Medium or Small Insert for 1200 sq ft Ranch?

[joneo]

My vote would be for the Super. It has no tubes. Gets a longer burn, loads N/S and E/W. Member Dix has this stove heating her place in NY state.

By no tubes, are you referring to their baffle system? I heard they may be a bit more robust than the Regencys. Plus I do like their side blower system. Really the one negative about the Super for us is it has the smallest glass of those inserts I'm currently looking at. That was a big plus for the Neo, but their 1.6 seems too small and the 2.5 seems quite large for this place. That said, the 2400 may still be a bit big.

 

[wooduser]

Keep in mind that the wood you burn is at least as important as the stove you burn it in.

With that in mind, what will you be using for a wood supply, how will your dry and store the wood and what kind of wood do you anticipate burning?

 

[joneo]

Keep in mind that the wood you burn is at least as important as the stove you burn it in.

With that in mind, what will you be using for a wood supply, how will your dry and store the wood and what kind of wood do you anticipate burning?

That is a good point to consider. - We live on the edge of a forest, and cutting permits are very cheap. We already have a good wood supply that has ventilation and is out of the rain. We've been practically shoveling wood into our old drafty fireplace up til now - things will be very different here no matter what insert we end up with.

 

[Beer Belly]

We've been burning in an Avalon Ranier for 12 years, and it heats our 1,700 sq. ft. home pretty well (3 Bed 2 Bath Split Level). We have never experienced an overnight burn, but then again, my buddy tells me I never fully load the stove.....I agree I could do better. The fact that it is no longer offered would make me turn my back to it.......unless cost is a big consideration.

 

[BKVP]

A non-cat reaches that temp in the firebox quickly, especially with a top down start. Often in less time than it takes to warm up a cat from cold. We are usually cruising and smoke free in 10-15 minutes with a top down, cold start. This morning's start off of hot coals was up to temp in less than 10 minutes.

The newest durafoil combustors hit 550F or higher is less than 15 minutes...on cordwood, real world.

 

[BKVP]

There is only one person that has reported this so far. Most users here that are burning 24/7 are seeing about 3yr. lifespan or 10,000 hrs.

Keeping in mind of course the Hearth BK family are a finite group and like Highbeam, run around in minimal apparel! There is a real world study showing actual clean burning for up to 9.5 years. Of course, not all cat stoves are alike.

 

[begreen]

Keeping in mind of course the Hearth BK family are a finite group and like Highbeam, run around in minimal apparel! There is a real world study showing actual clean burning for up to 9.5 years. Of course, not all cat stoves are alike.

Actually, Highbeam reports pretty normal room temps. With a young family I suspect they stay fully clad. No user hear except one has reported a cat working for much over 12,000 hrs., 10,000 hrs being more typical.

The newest durafoil combustors hit 550F or higher is less than 15 minutes...on cordwood, real world.

If brand new, perhaps. Several threads advise to run the stove with bypass open for about 30 minutes to bring the cat up to temp and burn off any moisture. That appears to be the more common procedure reported. Regardless, a great deal of stoves in the marketplace are running on ceramic cats.

 

[begreen]

By no tubes, are you referring to their baffle system? I heard they may be a bit more robust than the Regencys. Plus I do like their side blower system. Really the one negative about the Super for us is it has the smallest glass of those inserts I'm currently looking at. That was a big plus for the Neo, but their 1.6 seems too small and the 2.5 seems quite large for this place. That said, the 2400 may still be a bit big.

The 2400i firebox is smaller than the Neo 2.5, just more square.

 

[BKVP]

Actually, Highbeam reports pretty normal room temps. With a young family I suspect they stay fully clad. No user hear except one has reported a cat working for much over 12,000 hrs., 10,000 hrs being more typical.

If brand new, perhaps. Several threads advise to run the stove with bypass open for about 30 minutes to bring the cat up to temp and burn off any moisture. That appears to be the more common procedure reported. Regardless, a great deal of stoves in the marketplace are running on ceramic cats.

Well you find that the AD from EPA permits mfgs to test with one in all four certification runs and then conduct suitable replacement on a second (different) supplier combustor.

Looking at "new" cat models, most are using stainless because of the quick light off attributes. Having a suitable replacement designation means the company can substitute as needed in their production runs.

 

[prezes13]

My advice is go with the stove that has the most square rectangular fire box. Flush inserts are nice but you pay for the beauty. Also 2.5 cf fire box in Oregon is not too much unless you have air tight home. I have 1200 1994 built raised ranch in CT and my 2.2 cf stove is not too much. I wouldn’t hesitate to put a 3 cf in my house. When the temps are in the teens or below 0 I am able to maintain 72 on frequent reloads 3-5 hrs. In the high 20 low 30 I can do overnight burn and get pretty much any temp I want in the house. For example last Sunday I woke up to the house at 73-74 after 8-9 hours on a load but I think the nights low was in the 30.

 

[joneo]

After sleeping on it, l still can't get the Neo out of my mind. One thing I read was that being flush, we lose some radiant heat, but really by how much? I'd like a stove insert that can provide heat even with the power off. The Pacific Energy line mostly have their blowers on the side, not blocking the air flow at the bottom, per this site: (broken link removed)

That said, could I still expect a flush unit like the Neo 2.5 to be able to heat the house, even with the blower off?

And by that same token, is a Regency's bottom mounted blower blocking airflow when it's off?

 

[begreen]

I like the side mounted blowers. They seem to pick up less ash spilled on the hearth. Fact is that you are in control of how the stove is run and operates. How it heats the place is up to how it's run. All options will heat the place. A flush insert will still convect some heat in a power outage. Are these frequent or rare in your area?

 

[prezes13]

It will radiate heat from the glass
How much? A lot when you have a blaze going not much after that.

 

[joneo]

I like the side mounted blowers. They seem to pick up less ash spilled on the hearth. Fact is that you are in control of how the stove is run and operates. How it heats the place is up to how it's run. All options will heat the place. A flush insert will still convect some heat in a power outage. Are these frequent or rare in your area?

Well power outages here are rare, but it would be nice to know that we could still get by without power in the event it happened.

 

[joneo]

So I called around, it seems that the bottom blowers don't really block airflow that much as long as they're kept clean. Biggest difference, as was mentioned in this thread, is that the side mounted ones do pick up less ash and therefore stay cleaner longer.

Also found more info on the flush vs extended question in another thread on this website. I think I know my answer. https://hearth.com/talk/threads/my-take-on-an-extended-front-insert-or-a-flush-insert.161824/

 

[Dix]

So I called around, it seems that the bottom blowers don't really block airflow that much as long as they're kept clean. Biggest difference, as was mentioned in this thread, is that the side mounted ones do pick up less ash and therefore stay cleaner longer.

Also found more info on the flush vs extended question in another thread on this website. I think I know my answer. https://hearth.com/talk/threads/my-take-on-an-extended-front-insert-or-a-flush-insert.161824/

Glad I could be of help

The PE is heating about 1200 SF of this joint, and doing a damned good job. Even with windchills at 0F, I still getting temps inside of 74 - 78F in the stove room, 70F at the far end of the house (fairly open layout).

Welcome to the forums !

 

[Woody Stover]

The Pacific Energy line mostly have their blowers on the side, not blocking the air flow at the bottom, per this site: (broken link removed)

Thanks for that link. I was leery of running the Buck 91 without the blower but I don't know for sure if that would have been a problem. On my Dutchwest, there are removable plates that let the stove convect well if the blower is off. I unscrewed the bolts in the plates a ways to drop the plates down a bit if I didn't want to run the blower, or tightened the plates when running the blower. The blower had its own air inlet.
But on the PE, if there are also holes in the bottom of the convection chamber, independent of the blower's air inlet, wouldn't heated air also blow out the bottom when the blower is running?

 

[Woody Stover]

The PE is heating about 1200 SF of this joint

Which PE insert do you have?

 

[Dix]

Which PE insert do you have?

The Pacific, daddy of the Super.

 

[Woody Stover]

The Pacific, daddy of the Super.

I thought that was the Summit? Weird. They reference the Pacific on the Super page but I don't see the Pacific on the insert page...discontinued model?

 

[begreen]

I thought that was the Summit? Weird. They reference the Pacific on the Super page but I don't see the Pacific on the insert page...discontinued model?

No relation to the Summit, except being a PE stove. The Pacific line was the predecessor of the Super. Almost the same stove, it's mostly a name change to make the naming consistent with the freestanding version. Same firebox size of ~2 cu ft.

 

[Hogwildz]

The Pacific, daddy of the Super.

No no no, it's the big brother. The Summit is the Daddy!

 

[begreen]

No no no, it's the big brother. The Summit is the Daddy!

LOL, more like it's kissing cousin or twin.

 

[Dix]

But on the PE, if there are also holes in the bottom of the convection chamber, independent of the blower's air inlet, wouldn't heated air also blow out the bottom when the blower is running?

The air control is in the front bottom, directing air to the boost baffle inside of the stove (baffle comes out for cleanings). Fan is on the right side on mine.

 

[Hogwildz]

Thanks for that link. I was leery of running the Buck 91 without the blower but I don't know for sure if that would have been a problem. On my Dutchwest, there are removable plates that let the stove convect well if the blower is off. I unscrewed the bolts in the plates a ways to drop the plates down a bit if I didn't want to run the blower, or tightened the plates when running the blower. The blower had its own air inlet.
But on the PE, if there are also holes in the bottom of the convection chamber, independent of the blower's air inlet, wouldn't heated air also blow out the bottom when the blower is running?

The PE fans are set on the side blowing upward in a duct forcing the air through a baffle/diverter plate system on top between the firebox top & the outer upper casing. The fans take air in from the side grille(s). The older Summit and the smaller ones were one fan on the side. The new Summits have a fan on each side. No air is taken from below or forced out below the insert for the blower system.