I need a wood stove recommendation

[ualav8]

Hello all-

I am building a home in the upper penninsula of michigan where it gets cccccold!! My home is a chalet style (main floor with a loft) and approx 1800 sq/ft. Although i will have a 90% efficient LP forced air furnace, we all know the price of propane and i want a wood stove to use as a primary, everyday heat source so my furnace can sit by quietly and not burn expensive propane! I am looking for a recommendation for a non-catalytic stove that offers a good bang for the buck and enough BTUs to keep me warm. A nice viewing window in the front is essential and i want it to hold big (20+ inch) logs so i'm not spending all summer cutting micro pieces of wood.
thanks

bob

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Pacific Energy Summit Classic: Simple to operate, bullet proof, lots of heat, purdy (for a cube), 2/3 the price of the big Jotul.

 

[ualav8]

looks nice- how long would you think it would last running 5 months out of the year every day?

 

[grateful]

I'm familiar with the Regency F2400M, great stove, fire bricks need to be replaced every few years if it is used 24/7 during the heating season. The climate in BC Canada is similar to the UP- this stove heated a 3500 SF house, tri level. The stove was in the basement and had a blower that pushed air through the house. Cold air returns circulated air back to the small room in the basement where the wood stove was located.
Now I live in Spokane WA and have a Harmon Oakwood. Nice top loading stove but has many gaskets and needs to be cleaned throughly a few times a year, especially the combustion package. It easily takes 20" logs and works best if it is in constant use, otherwise the combustion package does not work effectively. I don't recommend this one.

I think there are about 2000 posts on this website, you may want to review many!

Previous Charlevoix resident

 

[Fsappo]

If cost isnt a factor, I'd look at the Hearthstone Mansfield. I fall in love with that stove more and more every day. The PE is a nice suggestion also for a value priced stove that doesnt delve into the big box store quality.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

looks nice- how long would you think it would last running 5 months out of the year every day?

Indefinitely. The firebox has a lifetime warrantee.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

If cost isnt a factor, I'd look at the Hearthstone Mansfield. I fall in love with that stove more and more every day. The PE is a nice suggestion also for a value priced stove that doesnt delve into the big box store quality.

Agreed.

IMO, you can pay more but you can't buy a better stove.

 

[Hanko]

If cost isnt a factor, I'd look at the Hearthstone Mansfield. I fall in love with that stove more and more every day. The PE is a nice suggestion also for a value priced stove that doesnt delve into the big box store quality.

Agreed.

IMO, you can pay more but you can't buy a better stove.

And just how do you know that.

 

[tcassavaugh]

I saw some suggestion about a PE Summit. I recently bought one over a Jotul F 600 (if i remember correctly). I purchased the optional blower which does well circulating the heat from the basement up through the house. I even bought the 2 x 2 inch trap door they call and ash bin. Don't recommend you waste your money on that one. I purchased it as a kit after the sale and I expected the ash bin to be similar to the Jotul F 3 CB which is a great little stove. Wrong, there is no grate for teh coals to sit on and ash to fall through, just a 2 x 2 in trap door in the front left corner so everything falls into the bin.
I'm partial to cast iron and have have a small Jotul 602 which is about 20 years old and still works great...for small rooms/areas, the Jotul F 3 CB to assist when it gets a little too cold like it was recently or when its not cold enough to run the PE Summit. I had a Consolidated Dutchwest Aderoundack i used for years and gave to my brother and he used it until the casting started to break in the flue and Large catalytic stove that just didn't quite do the job unless it was running hard.

I'm dissapointed in the summit, imho it starts hard, fills up too quick with coals that aren't easily removed and you have to baby it to get it going good. I don't have the time to sit around and wait for it to get up to 350 before i close it down for the evening or run off to work at 0400 in the morning.

All that said, it does take a big load, loading norh to south...and my wife even criss crosses them with a layer first being east to west then north to south and it burns pretty good for her. It also burns a long time once going.

This is my first season with it and bought it after reading many, many reviews with little bad said against it....and probably my last. I'll probably sell it and get a Jotul 500 or 600.

While the PE is not bad and it is pretty when burning good... i think the design could be better...or maybe I'm just not good with steel stoves.
just my nickles worth.

cass

 

[Todd]

I think if I was in the market for a large non cat steel stove I'd pick the Lopi Liberty. IMO it's a better stove than the PE Summit, it has a simple fire brick baffle system with no gaskets to replace every year, very stout construction, bypass, and takes over a 20" log. Looks better too. Check out Lopi's videos on their site, it shows how they are built.

 

[fossil]

I think that, while shopping around, I'd take a serious look at Englander stoves before making a final decision. Rick

ETA: Heating 1800 ft² with the upstairs lofted shouldn't really be all that much of a challenge. Ceiling fan(s), IMO, a must-have. The challenge will be to keep the upstairs from getting too hot while keeping the downstairs comfortable. I face that challenge in my 2600 ft² home with a Lopi Liberty.

 

[RonB]

Welcome to the site Uala. I am in SW Mich. but I still have seen -20 below the prior 2 years. I heat with a Quadrafire 5700 from my finished basement for a total of 2500sf. It will take 24" logs (22" ideal). My preference is 18" splits. I am always warm--ya, it does the job! I used this site a couple of years ago to help me decide which model to go with. I went with the big one and have never regretted it.

There are a lot of good stoves to pick from and I usually don't try to push mine. Everyone is pretty much sold on the stove they own. But the 5700 does fill a lot of your requirements and easily. All Quads are sized for N/S loading which I like. Here is a link:

(broken link removed to http://www.quadrafire.com/Products/Wood_Burning/Wood_Model.asp?f=5700)

 

[summit]

I've had a few different stoves, and run alot more at the shop: the summit is the way to go... (completely unbiased opinion here ;-) ) I gotta disagree with the previous poster on the hard to start thing (btw, make sure your rear air inlet is punched out) or the babysitting factor: i can load mine (and our display model 15 miles away) on hot coals, and have the fresh load take off fine with no babysitting or even much air adjustment.

 

[John the Painter]

Have a look at Drolet's stoves.Reasonably priced and work great.I run mine 24/7.On my 3rd year with it and not one problem.

(broken link removed to http://www.drolet.ca/products.aspx?CategoId=1)

 

[Todd]

I've had a few different stoves, and run alot more at the shop: the summit is the way to go... (completely unbiased opinion here ;-) ) I gotta disagree with the previous poster on the hard to start thing (btw, make sure your rear air inlet is punched out) or the babysitting factor: i can load mine (and our display model 15 miles away) on hot coals, and have the fresh load take off fine with no babysitting or even much air adjustment.

What's up with these PE air inlet punch out thingys? Shouldn't they do that at the factory?

 

[76ER]

I'm with Drolet on this one. I just purchased and installed a Drolet Legend. Now my house isn't nearly as big as yours but my four walls are uninsulated. (double brick construction) I paid $1159.00 Canadian for the Legend and it has a 3.1cu ft firebox. You can't get all the pretty trim with it but the stove on it's own looks great anyway (I think so). It comes with a blower and an ash drawer. My kitchen is 98 deg C right now. Good Luck with your decision.

 

[begreen]

My kitchen is 98 deg C right now.

Right, in the teakettle of course. 100C is boiling.

 

[Nic36]

What's up with these PE air inlet punch out thingys? Shouldn't they do that at the factory?

You have a choice of removing one of two punch out plates on the PE stoves. An Outside Air Kit can be hooked up to either punch out. It just depends on which one you want to use.

I have a PE Vista Classic which looks like a baby Summit Classic and really like the stove. It has no ash grate, just like the Summit, but I don't mind that at all.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

If cost isnt a factor, I'd look at the Hearthstone Mansfield. I fall in love with that stove more and more every day. The PE is a nice suggestion also for a value priced stove that doesnt delve into the big box store quality.

Agreed.

IMO, you can pay more but you can't buy a better stove.

And just how do you know that.

What cause have you to doubt it?

 

[summit]

I've had a few different stoves, and run alot more at the shop: the summit is the way to go... (completely unbiased opinion here ;-) ) I gotta disagree with the previous poster on the hard to start thing (btw, make sure your rear air inlet is punched out) or the babysitting factor: i can load mine (and our display model 15 miles away) on hot coals, and have the fresh load take off fine with no babysitting or even much air adjustment.

What's up with these PE air inlet punch out thingys? Shouldn't they do that at the factory?

They don't know whether you will need the room air inlet (on the backside) or the OAK inlet (on the bottom) at the factory.

 

[Todd]

I've had a few different stoves, and run alot more at the shop: the summit is the way to go... (completely unbiased opinion here ;-) ) I gotta disagree with the previous poster on the hard to start thing (btw, make sure your rear air inlet is punched out) or the babysitting factor: i can load mine (and our display model 15 miles away) on hot coals, and have the fresh load take off fine with no babysitting or even much air adjustment.

What's up with these PE air inlet punch out thingys? Shouldn't they do that at the factory?

They don't know whether you will need the room air inlet (on the backside) or the OAK inlet (on the bottom) at the factory.

Seems confusing, wonder why they don't just have one air inlet and if you need an OAK it should just hook up to it?

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

What ever the suggestions are here in this forum, PE Summit, Jotul, Regency, Drolet , Hearthstone......... etc........
you will be solely disappointed without any well seasoned/dry solid fuel.

CUT, SPLIT, and STACK YOUR WOOD NOW![/b]


WoodButcher

 

[76ER]

Thanks again BeGreen...that should have read "98 deg F"...phew..I could have melted!