Which new stove would you buy today?

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I'd measure your chimney height. Looking at your exterior pic and the height of your raised hearth, i'd bet you are more like 15' max from the top of the stove to the top of the chimney.

Can you maybe add 3 ft to the chimney if needed?
You are exactly right - when we measured over the weekend....from where the stove would sit, to the top of the chimney is like 15ft. We were going to add 3ft above the chimney like most installations recommend!
 
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I would have chosen a masonry heater at the beginning of the house construction. The Rockies and high ceilings work well with a mass heater. The Rockies because you know you will have many consecutive cold days so you can let the masonry do its thing (unlike the coasts). And I would have placed this masonry heater in the center of the house.
 
I would have chosen a masonry heater at the beginning of the house construction. The Rockies and high ceilings work well with a mass heater. The Rockies because you know you will have many consecutive cold days so you can let the masonry do its thing (unlike the coasts).
House was built in 1977. I moved in 3 years ago and we are the second owners. This house was designed and built before I was even alive :)
 
I'm a jotul burner so would lean towards an f500. But also would make sure there are no air leak issues with a new v3. I'd probably look for a used f500 pre v3 for a decent price, but i am comfortable searching and buying used.

That said i would not rule out something like a blaze king ashford, Pac energy t5 or t6, or other stoves. I just don't have any burning experience with anything other than jotuls and vermont castings.
 
In catalytic, the Blaze King Ashford 30 would be a good choice with a straight up flue system. In non-cat, the PE Alderlea T5 or T6 would be a good option. The BK qualifies for the tax credit. The PE misses it by a percent, though I think they are working on an LE2 version to qualify, but no ETA on that update.
 
In catalytic, the Blaze King Ashford 30 would be a good choice with a straight up flue system. In non-cat, the PE Alderlea T5 or T6 would be a good option. The BK qualifies for the tax credit. The PE misses it by a percent, though I think they are working on an LE2 version to qualify, but no ETA on that update.
Well, sounds like we are most likely going with the PE Alderlea T5 (LE or Classic? Not sure what the difference is).

The local dealer by us was extremely helpful and explained and clarified a lot to us. They are also a Blaze King dealer. With our clearances, altitude we live at, and our application - we ruled out the BK.

We wanted to take advantage of the tax credit so we were kind of bummed, and went back to the Oslo 500 and the Hearthstone Manchester.

I've read so many good things about the PE Alderlea T5 and it being non-cat with a stainless baffle. Easy to use, and near bullet proof from what I gather.

The dealer gave me a call back and is offering a full $2k off the base price on a floor model they have. SOLD! I cannot ask for more.

Sounds like this stove is very forgiving of clearances to the back stone wall to combustibles, vertical vent height off the stove, and total vent height in general. It checks all the boxes.
 
That's a great score at this time of year. The T5 is a good workhorse and an easy breather that loads N/S for full loading. Now just be sure to have fully seasoned firewood for the best performance.
 
That is a very nice outcome!
Congrats!