Osburn 2400, is a worth a hoot?

[Pug]

Looking now at the Osburn 2400. I have a 1550 sq ft downstairs finished and 1550 up stairs well insulated home. It appears to have good reviews and is liked. A couple of questions for you owners.

I notice it has a double wall construction. That appears to be different than most stove builders. Why double wall? One owner said he hated his because he couldn't get heat out of it and blamed the double wall. That is the only review I saw that insinuated that. Others say it is a heating beast. Why the double wall? What is your opinion here?

Secondly one of my requirements is to be able to cook on it like fry an egg or hamburger. A brochure I read said "no to cooking". I read it has some kind of a ceramic layer in it. Is that why it supposedly can't cook? e

One web site said 1.8 gr hr particulate where another said 3.4? Is it a good clean burner?

I am looking at it at $1,850 delivered vs a Jotul F-55 at $2,750. The Jotul is a nicer looking stove being a cast iron jacket but where the stove goes into my basement that admittedly we don't use that much I am thinking less $. It will be a backup stove in case we loose power and need heat and cooking ability.

Your help is really appreciated.
Pug

 

[Statefan86]

I will preface this by saying I am a greenhorn woodburner - just installed a 2400 in November and this is my first experience with a wood stove (helped Dad with a wood furnace as a kid 20 years ago but I don't count that as experience). Some answers below...spoiler alert we LOVE the Osburn 2400!

Looking now at the Osburn 2400. I have a 1550 sq ft downstairs finished and 1550 up stairs well insulated home. It appears to have good reviews and is liked. A couple of questions for you owners.

We heat a 2300 sq. ft. home with ours. Well insulated, but the windows are awful. Wood windows, built in 94. They let air in something awful. Anyway, it has no problem keeping the house in the low 70s (upper 60s if it's REALLY cold in the teens). This is burning only when we get home from work (6:00), and overnight. On the weekends, burning 24 hrs a day, mid/upper 70s is no problem.

I notice it has a double wall construction. That appears to be different than most stove builders. Why double wall? One owner said he hated his because he couldn't get heat out of it and blamed the double wall. That is the only review I saw that insinuated that. Others say it is a heating beast. Why the double wall? What is your opinion here?

I'm assuming you are referring to the insert model (that's what ours is). The double wall, you have the thick metal firebox, then an air jacket around that with channels in it for the blower, then finally the outer, thinner wall sealing the air jacket. Not sure about the freestanding model. At any rate, we have no issues whatsoever getting the heat out of the thing. It is an absolute MONSTER. Our fireplace is on an exterior wall at the end of the house. Fully insulated liner, insulated and fully sealed blockoff plate. No issues, and we are completely satisfied with the heat output.

Secondly one of my requirements is to be able to cook on it like fry an egg or hamburger. A brochure I read said "no to cooking". I read it has some kind of a ceramic layer in it. Is that why it supposedly can't cook?

The 2400 has a large cooktop. Not sure what ceramic layer you are referring to (maybe the C-cast baffles?), but the cooktop itself is just painted steel. Obviously you will want to use a cast iron pan or some such and not cook directly ON the stove (I'm assuming that's not what you meant). Note that, depending on if you are talking about an insert, you may not have access to much of this cooktop by the time you put the surround on it. Ours doesn't have a surround on it cause it won't fit. The freestanding model I would imagine there's enough surface area to cook a whole meal!

One web site said 1.8 gr hr particulate where another said 3.4? Is it a good clean burner?

Clean as a whistle if you burn properly. Like I said, I'm a novice burner. Went up on the roof to check out the creosote situation after 6 weeks of "learning", and found only a very, very fine deposit of the powdery type. Very happy about that. Now that I've got it downpat...starting a cold stove using the top-down method, in 5 minutes I have no smoke from the chimney, and at 10 minutes the secondaries are roaring. Aside from the ashes in the bottom, the firebox looks brand new it burns so clean. The glass requires only a light wipedown every other day to remove a very, very slight haze that no one notices but me. It stays crystal clear.

I am looking at it at $1,850 delivered vs a Jotul F-55 at $2,750. The Jotul is a nicer looking stove being a cast iron jacket but where the stove goes into my basement that admittedly we don't use that much I am thinking less $. It will be a backup stove in case we loose power and need heat and cooking ability.

That is a GREAT price. I paid significantly more 3 months or so ago.

Your help is really appreciated.
Pug

I'm happy to answer any other questions as best I can. We love love love our Osburn. It's well-made, and a heating beast. I'm getting 8 hour burns easily, and expect that to get better as I learn more how to run it.

 

[NW Pa Burner]

Another thumbs up for the Osburn 2400, I have mine in a 500 SF great room with cathedral ceilings and a wall of windows. The house is 2400 SF and relatively open and it will heat it all without the heat kicking on. The only issue is getting heat to the back bedroom and bathroom but that is not the stoves fault, otherwise with house open everything is warm.

The double wall just creates an air jacket and with blower installed does a great job of moving heat into the room.

As far as cooking on it my stove top gets up to 600 degrees or so which is hot enough to cook. But as Statefan said, with an insert only a couple inches are exposed. Looking at it though I doubt stove top cooking was part of the design of the stove.

The stove will burn as clean as the fuel you feed it. I have observed very little if any smoke from the chimney.

If you are looking for a backup stove in your basement and it is free standing, not insert, you will get the heat from it. I never ran mine without the fan on though.