Yeah I live on a 700 acre farm , free wood and Buddies get lots of wood. Wow! Jags, that's pretty sad because my wonderwood laughs at my insert
tired and frozen!
- Thread starter bugsy
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Your big obstacle will be the 8" pipe requirement. Do you have room to run an 8" pipe in your current chimney?
The big buck is no joke.
I think, its a big brick chimney , no liner. I know its like 12 or 13 long . I'll have to look I thought it was 9 or 10in wide
Idk why this dealer is so against cat stoves, he says the ones with a burn tube or an old fisher is better. He probably only sells 4 or 5 new stoves a year, mainly cleans chimneys and does mason work
Sounds like an old timer that is set in his ways. Most anybody that is up on the new stoves realize the pluses that come with them and the negatives, if you want to call it that, like requiring DRY wood or possibly requiring a cat change somewhere down the road.
Ultimately YOU will make the decision...But I suspect you came here for a reason.
Ultimately YOU will make the decision...But I suspect you came here for a reason.
Hey - don't get me wrong, I am not trying to sell you a Buck (no vested interest), but from your explanation and your dealer being a Buck dealer, that choice range in my head. You want serious heat? Get a serious heater.
Called another dealer and he said its a good stove but a model 94 will out do it? He said PE summit was also good
9.5' ceilings where I have the Buck. They make it hard to move heat, and the stove is on one end of the house. If it was my house I would cut some transom vents above the doorways to let the warm air move up there, then use a small fan to blow cool floor air back to the stove room...the blower does create a convection loop too, though. But you're still heating more cu.ft. of house with the high ceilings. Depending how good your insulation and air sealing is, the 91 might do pretty well for you if you can put it in a central location. One thing for sure, you will be sleeping all night. Mixed reviews on the 94 and it will eat more wood. Between those 2, I would go 91 for sure. The Summit is a good heater, and there are plenty of happy owners here. I think it would stretch your wood farther than the 94, but I'm just guessing...
The 94 is a non-cat stove with the same firebox size (4.4 cu ft). I would be willing to wager a bet that the 91 is a bit more efficient and controlable on the low end (shoulder season).
That's a stretch; 91 is more like 3 useable, but the 94 may be more without the cat heat shield in the way....
Agreed with the Buck suggestion. If PE, the Summit will easily burn with a partial load. I have a friend that uses one as sole source of heat in our mild climate. On 50F days they just make a 3-4 split hot fire in the morning and let it go out. It's a very flexible burner as far as load size goes. And it takes a 6" liner.
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So what are all the brands available to you from local dealers? If you're going to install it yourself, you could drive farther to pick up the stove and more brands might be available.
I would invest in an insulated chimney liner system. Measure the I.D. of your flue and see how much space you have for a liner, and through damper with the fireplace damper door removed. You should be able to order a complete 316SS insulated liner kit that will install in a few hours. Take into consideration existing fireplace/chimney dimensions and size of stove.
Extend your hearth to accept a stove ( see NFPA suggestions). Won't go into stove selection but get a bit extra capacity for the size of your home.
P.S. If you have 700 acres get something you can put large splits in ( > 24")
Extend your hearth to accept a stove ( see NFPA suggestions). Won't go into stove selection but get a bit extra capacity for the size of your home.
P.S. If you have 700 acres get something you can put large splits in ( > 24")
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I think I saw you quote two different numbers for chimney height, and that's going to be critical for any EPA stove, catalytic or non-cat. How much chimney length will you have, measuring from top of stove to top of stack? As someone burning two big cat stoves on two vastly different chimney heights, I can tell you that getting an EPA stove going on a short chimney is a little slow. Other issues can be back-puffing and coal build up. Both manageable, if you're meeting the minimum requirement, but this might prompt you to go the extra step of using an insulated liner for best possible draw.
I think the Summit will work on a 12ft chimney, but would prefer 15 ft. I know the freestanding stove will, but haven't burned in the insert. For sure insulate the liner and don't ovalize it through the damper area.
Simply quoting MFG. specs. If it turns out to be a real world of only 3 cuft, that would be disappointing and really have no need for an 8" stack.
Off topic but I'd like to know what goes into the mfr's decision on weather a stove design requires 6" or 8". I know that on the Buck, I run the air fairly open for a while burning in the load and getting up to temp, and I just have the feeling that the 8" is handling that heat and dispersing it better. I have the Buck on a 20' stack, manual says 15' minimum.
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Well, you brought up that a 3 cu.ft. stove doesn't need an 8" chimney, and made the mistake of getting me thinking...
bugsy has given us some good info, but more is always better. 
He said he has new windows, but how well is the home insulated? If he can flesh out the floor plan with a rough sketch (L-shaped 2400 sq.ft), and post some pics of potential sitings for the stove, that will help. Or I could just run over there, Ohio is right next door... If the chimney is interior, he may be able to get away without a liner but I'm still not sure if 8" will fit. If it's a straight shot, maybe so. BTW, how tall is the chimney? If his guesstimate of the fireplace size turns out to be close, the Buck 91 should fit. I think those that run it will attest, that 3 cu.ft. can toss big heat. 
And he certainly won't be getting up in the middle of the night to add wood. With some good Oak or the like, he can sleep 12 hrs if he wants, and wake up to a stove that's still heating. 
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