Need help choosing a better stove

[bigbluebus]

Hello,
First post here and new wood stove owner.

I recently bought and installed a Vogelzang Highlander wood stove (price paid $799). While the stove provides plenty of heat for the area I'm trying to heat, I'm not happy with the unit at all. I've had several issues with it
such as a faulty blower switch, broken air control lever, loose door hinges, etc. The manufacturer has already given me the authorization to take the unit back to the store. So now it's time to shop for a replacement, but this
time I will take my time, do a lot more research, and with your help I hope to find a unit that we can be happy with.

The house is about 3,000 sq.ft., but I'm just looking for a unit to supplement the furnace, I'm not looking to heat the house by wood only, since there is probably not a free-standing unit big enough for that. The Highlander is in the family room, 20x24 and with 18ft. ceiling, and open to the kitchen, hallway and dining room. So I think I need a unit that is listed for at least 2,000 sq.ft. The highlander is listed as able to heat up to 1500 sq.ft.
Another issue to consider is the firebox size; I've had to cut down in half, most of the logs in the 1 face cord I've used up in the past 3 weeks.
Vogelzang claims the Highlander is able to achieve a burn time of 6-8 hours, which is BOGUS. I don't see how anyone will be able to achieve that, since the most time I've ever been able to burn on a single load of wood is 2-2.5 hrs in the lowest setting. I know what you're thinking and NO, it's not the wood. I've used various pieces from different suppliers and the burn time has been limited to 2-2.5 hrs the most.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, but please make your suggestions based on experience, and not based on guesses or hunches, just to keep this post relevant and useful for myself and future stove owners alike.

I have seen several larger stoves for sale, such as the Drolet HT2000 (95,000BTU), Sahara(85,000BTU), or the Napoleon Timberwolf (85,000BTU), just to name a few I've looked at online.

The Vogelzang website lists a "Performer" model, but I'd like to stay away from that brand because of the bad experience I've had with the Highlander and from what I've looked at, it seems cheaply made and low quality.

So please let me know what you think.

Thank You in advance,
John

 

[jdinspector]

Hi John,
Welcome to the forum. You really need to see some of these stoves in person. Not sure where you are in Northern IL, but over in Wauconda is a dealer (Grass Roots Energy) who carries a number of different lines. They have many models on display, and some in operation. This would be a good place to start to "touch and feel" some stoves. There is also a good dealer in Woodstock (lifestyle energy). Many units on display there too. I think you should expect to pay a bit more than $800 for the type of stove your're looking at.

 

[NH_Wood]

Welcome to Hearth! Glad you were able to take back the unit - I'm surprised! I am heating a 3000 sqft home with only my stove. It is a Hearthstone Mansfield - I think it's rated for 85,000 BTU's. I can keep the downstairs at ~ 70-72* and upstairs 62-66*, depending on how cold it gets. Even in the single digits I'm at least at 69* or so - not super warm, but we have fairly few of these very low temps in southern NH. If you let us know your basic price range, it will save a lot of folks suggesting Blaze Kings, big Hearthstones, and other pretty expensive stoves, if that is not what you are looking for. Good luck! Cheers!

 

[bigbluebus]

Hi John,
Welcome to the forum. You really need to see some of these stoves in person. Not sure where you are in Northern IL, but over in Wauconda is a dealer (Grass Roots Energy) who carries a number of different lines. They have many models on display, and some in operation. This would be a good place to start to "touch and feel" some stoves. There is also a good dealer in Woodstock (lifestyle energy). Many units on display there too. I think you should expect to pay a bit more than $800 for the type of stove your're looking at.

Hi,
Thanks for the quick response. I am near Naperville, quite far from Wauconda or Woodstock. I've not been able to locate any dealers near me.
Do you know of any dealers close to me?

Thanks.

 

[bigbluebus]

Welcome to Hearth! Glad you were able to take back the unit - I'm surprised! I am heating a 3000 sqft home with only my stove. It is a Hearthstone Mansfield - I think it's rated for 85,000 BTU's. I can keep the downstairs at ~ 70-72* and upstairs 62-66*, depending on how cold it gets. Even in the single digits I'm at least at 69* or so - not super warm, but we have fairly few of these very low temps in southern NH. If you let us know your basic price range, it will save a lot of folks suggesting Blaze Kings, big Hearthstones, and other pretty expensive stoves, if that is not what you are looking for. Good luck! Cheers!

I would pay more if I knew it would handle the size of my home. The units I've mentioned in my first post are selling for around $1300 - $1800. My first choice right now is the Pacific Energy Summit with Extended burn technology, but I'm yet to see one in person. Anyone have any experience with these?

I have a couple of questions for you: how do you get the heat into the adjacent or far-away rooms? The highlander keeps the family room at around 67-68 when it's on high, but then I only get about 2 hrs burn time per load; but the master bedroom which is just next to the family room and down the hall stays below a chilly 60 degrees.
Are you able to keep your stove burning all night without refilling in the middle of the night? As that is my MAIN goal with a new stove and I would definitely pay more money for a better engineered unit. This highlander seems very cheaply made and poorly engineered, it has used up a face cord in less than 3 weeks and we only run it during the day, since I'm not willing to get up every 2 hrs during the night to refill it.

 

[jdinspector]

There's a guy out in St. Charles (West of Randall Road on North Ave.) and a long time ago, I saw one in Frankfort. Also, A Cozy Fireplace in Warrenville is probably the closest. I don't recall if they have anything in operation. Try a google search for "wood stove dealer naperville, il" You'll probably have to do some searching on the internet.

 

[bigbluebus]

Welcome to Hearth! Glad you were able to take back the unit - I'm surprised! I am heating a 3000 sqft home with only my stove. It is a Hearthstone Mansfield - I think it's rated for 85,000 BTU's. I can keep the downstairs at ~ 70-72* and upstairs 62-66*, depending on how cold it gets. Even in the single digits I'm at least at 69* or so - not super warm, but we have fairly few of these very low temps in southern NH. If you let us know your basic price range, it will save a lot of folks suggesting Blaze Kings, big Hearthstones, and other pretty expensive stoves, if that is not what you are looking for. Good luck! Cheers!

I would pay more if I knew it would handle the size of my home. The units I've mentioned in my first post are selling for around $1300 - $1800. My first choice right now is the Pacific Energy Summit with Extended burn technology, but I'm yet to see one in person. Anyone have any experience with these?

I have a couple of questions for you: how do you get the heat into the adjacent or far-away rooms? The highlander keeps the family room at around 67-68 when it's on high, but then I only get about 2 hrs burn time per load; but the master bedroom which is just nest to the family room and down the hall stays below 60.
Are you able to keep your stove burning all night without refilling in the middle of the night? As that is my MAIN goal with a new stove and I would definitely pay more money for a better engineered unit. This highlander seems very cheaply made and poorly engineered, it has used up a face cord in less than 3 weeks and we only run it during the day, since I'm not willing to get up every 2 hrs during the night to refill it.

Any thoughts?

 

[BrotherBart]

Do a search on "Summit". You will find hundreds of posts.

 

[jdinspector]

I only have experience with 2 stoves. My first was a Vermont Castings Resolute Acclaim. It had some nice features, but was expensive to operate because of some parts that needed replacment too often (for me). My current stove, a Woodstock Fireview, works great. Seems bulletproof and gets excellent reviews on this forum. I like it.

In answer to your questions about re-loads and overnight burns... Yes, my stove burns all night. I can fill it with wood in the morning and it starts right up again. I fill it 3-4 times per day (4-5 good sized logs) Depending on your layout, you can certainly make a huge dent in your heating bill. We used to get $500 per month heating bills and now get $125 for December of 2010. My stove won't heat the entire house becuase of the size of the house, layout and lack of insulation (old, masonry house with no wall insulation). Plan to burn at least 3 cords if you burn 24/7 all fall and winter. Start stocking up on wood now!!

There are a lot of great stoves out there. Read the reviews on this site. Lots of good info there. Others will chime in with opinions.

 

[bigbluebus]

Do a search on "Summit". You will find hundreds of posts.

I've read a few posts about the summit and so far most seem very pleased with them.
Any other comments before I actually get one?

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Hello,
First post here and new wood stove owner.

I recently bought and installed a Vogelzang Highlander wood stove (price paid $799). While the stove provides plenty of heat for the area I'm trying to heat, I'm not happy with the unit at all. I've had several issues with it
such as a faulty blower switch, broken air control lever, loose door hinges, etc. The manufacturer has already given me the authorization to take the unit back to the store. So now it's time to shop for a replacement, but this
time I will take my time, do a lot more research, and with your help I hope to find a unit that we can be happy with.

The house is about 3,000 sq.ft., but I'm just looking for a unit to supplement the furnace, I'm not looking to heat the house by wood only, since there is probably not a free-standing unit big enough for that. The Highlander is in the family room, 20x24 and with 18ft. ceiling, and open to the kitchen, hallway and dining room. So I think I need a unit that is listed for at least 2,000 sq.ft. The highlander is listed as able to heat up to 1500 sq.ft.
Another issue to consider is the firebox size; I've had to cut down in half, most of the logs in the 1 face cord I've used up in the past 3 weeks.
Vogelzang claims the Highlander is able to achieve a burn time of 6-8 hours, which is BOGUS. I don't see how anyone will be able to achieve that, since the most time I've ever been able to burn on a single load of wood is 2-2.5 hrs in the lowest setting. I know what you're thinking and NO, it's not the wood. I've used various pieces from different suppliers and the burn time has been limited to 2-2.5 hrs the most.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, but please make your suggestions based on experience, and not based on guesses or hunches, just to keep this post relevant and useful for myself and future stove owners alike.

I have seen several larger stoves for sale, such as the Drolet HT2000 (95,000BTU), Sahara(85,000BTU), or the Napoleon Timberwolf (85,000BTU), just to name a few I've looked at online.

The Vogelzang website lists a "Performer" model, but I'd like to stay away from that brand because of the bad experience I've had with the Highlander and from what I've looked at, it seems cheaply made and low quality.

So please let me know what you think.

Thank You in advance,
John

2 words: Pacific Energy Summit


The End

 

[HeatsTwice]

Do a search on "Summit". You will find hundreds of posts.

I've read a few posts about the summit and so far most seem very pleased with them.
Any other comments before I actually get one?

I've been very happy with my Napoleon 1900. It heats all of my 3200 square foot house. Its got a 3 cubic foot fire box and devours anything I put in it.

 

[jotul8e2]

Just a couple of thoughts...

A quality unit with a 3 or so cu. ft. firebox will heat a reasonably tight, reasonably insulated 3,000 sq. ft. house - even in your climate. If you are interested there are a few threads in the archives on large capacity stoves.

Just because you can does not mean you will want to. There is no magic to a larger stove - larger box, more wood. More heat output, more wood input. You could easily burn five full cords a year or more, depending upon how warm you want the house and the severity of the winter. How much wood costs in your area, how much time you want to spend loading, emptying ashes, etc., how much space you have to store wood (you will want at least two years worth on hand to make sure it seasons properly), and other questions I undoubtedly will think of later, are all ones you will want to analyze.

Getting heat to remote rooms has been discussed at great length - see the archives. A quick summary: The amount of heat you can get to remote rooms is a function of the delta (difference between cold space and warm space temperatures), the size of door openings, the amount of insulation, the height of the doorways and ceilings, and the phases of the moon for all I can tell. Yes, it is hard to do, and no, you probably can't get any help by turning on your central heating fan.

Seriously, there is lots and lots of information here so use the search feature, ask as specific questions as you can, look at several manufacturers, and don't give up until you are satisfied you have your answers.

Good luck.

 

[HeatsTwice]

Just a couple of thoughts...

A quality unit with a 3 or so cu. ft. firebox will heat a reasonably tight, reasonably insulated 3,000 sq. ft. house - even in your climate. If you are interested there are a few threads in the archives on large capacity stoves.

Just because you can does not mean you will want to. There is no magic to a larger stove - larger box, more wood. More heat output, more wood input. You could easily burn five full cords a year or more, depending upon how warm you want the house and the severity of the winter. How much wood costs in your area, how much time you want to spend loading, emptying ashes, etc., how much space you have to store wood (you will want at least two years worth on hand to make sure it seasons properly), and other questions I undoubtedly will think of later, are all ones you will want to analyze.

Getting heat to remote rooms has been discussed at great length - see the archives. A quick summary: The amount of heat you can get to remote rooms is a function of the delta (difference between cold space and warm space temperatures), the size of door openings, the amount of insulation, the height of the doorways and ceilings, and the phases of the moon for all I can tell. Yes, it is hard to do, and no, you probably can't get any help by turning on your central heating fan.

Seriously, there is lots and lots of information here so use the search feature, ask as specific questions as you can, look at several manufacturers, and don't give up until you are satisfied you have your answers.

Good luck.

Wow, you said it all. And the best way possible!

 

[NH_Wood]

Welcome to Hearth! Glad you were able to take back the unit - I'm surprised! I am heating a 3000 sqft home with only my stove. It is a Hearthstone Mansfield - I think it's rated for 85,000 BTU's. I can keep the downstairs at ~ 70-72* and upstairs 62-66*, depending on how cold it gets. Even in the single digits I'm at least at 69* or so - not super warm, but we have fairly few of these very low temps in southern NH. If you let us know your basic price range, it will save a lot of folks suggesting Blaze Kings, big Hearthstones, and other pretty expensive stoves, if that is not what you are looking for. Good luck! Cheers!

I would pay more if I knew it would handle the size of my home. The units I've mentioned in my first post are selling for around $1300 - $1800. My first choice right now is the Pacific Energy Summit with Extended burn technology, but I'm yet to see one in person. Anyone have any experience with these?

I have a couple of questions for you: how do you get the heat into the adjacent or far-away rooms? The highlander keeps the family room at around 67-68 when it's on high, but then I only get about 2 hrs burn time per load; but the master bedroom which is just nest to the family room and down the hall stays below 60.
Are you able to keep your stove burning all night without refilling in the middle of the night? As that is my MAIN goal with a new stove and I would definitely pay more money for a better engineered unit. This highlander seems very cheaply made and poorly engineered, it has used up a face cord in less than 3 weeks and we only run it during the day, since I'm not willing to get up every 2 hrs during the night to refill it.

Any thoughts?

I have two very small (6") table fans set on the floor, both downstairs (stove floor) - one at the end of a far hallway where there are 2 bedroom and a bathroom, and a second at the far end of a livingroom. Both fans are blowing toward the stove. I can take a piece of tissue paper, hold it at the top of the door casing, and see the warm air pushing into the rooms. I would say there is a 2-3 degree difference between stove area (large open concept area) and the far room. I let the cold upstairs air fall down the stairs and the livingroom fan pushes that cold air toward the stove room. The warm air simply rises upstairs. I fill the stove 3 times per day. Once in the morning (~ 7am), once in the afternoon (~ 4pm), and once before bed (~11pm). I never tend the stove during the night. I always have a large bed of good coals to light off splits in the am - I never cold start. Morning temps are usually the coldest of the 24 h cycle. On cold nights, I'll wake up to 66-67*, but by 9am or so, back to ~ 71-72* - stays there until the bedtime load. Typical loads are 8-10 splits, depending on split size.

As others stated - you do not want less than a 3 cuft stove - to heat the space you have, you need to have a large load of wood for lots of BTU's entering the house. Go big and don't look back - you'll be happy. Also, if you will be cold starting a lot, perhaps stay away from soapstone. If you want quick heat, probably not worth waiting to heat up the mass of stone. Steel or cast will start throwing the heat faster (although the lag for stone isn't as bad as you might here). Stone stoves are best for 24 hour burning, making use of the full burn cycle (IMO). But, if you see yourself starting to burn 24/7 (which you might once the bug hits), stone might be worth considering. The stoves release a lot of heat over a longer period than steel and cast, and you have less dramatic swings in house temps. Good luck! Cheers!

 

[laynes69]

With a house that size why not consider a wood furnace. We have an old Victorian that's insulated well but has 3 times the air leakage as a new home. It's 2400 square feet but has 10' ceilings both up and down. This morning it was 6* when I got up and the house was 68 after an 8 hour burn. An hour later it's 72 and it's cruising. We could never use a stove due to our layout and room sizes. Our furnace has a 3.5 cu ft firebox and any smaller I don't think it would work.

 

[madison]

Other considerations: You will have to deal with the existing stovepipe and hearth already installed when considering your next purchase.

And regarding the stove size, with lots of glass in your home -- as is shown in the picture in the original post, get the largest stove possible.

And regarding those nice hardwood floors, the existing hearthpad looks undersized, unless you or sig other likes to see "distressed" wood - those floors will be tested with sparks, wood drops etc.

 

[bigbluebus]

Great responses and sounds like great advise. I'll consider all these things in my next stove purchase.

Like I said before, I like all the positive comments about the PE Summit and I think I'll go ahead and order one tomorrow.

Another question. A poster has mentioned that he loads his Summit with 2 splits and one round (9" or so) for the all night burn. I read several manuals and articles about
only burning split wood, never whole rounds. What are your thoughts (and any other person reading this) on burning whole round logs.

 

[bigbluebus]

Do a search on "Summit". You will find hundreds of posts.

I've read a few posts about the summit and so far most seem very pleased with them.
Any other comments before I actually get one?

I've been very happy with my Napoleon 1900. It heats all of my 3200 square foot house. Its got a 3 cubic foot fire box and devours anything I put in it.

I did look at the Napoleon 1900 as well, but I like the idea of having the protection of the extended burn feature on the PE Summit with the automatic damper control; I find myself adjusting the highlander's air control constantly in order to keep the flue temps within the range of 350 -500 degrees. A couple nights ago, I walked away for about a half hour after loading, when I came back, it got up to 700 in a very short time, and it looked scary HOT. The Summit would have closed the air supply on its own and prevented the overfire.

 

[bigbluebus]

Just a couple of thoughts...

A quality unit with a 3 or so cu. ft. firebox will heat a reasonably tight, reasonably insulated 3,000 sq. ft. house - even in your climate. If you are interested there are a few threads in the archives on large capacity stoves.

Just because you can does not mean you will want to. There is no magic to a larger stove - larger box, more wood. More heat output, more wood input. You could easily burn five full cords a year or more, depending upon how warm you want the house and the severity of the winter. How much wood costs in your area, how much time you want to spend loading, emptying ashes, etc., how much space you have to store wood (you will want at least two years worth on hand to make sure it seasons properly), and other questions I undoubtedly will think of later, are all ones you will want to analyze.

Getting heat to remote rooms has been discussed at great length - see the archives. A quick summary: The amount of heat you can get to remote rooms is a function of the delta (difference between cold space and warm space temperatures), the size of door openings, the amount of insulation, the height of the doorways and ceilings, and the phases of the moon for all I can tell. Yes, it is hard to do, and no, you probably can't get any help by turning on your central heating fan.

Seriously, there is lots and lots of information here so use the search feature, ask as specific questions as you can, look at several manufacturers, and don't give up until you are satisfied you have your answers.

Good luck.

I really appreciate you taking the time to write this. Lots of good advise.

Thank you.

 

[Big Al]

What are your thoughts (and any other person reading this) on burning whole round logs.

I mix round ones in with my splits sometiems. I usually put them in the middle of the load near the top so a slpit beneath heats it up and helps it burn better. They tend to burn longer than splits. A stove full of rounds may be tougher to get going and I imagine few people do it.

 

[begreen]

Lots of good large stoves to choose from. I like the PE Summit or Alderlea T6 (with admitted bias) and the Lopi Liberty in the big stoves. But the Napoleon 1900 or Englander 30NC are good performers at a lower price.

My review of the Alderlea T6 is here:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/17190/

 

[HeatsTwice]

A couple nights ago, I walked away for about a half hour after loading, when I came back, it got up to 700 in a very short time, and it looked scary HOT. The Summit would have closed the air supply on its own and prevented the overfire.

700 degrees is a little higher than normal operating temperature on my Napoleon 1900 (as measured on the top visor). But I burn, at that temp sometimes. I burn many types of wood but have never had an out of control situation. If I did though, I would shut the air intake lever as this dampens things down very quickly.

Also, I never have to adjust the air intake. That is, when I set it for a certain temperature, I leave it there for many days mostly.

 

[begreen]

The Summit would have closed the air supply on its own and prevented the overfire.

The Summit is a nice stove, but it would not close down the air to prevent overfire.

 

[snowtime]

He must have the Summit confused with a Blaze King?