Wood stove purchase help

[Squisher]

I believe any of the 'budget' stoves you've been considering will be fine. I run PE's which are a little more but I'm more than happy with my overnight burns and quite confident that my future expenses on either of my stoves will be minimal to zilch. I burn mostly fir and have no problems loading my stove three or four times a day. I enjoy the nice fireview that is always present. And I'm fine with heating in cycles. I've heated with wood my whole life and most any modern stove is sure to please IMO.

 

[eastcoastcanada]

I stand corrected, it was the quad-burn technology that burns the gases four times. Anyhow, I think it had the lowest emissions of the noncatalytic stoves at that time.

One of the selling points to the quadrafire for me was the low emmisions. The Mellenium 3100 for instance, has 2 cu.ft. firebox, 10-12 hr max burn time, 51100 btu, 1.1 emissions and 78.7% efficiency however, I have stumbled upon the Timberwolf Economizer EPA line of wood stoves that appear to be more efficient for quite a bit less money. The Economizer 2200 is about the same size as the Mellenium 3100 but it has a claimed 65000 btu and an 86% efficiency rating. That's astounding considering the Blaze Kings are in the low 80% efficiency range.
All these emmisions, efficiency and max burn time numbers have me confused. Since the Timberwolf dealer told me it was a Nepoleon stove and yet Nepoleon hasn't achieved these efficiency numbers.
At any rate, $1100 for the 1.9 cu.ft. Economizer 2200 and $1400 for the 3 cu.ft. Economizer 2300, it sounds like a great deal. Both are above 83% efficiency.

 

[begreen]

I believe any of the 'budget' stoves you've been considering will be fine. I run PE's which are a little more but I'm more than happy with my overnight burns and quite confident that my future expenses on either of my stoves will be minimal to zilch. I burn mostly fir and have no problems loading my stove three or four times a day. I enjoy the nice fireview that is always present. And I'm fine with heating in cycles. I've heated with wood my whole life and most any modern stove is sure to please IMO.

While my first recommendation in the medium size would be the Super 27, the True North TN20 is made by PE. It has some similarities with it's cousin the Super 27, like the square firebox and close clearances but with a conventional secondary tube rack and vermiculite baffle.

 

[begreen]

I believe any of the 'budget' stoves you've been considering will be fine. I run PE's which are a little more but I'm more than happy with my overnight burns and quite confident that my future expenses on either of my stoves will be minimal to zilch. I burn mostly fir and have no problems loading my stove three or four times a day. I enjoy the nice fireview that is always present. And I'm fine with heating in cycles. I've heated with wood my whole life and most any modern stove is sure to please IMO.

One of the selling points to the quadrafire for me was the low emmisions. The Mellenium 3100 for instance, has 2 cu.ft. firebox, 10-12 hr max burn time, 51100 btu, 1.1 emissions and 78.7% efficiency however, I have stumbled upon the Timberwolf Economizer EPA line of wood stoves that appear to be more efficient for quite a bit less money. The Economizer 2200 is about the same size as the Mellenium 3100 but it has a claimed 65000 btu and an 86% efficiency rating. That's astounding considering the Blaze Kings are in the low 80% efficiency range.
All these emmisions, efficiency and max burn time numbers have me confused. Since the Timberwolf dealer told me it was a Nepoleon stove and yet Nepoleon hasn't achieved these efficiency numbers.
At any rate, $1100 for the 1.9 cu.ft. Economizer 2200 and $1400 for the 3 cu.ft. Economizer 2300, it sounds like a great deal. Both are above 83% efficiency.

This might be marketing. Here are the EPA listings for the Timberwolf:

Wolf Steel Ltd.
2200 series (Timberwolf 2200, 2201) Emissions 3.6 BTU output 12000-31400 Non Catalytic

Wolf Steel Ltd.
2100 series (Timberwolf) Emissions 3.9 BTU output 11,238-37580 Non Catalytic

 

[eastcoastcanada]

I remember when BrotherBart was the first to show up with a big Englander here. Concerns were expressed about reliability and quality, especially over the long term. Well, that was 10(?) years ago and that stove still heats the place 24/7. Modern Drolets, Englanders are solid products. They may not have all the features that other stoves have but given normal operation they do stand up.

I believe this to be true now after reading these comments. I'm going to go out this week and take a look and some sub $1800 wood stoves. There are several on sale right now but I am going to take the advice of others here and get a larger fire box then I had planned.

 

[begreen]

Sounds like a good plan.

 

[eastcoastcanada]

I believe any of the 'budget' stoves you've been considering will be fine. I run PE's which are a little more but I'm more than happy with my overnight burns and quite confident that my future expenses on either of my stoves will be minimal to zilch. I burn mostly fir and have no problems loading my stove three or four times a day. I enjoy the nice fireview that is always present. And I'm fine with heating in cycles. I've heated with wood my whole life and most any modern stove is sure to please IMO.

I believe any of the 'budget' stoves you've been considering will be fine. I run PE's which are a little more but I'm more than happy with my overnight burns and quite confident that my future expenses on either of my stoves will be minimal to zilch. I burn mostly fir and have no problems loading my stove three or four times a day. I enjoy the nice fireview that is always present. And I'm fine with heating in cycles. I've heated with wood my whole life and most any modern stove is sure to please IMO.

The Pacific Energy stoves came highly recommended but my local dealer had nothing reasonably priced. They were more than the Quadrafire stoves I looked at. You say they were a little more than a budget stove? The dealer here in town must want to get rich on them because I did not see anything that justified the prices.

 

[begreen]

For frame of reference go to www.chimneysweeponline.com to see what PE stoves cost on the west coast. You are about as far east as it gets, so shipping will add up. This is the dealer that shows up for the NL area. For you the big Drolets, Englanders or Napoleon 1900 may end up being a better value.

Emberley's Fireplace, Kitchen & Bath
3 Commonwealth Avenue
Mount Pearl, NL
A1N 2C1
Tel: 709.368.1093

 

[Squisher]

not sure what your dealer was pricing things at, and I think because they are made out here the pricing is probably better. The baffle system is much more robust than most reburn stoves and will last indefinitely and also they use a stainless flame shield above it to protect the stove and lastly they are designed and built as a floating firebox to relieve stresses on the stove as a whole. I think these are a few of the main pluses.

 

[Squisher]

I clean chimneys/stoves so get to see hands on many different stoves. The quality and construction of PE is quite high IMO compared to some of the cheaper stoves. They also have a fantastic airwash system for keeping the glass clean. I generally clean my glass.........not at all. It just stays fairly clean on its own.

 

[begreen]

Many PE stoves also regulate the secondary air rather than leaving it wide open. This helps efficiency. The Super 27 series has a linked secondary air control that helps these stove achieve so very nice burn times. I believe the Enviro Kodiak series also have this feature.

 

[eastcoastcanada]

For frame of reference go to www.chimneysweeponline.com to see what PE stoves cost on the west coast. You are about as far east as it gets, so shipping will add up. This is the dealer that shows up for the NL area. For you the big Drolets, Englanders or Napoleon 1900 may end up being a better value.

Emberley's Fireplace, Kitchen & Bath
3 Commonwealth Avenue
Mount Pearl, NL
A1N 2C1
Tel: 709.368.1093

Yup, that's where I went. I had just assumed PE was really expensivery however, I am aware of the extra labour that goes into making them with the floating fire box, raised door lip, etc.

 

[Squisher]

Dealers won't like it, espescially if they are installing th chimney for you. But if you are really looking for a 'deal' and not in a panic you can shop classifieds too. I bought my summit stove new but snagged my super insert this year out of the classifieds for a steal of a deal. Can be a bit of a gamble if you're unsure what to look for but some people sell off stoves for cheap for whatever reason.

 

[Woody Stover]

How about a Woodstock? With one of their hybrid steel stove you could get the long cat burns on softwoods, at about 2/3 the price of a BK for what appears to be a better-built stove, from what I have read. You can add grated ash-handling, and the cats are about half the price as well. It may be that shipping to your location would still kill ya, though...

 

[eastcoastcanada]

not sure what your dealer was pricing things at, and I think because they are made out here the pricing is probably better. The baffle system is much more robust than most reburn stoves and will last indefinitely and also they use a stainless flame shield above it to protect the stove and lastly they are designed and built as a floating firebox to relieve stresses on the stove as a whole. I think these are a few of the main pluses.

PE has their 'extended burn' technology that starts at their Summit model which is 3 cu.ft. and has a claimed 10 hr burn time. Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't most 3 cu.ft. wood stoves get 10-12 hours anyway? Where is the extend burn? The $1400 Timberwolf 2300 is the same size and claims 12 hour burns at higher efficiencis.

 

[eastcoastcanada]

Dealers won't like it, espescially if they are installing th chimney for you. But if you are really looking for a 'deal' and not in a panic you can shop classifieds too. I bought my summit stove new but snagged my super insert this year out of the classifieds for a steal of a deal. Can be a bit of a gamble if you're unsure what to look for but some people sell off stoves for cheap for whatever reason.

I will be installing my own chimney and stove as my insurance compay does not require a WETT certified instalation. They will send down one of their local inspectors to sign off on the work and I'm extremely competent. However, the prevailant wood stoves around here are Nepoleon, Drolet, Century, etc. The odds of me finding a PE, Quadrafire, Regency, etc. would literally be a million to one. But I'm still looking.

 

[Woody Stover]

PE has their 'extended burn' technology that starts at their Summit model which is 3 cu.ft. and has a claimed 10 hr burn time. Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't most 3 cu.ft. wood stoves get 10-12 hours anyway? Where is the extend burn?

A lot of these claims are marketing but I think the PEs are know to burn a bit longer than some of the other secondary stoves. In your position, I would focus less on claimed specs, more on what you see when you go to look at the stoves in person. How easy is it going to be to clean? How easy will it be to replace parts, if needed? How well-thought-out and well-built does it appear to be?

 

[eastcoastcanada]

How about a Woodstock? With one of their hybrid steel stove you could get the long cat burns on softwoods, at about 2/3 the price of a BK for what appears to be a better-built stove, from what I have read. You can add grated ash-handling, and the cats are about half the price as well. It may be that shipping to your location would still kill ya, though...

I'm checking into this stove now, I've never heard of them.

 

[Squisher]

I wouldn't get hung up on the marketing stuff to much like Woody Stover said.

Honestly if PE's are premium priced because of your local I'd pass on them and look more for what's available locally.

 

[Squisher]

I'd recommend going out and finding a model or two of a available stove with a price point you're happy with and then come back here and ask some opinions and search around the site for info.

 

[bcrtops]

not sure what your dealer was pricing things at, and I think because they are made out here the pricing is probably better. The baffle system is much more robust than most reburn stoves and will last indefinitely and also they use a stainless flame shield above it to protect the stove and lastly they are designed and built as a floating firebox to relieve stresses on the stove as a whole. I think these are a few of the main pluses.

I clean chimneys/stoves so get to see hands on many different stoves. The quality and construction of PE is quite high IMO compared to some of the cheaper stoves. They also have a fantastic airwash system for keeping the glass clean. I generally clean my glass.........not at all. It just stays fairly clean on its own.

Squisher is right on here ^^^^^
However, if I lived on the East Coast & with lack of a good dealer, I'd most likely be looking at the others too! Woodstock is a neat concept stove & company, but they are not cheap. Due to shipping cost, they are a rare item on the West Coast.

 

[eastcoastcanada]

Squisher is right on here ^^^^^
However, if I lived on the East Coast & with lack of a good dealer, I'd most likely be looking at the others too! Woodstock is a neat concept stove & company, but they are not cheap. Due to shipping cost, they are a rare item on the West Coast.

When I go out this week to have a final look around, I'll see if I can get them to lower the price on the models that interest me the most but I met with resistance the last time. I got the feeling that most of the dealers think the stoves sell themselves and price drops are not warranted or visited.
I told one guy how quality was pretty important to me and he talked down about the home centre stoves and the people who buy them despite the fact that I see some of the same models on his floor for hundreds more.

 

[begreen]

SBI makes Century, Drolet, Osburn and Flame. There are some differences on the execution, but there are also a lot of similarities between certain models. Enough that I suspect some models share a common firebox. In spite of the Century line being the least expensive it still represents a good value. If you are looking for a big, well-made heating beast, look at the Drolet HT2000. It has a lot in common with the popular Osburn 2400.

 

[Niko]

dude filling your stove 3-4 times in a 24 hr period wow. I mean anyone can do it but i prefer not too. If you have fuel for free awesome, but if your talking about buying wood then you can clearly see your either gonna spend your money upfront and less to fuel, or less upfront and more money to fuel. i domt wanna bash on anyone that has something different so i mean no disrespect please.

But i had the same exact feeling as you in the beginning. I took my time and did extreme homework. I saved some more and bought with knowldge of knowing that i still coulda bought something lss expensive but i purchased what was more effiencient by far.

Im not sure where your getting your prices for your stoves but you need to tell that dealer go F himself and find someone else. The price you gave before is what people are paying for king ultra and that sells for 3200.


Not all wood burns the same and your moisture levels wont all be the same either. So these over night burns wont all be constant at all. I love not having to load the stove when i wake up before i go to work and even when i can home from work tired. At night while i watch tv ill load her up right before i go to bed. Repeat over and over.

 

[Niko]

I remember when BrotherBart was the first to show up with a big Englander here. Concerns were expressed about reliability and quality, especially over the long term. Well, that was 10(?) years ago and that stove still heats the place 24/7. Modern Drolets, Englanders are solid products. They may not have all the features that other stoves have but given normal operation they do stand up.

Well i meant more for fuel then the unit.