If you could do it over again - which stove would you choose?
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lopiliberty
Minister of Fire
Current stove is a Lopi Liberty. Its a serious heat producer and I love it but I would like to be able to get a new stove every two years or so. I would love to try the PEs, WS, QF, Jotuls, BKs ect. But if I had to choose just one it would be a BKK
lopiliberty
Minister of Fire
I think you already do! In fact you get new stoves every year. I can't keep up with the changing inventory. Only draw back to that would be a person might get very tired of moving 400 to 500 pound stoves every year. Of course when one has access to the right equipment its probably not that big of deal
Ohh, not every year. Well maybe? My front room is built on grade, with the equipment its no big deal. I don't even need help.
Not my experience with the Harman... putting splits in from the top lets you wiggle them around, and get all sorts of odd sizes and knotty pieces, right up to the top without worrying about any burn tubes... to me, seeming to max out the cubic footage a little more easily than the side and front loading.
1. I have a Jotul 550c fireplace insert. Very happy with it.
2. Would replace it with a Blaze King princess, but could not convince my wife of this choice.
2. Would replace it with a Blaze King princess, but could not convince my wife of this choice.
I currently have an englander nc30 which is the first epa stove ive owned. I am pleased with its efficiency over my old warm morning 701 but do miss the luxury of a nice ash pan and no fiddling with a shovel mess. In comparison to the old fisher we have at our hunting camp, i struggle when its single digits with coal buildup in the 30, just doesnt get the air the fisher or warm morning for that matter to burn the coals down. For those reasons i am turned on to the cunningham 203 amish stove , classic looking stove with a nice big ash pan. And american made !
I pack tight to the tubes no worries there I would be way more worried about that those expensive bricks in the back of that harman than the tubes
RandyBoBandy
Minister of Fire
I can pack my VC stoves tight from the top loader. 16" long splits going E/W and shorties standing vertical on one side.
I just don't thing it is easier to reach down inside a hot stove to position splits so they are all tight. With front loading I barely reach into the stove at all. and I get it packed really tight. I will have to take a pic on my next reload. I have run top loaders a couple times and did not like it. I will admit that I can see how not having to bend down could be nice. But honestly I have only seen one toploader that did not have pretty major trade offs in ease or use, reliability, and ease of maintenance when compared to a similar front loader. It makes everything but loading harder. But hey if it works for you and you are happy great I am not going to try to tell you what is best for you
RandyBoBandy
Minister of Fire
Yes unfortunately VC has its drawbacks and had I been more educated before I purchased my stoves I just might be burning something else. Until I bought gloves that went all the way up to my elbows loading was a bit tricky. Let's just say short sleeves are not recommended when reaching down into a hot stove.
You don't have to reach in, generally... gravity does the work, and you can always use a fireplace poker or shovel to shift the splits if needed. If you have to front-load a stove E-W (as I do, because the top of the firebox slopes backward) then to some degree you have gravity working against you, as a split placed in back may want to shift and tumble forward. I can see N-S being okay, though.
Nicest thing about top-loading, aside from loading while standing... never a speck of ash spilled when reloading! (And at least for me, less smoke spill.)
[/QUOTE] But honestly I have only seen one toploader that did not have pretty major trade offs in ease or use, reliability, and ease of maintenance when compared to a similar front loader. It makes everything but loading harder. [/QUOTE]
Well, that was the original point I was making... if a top-loader could be designed without those flaws, that would be my first choice. Seem like the old Jotul Firelight was as good as it got, for a cat, and Isle Royale for a non-cat.
Currently have a new Osburn 2400 Insert. I love it. My house is roughly 2200 sqft colonial and the heat gets pushed around pretty easily.
I guess, if I had to do it all over again, but with more money although some concerns, I'd look into the BK Princess. I would prefer the longer burn times, but at the same time, I have to wonder if it would heat my house as well.
I guess, if I had to do it all over again, but with more money although some concerns, I'd look into the BK Princess. I would prefer the longer burn times, but at the same time, I have to wonder if it would heat my house as well.
No, I think what he's saying is it would be awesome to try WS.
I am using VC Encore 2550 presently and I am happy with it. I did a complete tear down of the stove , rebuilt it and I learnt (with the help of members from this forum) how to properly operate it.
I have a feeling that a WS Keystone would make me happier though!! I love the look of that stove and I believe that it is an amazing little heater.
I have a feeling that a WS Keystone would make me happier though!! I love the look of that stove and I believe that it is an amazing little heater.
Yes, I think the Absolutely would be big enough for your place...
In your position, knowing your stove and having re-built it, I would no doubt keep riding it for a while.
I'm happy with the Ks; Easy to run, pretty much set-and-forget. But if it's very cold out I might open up the air a bit on the coals to hold room temp...stove will then maintain 350+. The stove keeps coals in check, since a little air is introduced into the ash pan housing. Only problem I've had was a front vertical seam leak, maybe got jarred in transit (?) but that was a pretty easy fix. Their sq. footage rating seems right...might even be a bit conservative. We have 1000 leaky sq.ft. with no wall insulation in the main room (stove room.) Most of the time, two loads a day is enough here. We hang out mostly in the stove room...that radiation can be felt almost anywhere in the room.
Ohh if I'd only saved all my money on these other stoves and just stuck with the BK? There will always be a BK on my hearth. That's why I have 2 hearths! 1 for playing and a BK to heat the house!
1. 30 NC
2. I'm not sure about the model, but I would want a steel stove with an ash grate that has a more robust baffle system.
I would want a steel stove because my stove lives in the basement. It doesn't need to look nice, and cast iron or soapstone is more expensive.
I want an ash grate because I'm tired of sifting. I think I have decently dry wood, but even after a 12 hour burn, I will have 3-4 inches of an ash/coal mixture in the bottom of my stove. I don't like to toss the coals, so I sift out the ash. I would much rather just toss them around above a grate, and have the ash fall out of the bottom. I envision it somewhat like running a coal stove; ash out the bottom, new fuel on the top, and the fire never really dies out, and I wouldn't have to wait around as much to burn it down. Coals that aren't enmeshed in ash seem to burn hotter as well, allowing me to push the stove harder. At least I think it would.
I want a more robust baffle because I hate making sure my baffle boards are positioned correctly. I got a hot spot on the top of my stove because I made the mistake of allowing the gap in the center of the boards instead of pushing them together. The result for me was that just about the time the stove was hot enough to lite off the secondaries, there was one little spot on the stovetop that was pushing 900 degrees. This is an issue that I think I can fix. I have a sheet of ceramic fiberboard sitting here; I'm thinking that Saturday with temps approaching 60, I'll let it burn out and make myself a tighter fitting baffle.
I'm thinking someday that I will start to call my garage a workshop for insurance purposes, put the 30NC out there, and replace it with something that better fits my preferences. The wife and I were also looking at adding a Quadrafire 7100 ZC fireplace in the living room. I'm also thinking that would allow me to run each a bit easier, and eliminate some of my coaling issues. On all but the coldest days, one could take up the slack of the other if I needed to shut down and clean out.
2. I'm not sure about the model, but I would want a steel stove with an ash grate that has a more robust baffle system.
I would want a steel stove because my stove lives in the basement. It doesn't need to look nice, and cast iron or soapstone is more expensive.
I want an ash grate because I'm tired of sifting. I think I have decently dry wood, but even after a 12 hour burn, I will have 3-4 inches of an ash/coal mixture in the bottom of my stove. I don't like to toss the coals, so I sift out the ash. I would much rather just toss them around above a grate, and have the ash fall out of the bottom. I envision it somewhat like running a coal stove; ash out the bottom, new fuel on the top, and the fire never really dies out, and I wouldn't have to wait around as much to burn it down. Coals that aren't enmeshed in ash seem to burn hotter as well, allowing me to push the stove harder. At least I think it would.
I want a more robust baffle because I hate making sure my baffle boards are positioned correctly. I got a hot spot on the top of my stove because I made the mistake of allowing the gap in the center of the boards instead of pushing them together. The result for me was that just about the time the stove was hot enough to lite off the secondaries, there was one little spot on the stovetop that was pushing 900 degrees. This is an issue that I think I can fix. I have a sheet of ceramic fiberboard sitting here; I'm thinking that Saturday with temps approaching 60, I'll let it burn out and make myself a tighter fitting baffle.
I'm thinking someday that I will start to call my garage a workshop for insurance purposes, put the 30NC out there, and replace it with something that better fits my preferences. The wife and I were also looking at adding a Quadrafire 7100 ZC fireplace in the living room. I'm also thinking that would allow me to run each a bit easier, and eliminate some of my coaling issues. On all but the coldest days, one could take up the slack of the other if I needed to shut down and clean out.
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