Upgrading Morso 7110 to Cat Stove

[derell]

I have a Morso 7110 that we installed a few years ago in our 2-story 1900sq house in MA. When we bought the stove, we thought we would just use it occasionally for "ambiance," and as I suspect many people here can relate to, we now find ourselves burning wood constantly. The Morso is a nice stove but the firebox is annoyingly small (about 1.0ft2), it doesn't fit 18" logs at all, and I don't ever really get more than 3-4 hours out of a load at most. I'm thinking I'd like to replace the Morso with a slightly larger stove with a cat that is capable of longer, lower burns so I don't have to reload as frequently and can get overnight burns and more steady heat output. And also use the 18" splits that are often mixed in with the wood I buy. I have another use for the 7110 so the cost to upgrade is not wasted.

The main candidates I'm considering are the Lopi Evergreen, Hearthstone Green Mountain 60, and Jotul F445 Holliday. Maybe also the Regency F2500 or a Blaze King (not sure which one though). I saw a thread somewhere that said the Hearthstone is significantly better at long, low burns than any of the other options, but people also seem to universally love Jotuls. Can anyone who has experience with one or (ideally) more than one of these stoves offer some input? I'm mostly looking for any reason(s) that would tip the scales in favor of one of these stoves over the others. I have decent draft - flue goes up about 4' off the stove, turns 90 degrees to go out the wall, then another 90 to go straight up above the second story (maybe 25' total). The stove is in a corner with a 48"X48" hearth pad with the front corner cut off.

I really appreciate any input.

 

[stoveliker]

Most (all) stoves of 2-2.5 cubic foot should be able to relight in the morning on coals (heat output may be less for 2 cu ft stoves). So you don't need a cat stove for that.

They do allow in principle to burn clean at a lower output.

I can't advise on which of those is best. I do know BK and note that their thermostat is really nice, producing an even heat whether you run low or high.
The "low" is at a heat output rate of about 3.5 plug in electric heaters of 1.5 kW each. A model 30 BK can do that for 30 hrs on one load. Of course that's a low output; just stretching the BTUs of the fuel load over a long time. Or a higher output in a shorter time.

(The latter is the general idea; put a load of BTUs in, and the stove engineering allows for a certain rate of BTU output per hour, thus defining (overnight) burn times.)

 

[begreen]

For a cat stove I'd look at the Blaze Kings. They will run at a lower output. In hybrids, the Lopi Evergreen has a good design. There is also the Woodstock Absolute Steel. The Jotul F445 is new, we have no real world experience reported yet, but it puts out more heat than the BK on low. The new Jotul F602 v3 looks like a champ in that regard. The Jotul F35 is a good non-cat that should be considered along with the Pacific Energy Alderlea T5 (or Super).

 

[Dajolu]

I have a hearthstone green mountain 60. This is my first full season burning in it so maybe my experience is immature. However I am really enjoying the stove so far. Big glass window for viewing the fire, and I think it is a handsome stove as well. I have a similar flue set up as the one you described. Just like you I bought it with the intentions of having it for ambiance but its been heating the house up much better then I expected and I am really enjoying having fires often. It drafts well, with any temps under 55 deg. outside, over that temp and it gets a little sketchy. It also seems to burn wood really efficiently. I haven't loaded it up more then half full yet, but last night with a half load (Oak) in it at 10:00pm the stove was still warm this morning at 6 am. I am still learning the stove and yet to see its full potential but I am impressed so far.

 

[Todd]

You may still be able to buy a Jotul F45 V2 even though it has been discontinued for an upgrade. Some shops still have them in stock. The F55 V2 would work as well. Both of these stoves will do easy overnight burns without a cat. I really like the looks of the Jotul F445 and almost pulled the trigger but would have to modify my hearth so stuck with my F45 for now.

As far as cat stoves I think Blaze King and Woodstock are probably the top contenders on here.

 

[derell]

Most (all) stoves of 2-2.5 cubic foot should be able to relight in the morning on coals (heat output may be less for 2 cu ft stoves). So you don't need a cat stove for that.

They do allow in principle to burn clean at a lower output.

I can't advise on which of those is best. I do know BK and note that their thermostat is really nice, producing an even heat whether you run low or high.
The "low" is at a heat output rate of about 3.5 plug in electric heaters of 1.5 kW each. A model 30 BK can do that for 30 hrs on one load. Of course that's a low output; just stretching the BTUs of the fuel load over a long time. Or a higher output in a shorter time.

(The latter is the general idea; put a load of BTUs in, and the stove engineering allows for a certain rate of BTU output per hour, thus defining (overnight) burn times.)

Thanks for the response. I do think I want the cat to be able to burn clean and low. With the BKs, I'm just not sure which one would be the best fit. The 20.2 models seem too small and the 30.2 models seem too big for my space. I'll look into them a bit more, though.

 

[derell]

For a cat stove I'd look at the Blaze Kings. They will run at a lower output. In hybrids, the Lopi Evergreen has a good design. There is also the Woodstock Absolute Steel. The Jotul F445 is new, we have no real world experience reported yet, but it puts out more heat than the BK on low. The new Jotul F602 v3 looks like a champ in that regard. The Jotul F35 is a good non-cat that should be considered along with the Pacific Energy Alderlea T5 (or Super).

Thanks for your response. I do like the idea of a Hybrid. The aesthetics of the Absolute Steel will be a dealbreaker for my wife, who likes a more traditional look. But I have also read a lot of good things about Woodstock.

 

[stoveliker]

Aesthetically small or big we can't help with...
Other than a suggestion to get some cardboard and cut out the floor shape of the stove and put it where you want it.
With more cardboard you can make a box of approximate size of the stove.

Or use painters tape on the floor.

Good to do for any of the stoves you are considering!

Heat output wise, the two BK models don't differ much in the low output limit. The burn time and/or(!) high output limit di have a reasonable difference.

 

[derell]

I have a hearthstone green mountain 60. This is my first full season burning in it so maybe my experience is immature. However I am really enjoying the stove so far. Big glass window for viewing the fire, and I think it is a handsome stove as well. I have a similar flue set up as the one you described. Just like you I bought it with the intentions of having it for ambiance but its been heating the house up much better then I expected and I am really enjoying having fires often. It drafts well, with any temps under 55 deg. outside, over that temp and it gets a little sketchy. It also seems to burn wood really efficiently. I haven't loaded it up more then half full yet, but last night with a half load (Oak) in it at 10:00pm the stove was still warm this morning at 6 am. I am still learning the stove and yet to see its full potential but I am impressed so far.

Thanks - glad to hear you're enjoying your Green Mountain 60. It's probably at the top of my list at the moment.

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

The aesthetics of the Absolute Steel will be a dealbreaker for my wife, who likes a more traditional look. But I have also read a lot of good things about Woodstock.

Bummer. I was going to recommend a Kuma but they are definitely not traditional looking pretty much just the black steel box. But I'm usually watching the fire anyway