Hearthstone Heritage or Jotul F400 daily wood usage

[Huntindog1]

I used to heat with a wood furnace for 14 years which are not very efficient.

When I got my new free standing EPA high efficiency stove I realized I could heat my entire house just as good with around 1/3 to 1/2 as much wood as the wood furnace was eating.

I took the furnace and duct work out of the basement to open up the basement and built a family room. I sent the old energy king wood furnace to the metal recycle company where they gave me $60 for it. I should have sold it on craigslist but oh well......

 

[Woody Stover]

At 3100 sq ft I would go up a size in the stove to the Mansfield or the F500 Oslo or the F600. That is a lot of sq ftg and basement heating of the whole house can be inefficient. Hard to say how much wood you will use. It depends on how well the basement is insulated, how tight the house is, etc..

In the original post it sounds like he's putting the stove upstairs, and wants to use the furnace blower to move heat to the basement (doesn't say if this is a frequently-used living area.) I've read here that moving heat through ducting isn't too efficient, correct? Is there a better way to move heat downstairs if he needs it there? Is he going to need a stove that's more convective or would a radiant type work OK?

I really wanted to stay away from the catalytic stoves.....Just want a great all-purpose stove that will fit my hearth situation. Looking more like it's between the Heritage, the Encore, and the Fireview. But back to the catalytic thing, I burn very seasoned wood (drying for a minimum of 18 months now), but still want to avoid heavy creosote during the warmer days, which might mean a catalytic stove would help on those days, right?

Any particular reason you've ruled out the cat stoves? Either stove would burn clean if burned correctly, but the non-cat might require that you burn shorter, hotter fires on warm days, thus more re-starts/re-loads. A cat can idle at low output and still burn clean. Fv is a cat, and radiant in nature, but l think it might fit. You need 8" from the front edge of the box to a combustible surface. Center line of the rear-exit flue is 22.75" so it might just clear if you have 25.75". Before deciding on a stove, I would want to decide if heating the basement was a top priority, and if so, how I was going to move heat there.

 

[BrowningBAR]

You guys have really helped me think through some things. I really wanted to stay away from the catalytic stoves, but the Encore has the option of using both, which is nice. Actually, I may have incorrectly stated my mission. Although I really do want to use the stove primarily during shoulder season, if it does good enough during the colder times, I might use it then, too, to be more efficient in wood usage. So I guess I want my cake and get to eat it too. Just want a great all-purpose stove that will fit my hearth situation. Looking more like it's between the Heritage, the Encore, and the Fireview. But back to the catalytic thing, I burn very seasoned wood (drying for a minimum of 18 months now), but still want to avoid heavy creosote during the warmer days, which might mean a catalytic stove would help on those days, right? Encore is sounding very good for that reason...

As an Encore owner, I need to repeat myself; The cat system on the Fireview is better and more controllable than on the Encore.

 

[jharkin]

As an Encore owner, I need to repeat myself; The cat system on the Fireview is better an more controllable than on the Encore.

I will enthusiastically second this opinion. If you are looking at Encore and Fireview there is no contest. Fireview.

Understand that with the 2in1 running with the cat out will still involve the extra step of operating the bypass and will not give the flame show of a non cat... The action is still hidden in the rear burn chamber. And your efficiency will be lower. Honestly I see no advantage to running that stove in non cat mode.

 

[Highbeam]

Since you are burning an old wood furnace, you might be more familiar with the old VC stoves which for decades were excellent heaters. They have long been knocked off of that throne and stomped on. The VC name is now a brand of shame famous for glowing backs, crumbled sheetrock type stuff inside the stove, poor burning, wood wasting, running away, etc. VC of today is NOT VC of the 80s.

 

[thundar]

Surprisingly, when I have used my heatilator fireplace and ran the furnace circulation fan, it did keep the downstairs somewhat comfortable.
I am considering the Fireview. But how will a cat stove perform when it is really cold? If this works out good, I might use this stove when it is a little colder too. Not very many have commented on the reliability and efficiency of the Jotul stoves. When it gets colder will the Heritage or Jotul C400 outperform the Fireview?
I'm not sure I'm ready to throw out my wood furnace just yet until I know how well my furnace blower will move air from the wood stove downstairs. I know hot air rises, but if the system is moving warmer air from a wood stove, it just might work since my basement is pretty tight.
Either way, thanks for the thoughts - it has really helped to hear from people who have had some experience with the stoves already.

 

[Trilifter7]

I will enthusiastically second this opinion. If you are looking at Encore and Fireview there is no contest. Fireview.

Understand that with the 2in1 running with the cat out will still involve the extra step of operating the bypass and will not give the flame show of a non cat... The action is still hidden in the rear burn chamber. And your efficiency will be lower. Honestly I see no advantage to running that stove in non cat mode.

From everything I've read so far the new design of the 2-in-1 or flexburn VC stoves are getting much better reviews. They have only been out for a little over two years now so there's not a lot to go by yet but I would not rule it out.
From what I understand of the stove the purpose of running it in non CAT mode is for during shoulder season when your draft is very weak due to the small change in inside-to-outside temp. The CAT acts as a restricter slowing the burn down so taking it out during shoulder season allows you to keep a better draft for burning. I haven't been able to see this first hand yet but it makes sense to me.

 

[thundar]

One thing I don't like about the Fireview....only 16" log length. 99% of my current wood stock (over 8-9 cords) is 18" or longer.

 

[BrowningBAR]

One thing I don't like about the Fireview....only 16" log length. 99% of my current wood stock (over 8-9 cords) is 18" or longer.

I believe you can fit 18" splits in the stove. Get a Fireview owner to confirm, though.

 

[rijim]

The reliability of the Jotul stoves is excellent, efficiency is consistent with many EPA secondary tube stoves. To burn clean it needs dry wood and be run above 450 during the off gassing stage, if temps 450-600 won't make the room it is located in uncomfortable it is a great stove.

 

[thundar]

Anybody know if the Fireview will hold 18" splits?

 

[thundar]

So anyone know if the Fireview will take 18" splits?

 

[fox9988]

Woodstock's website says 20" firebox, 16" recommended log length. I just dug up an old thread and the firebox was measured at 19.5" in the bottom, 21" at 2" above the bottom.
Edit: But the corners are angled.

 

[thundar]

Good info...I saw that 16" recommendation, but never would have known about the other measurements. Thanks.

 

[velvetfoot]

My 2.3 ft3 insert is in a Heatilator A36R.