease of use (when installed properly), and efficiency.

If you need a huge BTU output a noncat stove might be better. But you might roast out of your home when it's not freezing outside.

 

[BKVP]

Not that it matters, but aren't many BK stoves made across the border in Penticton, CA?

We manufacture in both locations. Depending upon labor availability, material costs, fees associated with shipping back/forth, etc. Recently, we have added several new jobs in Walla Walla. Demand is very, very strong. Incidentally, all you possible wood stove/pellet stove buyers, check out this out:

Legislation is about to pass Congress which creates a NEW tax credit for biomass heaters under Sec. 25(D) of the U.S. tax code.

• Effective Dates: The new tax credit under Sec. 25(D) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (“IRC” or “tax code”) will come into effect on January 1, 2021 for qualifying purchases and installations completed on or after that date, through December 31, 2023.
• Credit Amount: Creates a new tax credit of 26 percent of the purchase and installation costs (with no cap or lifetime limit) under Sec. 25D of the U.S. tax code
• Qualifying Products: Require qualifying products (any biomass-fueled heater) be at least 75 percent efficient per the higher heating value (HHV) of the fuel

Check out which units are eligible on EPA's wood heater list. This might just create more jobs!

 

[jetsam]

We manufacture in both locations. Depending upon labor availability, material costs, fees associated with shipping back/forth, etc. Recently, we have added several new jobs in Walla Walla. Demand is very, very strong. Incidentally, all you possible wood stove/pellet stove buyers, check out this out:

Legislation is about to pass Congress which creates a NEW tax credit for biomass heaters under Sec. 25(D) of the U.S. tax code.

• Effective Dates: The new tax credit under Sec. 25(D) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (“IRC” or “tax code”) will come into effect on January 1, 2021 for qualifying purchases and installations completed on or after that date, through December 31, 2023.
• Credit Amount: Creates a new tax credit of 26 percent of the purchase and installation costs (with no cap or lifetime limit) under Sec. 25D of the U.S. tax code
• Qualifying Products: Require qualifying products (any biomass-fueled heater) be at least 75 percent efficient per the higher heating value (HHV) of the fuel

Check out which units are eligible on EPA's wood heater list. This might just create more jobs!

I need you guys to get the 20cf BK Emperor with the automatic treeloader belt and the ice cream dispenser on the market before 2023, please.

 

[Indianawood]

Haha I went the same route (smoke dragons straight to BK with no stops in between).

I've had it for years and I still think it's magic.

I went from a woodchuck 2900 wood furnace to a blaze king ultra. I still have to pinch myself every morning when I get up and realize i don't have to rush down to load the stove because im freezing.
It really is an amazing stove.

 

[BKVP]

I need you guys to get the 20cf BK Emperor with the automatic treeloader belt and the ice cream dispenser on the market before 2023, please.

I'll get started on that...now we just need an EPA approved test method... FLTLM. Full Length Tree Loading Method. 30 day burn times!

 

[bholler]

I have heated with smoke dragons early secondary combustion stoves tube stoves and now a bk. All have their strong points and weak points. I like the even heat provided by the bk but I miss the btu output of the tube stove.

 

[begreen]

We manufacture in both locations. Depending upon labor availability, material costs, fees associated with shipping back/forth, etc. Recently, we have added several new jobs in Walla Walla. Demand is very, very strong. Incidentally, all you possible wood stove/pellet stove buyers, check out this out:

Legislation is about to pass Congress which creates a NEW tax credit for biomass heaters under Sec. 25(D) of the U.S. tax code.

• Effective Dates: The new tax credit under Sec. 25(D) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (“IRC” or “tax code”) will come into effect on January 1, 2021 for qualifying purchases and installations completed on or after that date, through December 31, 2023.
• Credit Amount: Creates a new tax credit of 26 percent of the purchase and installation costs (with no cap or lifetime limit) under Sec. 25D of the U.S. tax code
• Qualifying Products: Require qualifying products (any biomass-fueled heater) be at least 75 percent efficient per the higher heating value (HHV) of the fuel

Check out which units are eligible on EPA's wood heater list. This might just create more jobs!

Pending signature.