I am looking for the best new wood stove for my needs. Your advice is much apperciated. Replacing a Jotul Alpha that has 20 years of constant winter use, the upper baffle/damper has cracked completely away, it was made of a cement or ceramic material. The stove is in a semi finished basement of about 1,400 sq ft, and I also want it to heat the rooms above that are also 1,400 sq ft. Both basement and rooms above are well insulated, the upper space has a lot of windows. The Jotul did not have enough heat on cold days, especially the rooms above. I have a large and available supply of well seasoned hardwoods, mostly white oak, red oak, and hickory. Only limitation for stove is a 6" thimble in a concrete wall. I know I need a large stove to heat the spaces, and a long burn time is also very important. I am strongly leaning toward a Regency F3500. Do any of you have any other suggestions to consider for this application. Thanks for any input.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjFq4KmmbDQAhWJ2yYKHV2qC2QQFggdMAA&url=http://www.homedepot.com/p/Englander-2-400-sq-ft-Wood-Burning-Stove-30-NCH/100291302&usg=AFQjCNFSy6DB4zkcVsC_JHkPG7KrxwJe8Q This (Englander NC30) is a highly revered model...
intheBigWoods I was going to ask your price range.. as this seems to be a common question this is my common response.. inexpensive NC-30.. usually less than 1000 probably best bang for buck... moderate Woodstock Soapstone.. 2000 ish... I personally have an Ideal Steel and love it! the factory direct ships to and customer service is phenomenal! expensive Blaze king but the king requires an 8inch flue... princess may not.. I did consider the regency 5500? with 5 cubic foot firebox,, but the IS was cheaper and won green heat award.. also led me to FHC... I can easily get 16 hour burn times here in shoulder season.. my house is at least 2200 square feet and over half has 16 foot ceilings,. I consider my shoulder season 10 to 20 at night and 30 plus in day..
Craigslist. Find an older non-epa stove that you can shut down the air on for extended burn times. Likely built better as well IMO.
I'd look at stoves in the 3cf range. Just depends on how the look you want and how much you want to spend. The Woodstock & Blaze King will give you the longest burn times. Here's a list off the top of my mind with 6" flue, there are others I'm sure. Englander: nc30 & Madison Drolet: Jøtul: f600 Hearthstone: Manchester & Mansfield Quadrfire: Buck: Harmen: tl300 P.E.: summit & alderlea t-6 Lopi: liberty Regency: f3500 Woodstock: progress hybrid & ideal steel Blaze King: princess, ashford 30, chinook 30, & sirocco 30
It's a very long term investment , so price is not as important as getting the right stove. thanks for the ideas.
then it comes down to what you want it to look like... or your wants it too look like... go to Woodstock website for ideas www.woodstove.Com the color combinations are just fun too look at. what do you need for burn times?
Great attitude IMO that will serve you better than buying by price or worse yet, by price alone. If you are looking for the longest burn times, you will probably want to get the biggest catalytic stove you can: I believe a Blaze King King is 4.4 cu. ft., and can use a 6" flue. Regency makes a very nice stove just as large, the 5100, but they claim it requires an 8" flue- while I am sure the stove will actually work on a 6" flue, you will probably void the 'lifetime' warranty as well as possibly (probably) violating code, which could cause you difficulties should you even have to file an insurance claim. All the other stoves that I am aware of are either in the 3.X cu. ft. firebox realm or have oddly shaped fireboxes that would almost certainly not hold more than 3.X of actual firewood splits. But if you are willing to drop down into the mid- 3.X firebox size, things really open up regarding manufacturer, stove type, style and so forth. My suggestion would be to read a bit about several different stoves, ignore the hype and the fanbois (me included of course) and look for the stoves people seem to have the fewest problems with and the least part failures. A couple of brands will jump out pretty quickly as complicated and somewhat delicate regarding inner parts, in my experience, and you will be left with quite a few to choose from. Also, you should absolutely try to understand what is involved in using / maintaining a cat.- type vs. non- cat. stove and make the decision which way you want to go before looking at any specific models. That way you will not be finding any stove attractive that you really do not want in the first place and wasting time. Sort of like when a person likes big dogs or small dogs- best to know which is the 'right' one before going to the pound / kennel and meeting puppies 'cause you just may come home with something that will never be big or small enough (Easy Boys!). Brian
I like your thinking. Keep in mind if you consider the Woodstock Ideal Steel or Progress, you have a unique 6 month money back guarantee on one of their stoves. Rarely do they ever take one back but I do remember it was a bit of peace of mind with us when we bought our Woodstock Fireview. As Canadian border VT stated, their customer service is probably the best of all stoves on the market. It is sad that the factory is so far from you else you could take some time and do right to the factory and see how these things are built and also meet some great people and this includes the people who actually make the stoves and the office folks also. It would be a fun trip for sure.
The exit for the flue is 8" but it can be reduced and used with a 6" flue and chimney, according to Blaze King. The manual for the Regency 5100 specifically states that the stove requires a full 8" diameter flue / chimney all the way to the exit and the stove cannot be used with a small chimney. So both start out mechanically taking an 8" stove pipe but only the Blaze King can be reduced and [legally, correctly and w/in code] used with a 6" chimney. I specifically looked at both stoves in great detail as they were 2 of the 3 contenders when I purchased my first new wood stove in '14. I actually looked at both stoves 'in the flesh' locally, including a Blaze King King that was on sale for a very attractive and competitive price (no where near retail), and also found a Regency 5100, new, for an acceptable price. So the cost of the stove was not a consideration when I made the final decision on which stove to purchase, which was great because cost usually IS a substantial consideration for all major purchases. Other things drove the final decision such as stove efficiency, ease of maintenance (daily / weekly maintenance, not yearly or seasonal), user friendliness, the cost of replacement combustors and the ease with which they can be cleaned / changed and a few other things. So while I did not choose either the Blaze King or the Regency, I did and still do think they are very nice stoves, Brian
The last I heard from BKVP on that other site that would be incorrect. Will it work? Probably. But they won't stand behind the product & I severely doubt that an insurance company would deem it as up to code.
A lot of Woodstock fans here for good reason. Personally I would narrow it to a Woodstock (progress or IS), Blaze King, or NC30 and pick the one that suits your needs best.
That may be but I got my information from Blaze King directly, and it was correct as of two years ago. This of course may have changed but again, to my knowledge, and I did due diligence at the time, a Blaze King King <could> be used on a 6" chimney. Of course I would suggest anyone considering buying any stove do his / her own research and use the instructions given directly by the manufacturer. Brian
Woodstock hybrid models. What more would you want from a stove? Amazing appliance. Don't like it within 6 months? Return it.
This doesn't sound out of the realm of 6" stoves in a well insulated home in NC. I'm pretty sure many people have heated that big of home with one in more northern climate too. How high is the thimble? If its somewhat low that will eliminate Blaze Kings as they need 2' minimum rise above the stove and I think 3' recommended before the first elbow to thimble. But if your thimble is high enough I'd consider them if you have a dealer close enough (you have to go through local dealer for just about everything for BKs). On the east coast they are pricey but I think BK and Woodstock are the best stoves on the market IMHO. If you can pony up the extra bucks and like the cast iron look than take a look at the BK Ashford, and its available porcelain coated. Or for a more plain black steel box look the Princess is great and saves a few bucks. Woodstock would be a close second, and definitely a first if you need a lower vent height. They have hybrid stoves which utilize both catalytic combustors for very efficient low to medium burns, and secondary air tubes for medium to high burns. The Progress Hybrid is a very beautiful cast iron and soap stone stove, while you'll save a few bucks and get a more uniquely customizable steel stove with the big Ideal Steel stove. They are a great company in NH with excellent customer service. Plenty more good stoves out there too but I consider BK and Woodstock to be the upper tier since you were looking for 'best new stoves'. Good luck deciding! Ask any questions you want, sometimes it's hard to pick out the perfect stove
