In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

New wood stove advice sought

Discussion in 'Modern EPA Stoves and Fireplaces' started by BZOR, Dec 14, 2017.

  1. BZOR

    BZOR

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    Hi everyone, We're in the process of shopping for a new wood stove for our new manufactured home. Since there is such a wealth of knowledge on this forum, I wanted to seek your advice. Our new home is approximately 2200 sq/ft, but we keep some of the rooms closed off most of the time and are only looking to heat 1800-2000 sq/ft. I’m not interested in a catalytic stove and am interested in ease of cleaning. My wife would prefer a white enamel stove if possible. We’ve been looking mostly at three stoves. I’d love to know your thoughts and experiences with each of the stoves, or any other non-cat stove. Thanks in advance. The stoves we’re looking at are…

    Pacific Energy Newcastle 2.5

    Pacific Energy Alderlea T5

    Quadrafire Explorer II
     
  2. Eric VW

    Eric VW Moderator

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    mike bayerl has the T5.... he’s posted some nice pics of it in full swing :yes:
     
  3. woody5506

    woody5506

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    I also have a T5 and as far as I'm concerned it's pretty mint, BUT....It is my one and only stove I've had. My wife wanted the white but I figured the enamel was just another thing to worry about failing over time so I got the standard black. But I do agree the white looks pretty nice. I just had my doubts it would stay nice forever.
     
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  4. BZOR

    BZOR

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    Woody, I have the same concerns about white stoves, but my wife really wants the white and I'm happy to give it a try.
    May I ask how well it heats your home and how large is your home? I'm concerned the T5 might be a little small for 2000 sq/ft, but maybe I'm just being a little too cautious.
     
  5. woody5506

    woody5506

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    I think what steered me away from it was a video on youtube of one that looked stained up with black soot. The dealer claims they are extremely easy to keep clean and that the white wouldn't have that issue, so who knows, maybe whoever owned the one in that video was just lazy and didn't wipe it down.

    The stove throws good heat. convective/radiant heat due to it's cast iron jacket. I routinely have that stove top cruising at 600 degrees and when it hits 700 is when I'll cut the air off. It's a very easy stove to control. My layout isn't a great example of it's heating capabilities because I'm in a split level, with this stove at the far end of my house in a living room (corner mounted) where the garage is off of. By far the most convenient spot in my house for the stove, but as far as optimal heat distribution, it probably should be more centered in that lower level, but installation would have been a nightmare and it made more sense to put it in a living room. It heats my whole lower level with zero issue, and I have a tower fan at the bottom of those stairs blowing toward the stove room which helps air come upstairs into the kitchen/living room, and slowly into the upper floor bedrooms.

    I bought this house last year and installed the stove within a couple months of being there. I consider it back up to my natural gas furnace, but for example, if I'm running the furnace at 68 the entire month, my heat bill last December (prior to stove being installed) was about $300. Basically I keep the furnace thermostat at 60 and the stove does the rest. If I'm home, the furnace doesn't kick on as long as I have the stove going. I don't think there's any easy way to heat a split level house, but the stove helps tremendously plus I've just always wanted one anyway. Next year I will be investing more into attic insulation.

    I'll post a couple pics of the stove cruising along later on when I get home.
     
  6. mike bayerl

    mike bayerl

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    BZOR,
    We put in a PE T5 Classic three years ago. We were looking for a flat black painted stove, but our local dealer had an antique white enamel on on the showroom floor. It is spectacular looking. FWIW, it's not plain white, it is a little toward an ivory shade it has subtle "crackle" lines. I would HIGHLY recommend an enamel coated stove if you can afford it. Enamel is WAY EASIER TO CLEAN. A quick wipe with a moist +/- soapy towel does it. Flat black stove paint will show scuff marks if you scrub it. Of course, you can always touch up paint with a rattle can, but you can't really fix broken enamel, BUT, it seems to be nearly impossible to scratch or chip our enamel. If an enamel stove is dirty, that's because the owner was lazy.

    As for the stove itself, it is incredibly easy to operate and heats our house perfectly. We have a 1500 square ft. ranch, but we probably only heat 1000-1200 of that, because we close off the spare bedroom and utility room. With your size home, I would think you may do better with a T6 or similar 3 cu. ft. firebox. You will definitely get longer burns with more wood. Our T5 will be just running out of steam after a cold night if we are burning poplar/cherry/soft maple. With oak or black birch, we get a solid 10 hrs of heat.
     
  7. Scotty Overkill

    Scotty Overkill Administrator

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    I can't speak for the stoves you mentioned but I'll tell you the Napoleon 1900P it's quite a heater.....it heats our house amazingly well, and we rarely even fire it hard. It's usually just set above idle once up to temp.

    They make a porcelain white model if memory serves me right.

    I will recommend getting a slightly bigger stove than you think you'll need, because you don't want to fire it hard to heat your house, get something that will "idle" and be thrifty on fuel. Just my .02 cents!

    2017121395223046.jpg
     
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  8. mike bayerl

    mike bayerl

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    Here's what the PE antique white actually looks like. It actually hides dust really well. Then when it come time the glossy smooth surface is very easy to clean.
    20171214_172242.jpg
     
  9. BZOR

    BZOR

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    Thanks for everyone's input. I'm thinking the T5 will be too small for us. We may have to go with the PE Newcastle or Quadrafire Explorer 2 or 3.
     
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  10. TurboDiesel

    TurboDiesel

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    This should be a one time purchase! Get the one you want, the first time!
    And definitely get one that is a little "oversized"...if your stove is too big, you can cut the air way back or build smaller fires. If your stove is undersized, you will struggle to get enough heat. And that sucks!

    Couple things to take into consideration.
    Will your stove be on the main level?
    Is the main level an open floor plan?
    How much insulation is in the walls and ceiling?
    What kind of climate are you in?

    and the most important thing,
    How much wind do you get?
    This is by far the biggest factor at my house.(1960's cape cod... ugh) The wind drives the cold right in!!! And I live in a hollow in a valley. I get less wind than anywhere around me.
     
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  11. mike bayerl

    mike bayerl

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    BZOR. I'm a novice but I do have 3 yrs with my PE T5. From my experience and feedback from my local chimney sweep, PE stoves are super efficient (probably the best of the non-cat. stoves) and basically bullet proof. If you were to go with a PE stove, I would strongly recommend a 3.0 cu. ft. fireboox, i.e. Summit or T6. I would also recommend an enamel finish over black paint if it is in your budget. Honestly, if I were you, I'd go with the Summit Classic. The cast iron on the Alderlea is purely cosmetic and it sure is expensive. Most importantly, take your wife to see stoves in a showroom if possible and let her help decide whatever you choose. "Happy wife = Happy life."
     
  12. mike bayerl

    mike bayerl

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    Here's the T5 cruising tonight on a laod of black birch and cherry. 20171214_221824.jpg
     
  13. Ronaldo

    Ronaldo

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    I have a PE Super 27 stove that has been heating our 2200 sq ft ranch for 13 yrs. Quality and performance has been top notch. Realize this isn't the model you are considering, but am only speaking to my experience with the Pacific Energy brand.

    Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk
     
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  14. BZOR

    BZOR

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    Turbodiesel...you make several great points. Indeed, I want this to be a one time purchase considering the cost and time it takes to shop and install. Our home is a brand new manufactured home. It's fairly well insulated and is an open floor plan. It does, however, have 9 foot ceilings and my climate and wind are fairly mild. Because of these factors I didn't think I needed a very big stove, however, despite what the dealer says, I think the T5 might be a little small for us (2.1 cf fire box).
     
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  15. BZOR

    BZOR

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    Mike, your stove looks great.
    My wife had her heart set on the White stove because it matches our decor, and I was happy with the Newcastle 2.5. Unfortunately we recently learned there aren't any available from the warehouse or factory, and because it's not a popular stove its unlikely they'll make any more. This is why we were considering the white T5. We are now also considering the summit but the T6 doesn't come in white. I agree with your comment "happy wife=happy life"
     
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  16. BZOR

    BZOR

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    Ronaldo, Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the PE Super. I believe that has the same firebox size as the T5 and I'm glad to learn it heats your 2200 sq ft ranch well. Is it your primary heat source or do you use a furnace for additional heat?
     
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  17. TurboDiesel

    TurboDiesel

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    Mike says he's heating 1200sf and running low on btu's on the colder days. I had the same problem with the Fireview.
    Your new house is probably better sealed and insulated than most.:yes:


    The bigger box will give you more btu's, either in the form of more heat or longer burn cycles. win-win.
     
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  18. Mwalsh9152

    Mwalsh9152

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    This. Easier to have a smaller fire in a bigger stove than to try and pull on a stove thats too small trying to make it bigger.
     
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  19. woody5506

    woody5506

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    For me the clearances were tight, and the T5 allows for this with a corner mount and double wall chimney, the corners allowing for 4" of clearance from combustible. Otherwise, I may have considered the T6 but I have a feeling it would have really heated me out of that room.
     
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  20. mike bayerl

    mike bayerl

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    Super 27 is the exact same firebox as T5. I'm not surprised. The S27 has been a workhorse for decades. Every house is different.