A little background: We have been heating our existing home for years now with an old Heritage insert and absolutely love the thing and the constant bone penetrating heat that only fire can provide however we are moving and need to get a new stove. I will be building our new home and it will be tight and well insulated...not zero net levels but above code and using proper insulating techniques which is half the battle. We will be in Eastern Colorado and the temp is all over the place from golfing weather one day to 50-60 degrees colder the next. We have a saying here that if you don't like the weather, just wait ten minutes. Moving on the house will be around 1400-1600 square feet with a really open plan for dining, kitchen, living area and a fair amount of windows along the South side for a sun tempered/slightly passive solar design with concrete floors as thermal mass to absorb energy and release it gradually. Sometimes it will be used 24-7 and others just to spike and hold the temps but our furnace will be the backup as it is in our current home.
Concern one. I want quality, ease of use, low maintenance, and don't mind if it is good looking obviously however I take function over form and appearance. What should be the short list of brands.
Concern two. Should we stick with the simple steel design of our heritage or go with a hybrid design like some of the PE or Jotul models. My wife is concerned about not being able to get quick heat like we can with our steel stove (not always needed but nice to have when needed) and I don't know if the hybrid design gives you quicker heat then straight iron or just gives you the benefit of having less maintenance and an airtight box.
Concern three. If we choose to go with a cast iron exterior then is it higher maintenance for finish and what if our pot of water for our super dry state boils over etc. Our heritage has been a simple beast.
Concern four. Both dealers we went to really pushed the Lopi which instead of giving us confidence makes us leery of their quality....is that a good brand or sketchy?
Last but not least size, size, size. Is it better to go with something in the up to 2000 square foot range rating for longer burn times etc and have the capacity for colder times or is it better to work a smaller unit harder and hotter/more efficient. We have had plenty of nights with the heritage where we have gone down to bare bones on clothing but our couch is right next to it...it has not bothered us much but is not loved either. As an example if we go Jotul we like both the F45 and F55 but cannot decide which size wise would be a better fit.
Thanks for any help. Travis
Concern one. I want quality, ease of use, low maintenance, and don't mind if it is good looking obviously however I take function over form and appearance. What should be the short list of brands.
Concern two. Should we stick with the simple steel design of our heritage or go with a hybrid design like some of the PE or Jotul models. My wife is concerned about not being able to get quick heat like we can with our steel stove (not always needed but nice to have when needed) and I don't know if the hybrid design gives you quicker heat then straight iron or just gives you the benefit of having less maintenance and an airtight box.
Concern three. If we choose to go with a cast iron exterior then is it higher maintenance for finish and what if our pot of water for our super dry state boils over etc. Our heritage has been a simple beast.
Concern four. Both dealers we went to really pushed the Lopi which instead of giving us confidence makes us leery of their quality....is that a good brand or sketchy?
Last but not least size, size, size. Is it better to go with something in the up to 2000 square foot range rating for longer burn times etc and have the capacity for colder times or is it better to work a smaller unit harder and hotter/more efficient. We have had plenty of nights with the heritage where we have gone down to bare bones on clothing but our couch is right next to it...it has not bothered us much but is not loved either. As an example if we go Jotul we like both the F45 and F55 but cannot decide which size wise would be a better fit.
Thanks for any help. Travis