# What is the very best wood stove. Price no consideration



## dennish (Jan 11, 2012)

If price is not a factor, what is the best, the most efficient, effective, clean burning stove available in the USA


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## Peacock (Jan 11, 2012)

I'd expect the RSF Opel to be up there.


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## Billy_Bob (Jan 11, 2012)

In general a LARGE woodstove is better than a small woodstove.

And a large being say 4 times the space inside to place wood to burn than a small woodstove.

You can place larger and longer pieces of wood in a large woodstove. So you have more options when cutting wood. Don't have to cut everything a short size so it will fit!

Also more height inside. You can have several inches of ashes, the wood for a burning fire, and have room to add more wood on top of that!


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## CTYank (Jan 11, 2012)

Everyone's got their own "value vector" of their valued properties. So there can't be one "best."

For me, based on practical aspects of woodburning and woodstove-as-art, some Danish Rais stoves would be up top. Definitely not the thing for the OWB crowd, or knuckle-draggers. :msp_wink:


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## howellhandmade (Jan 11, 2012)

Billy_Bob said:


> In general a LARGE woodstove is better than a small woodstove.
> 
> And a large being say 4 times the space inside to place wood to burn than a small woodstove.
> 
> ...



I'd say that's true if you're heating a large space, but a stove that is too big will cook you out of the house unless you have it damped down, making more creosote. Too small and it'll burn hot all the time and be cleaner but it won't keep up with the cold weather, it will fill with coals, and won't burn long enough to keep temps up overnight. There's a perfect size stove for the space -- not too big, not too small.


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## 00 steve (Jan 11, 2012)

If you are looking for a good brand, I really like the Quadrafire I have. The size is going to depend on what size space you put it in. This stove burns so clean I never see smoke coming out of the chimney. I went to clean the chimney after 2 years and found it didn't need it. Cleanest burning stove I have used.


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## Fifelaker (Jan 11, 2012)

The one with well seasoned dry wood in it. I'm not being a smart azz but I know people with high dollar stoves that use more wood with more smoke producing less heat than people with cheaper stoves.


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## Steve NW WI (Jan 11, 2012)

Money's no object?

Build a Russian Fireplace, then design your house around it. Efficient as all get out with literally tons of thermal mass to give off constant, even heat from short hot fires.


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## Ironworker (Jan 11, 2012)

Stoves go from $500 to well over $2000, so if money being of no consideration I would go for the most expensive one, that's what I did and have no regrets and no problem heating my 3200sq. ft. home quite efficiently with long burn times, remember you get what you pay for.


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## Misfit138 (Jan 11, 2012)

In my experience, the Country Stove line from Lennox is very high quality. I would include a link, but I am a bit unsure of the ad policy.
They are very pricey, but the quality is all there. The guy around here sells Napoleon stoves (which a lot of locals seem to swear by) and the Country stove Line, but claims he's lucky if he sells one Country stove a year due to the high price tags. 
I own one, and I am very happy with it and can strongly recommend it as "overbuilt". It includes a lifetime guarantee on the firebrick, door and door latch.


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## jimbo64 (Jan 11, 2012)

dennish said:


> If price is not a factor, what is the best, the most efficient, effective, clean burning stove available in the USA



of the three that we have had, we liked the quadrafire best- really clean burn, hardly any build up and heated a 2200 sf house- this was the biggest unit quadrafire made and it had a blower on it-was piped to use outside combustion air---great setup but we sold house in Pennsylvania and moved to south.


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## PA Plumber (Jan 11, 2012)

greyfox said:


> Stoves go from $500 to well over $2000, so if money being of no consideration I would go for the most expensive one, that's what I did and have no regrets and no problem heating my 3200sq. ft. home quite efficiently with long burn times, remember you get what you pay for.



What brand/model?


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## FlyLow (Jan 11, 2012)

This thread could be very cut and dry. Make a spread sheet with efficiency numbers, emissions (g per hour,) btu output for sizing, weight for an idea of how much steel is there, and any other specs you feel are necessary to call one best. I found the bigger they are the less efficient they are.


I have a Quadrafire Millennium 3100 rated at 1.1g/hr emissions, 90.2% efficient and output of 51,000btu with a weight of 325lbs. I love it.


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## Turkeyslayer (Jan 11, 2012)

A friend of mine just bought a Cunningham heater by Suppertime stoves. He looked at the Blaze King as well as the Pacific Energy Summit. The Cunningham has an automatic damper as well as a very large firebox and btu output. He is took out a Regency stove that didnt hold enough wood for the long periods of time he is at work (13+ hours a day plowing snow). The Cunningham is also less than half the price of either the Blaze King or the Pacific Energy.
Cunningham Wood Burning Heater


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## trailmaker (Jan 11, 2012)

Steve NW WI said:


> Money's no object?
> 
> Build a Russian Fireplace, then design your house around it. Efficient as all get out with literally tons of thermal mass to give off constant, even heat from short hot fires.




If the OP is willing to consider devices other than traditional "stoves" I would agree with the Russian Fireplace idea. They are also referred to as "Masonry Heaters". GARN boilers are also pretty well thought of.


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## bsearcey (Jan 11, 2012)

I recently saw a Woodstock Fireview stove for sale on craigslist for $750. Beautiful stove (soapstone), so I looked it up. Apparently it is rated as one of the best overall stoves. Wish I had an extra $750 laying around.


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## dparkguy (Jan 15, 2012)

I had a vermont casting Intrepid II when our house was 1000 square feet. We put an addition on and our house is now 1800 square feet. Did a lot of searching and bought a Morso 3610 to replace the vermont casting. It heats our house with no problem. Has an end load door and handles 22" firewood with no problem.


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## Wazzu (Jan 15, 2012)

BLAZE KING would be my preference.


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## cheeves (Jan 15, 2012)

Tempwood!!! Been heating my butt since 1977. One I have now paid $50 ten yrs ago. Downdrafter is old but IMHO the very best way to burn wood. Ben Franklin worked on the downdrafter principle but never quite got it. Came close though.


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## logbutcher (Jan 15, 2012)

Sticking to the OP's "best" wood stove and not whole house furnaces or OWBs, the specs on each heater are only a beginning.
Every stove is like a romance: it takes time to get into the routine of getting the beast to perform on both sides. 

We chose NOT to build in a Masonry/Russian Fireplace for a few reasons. Cost of the structure. Experience with varying the heat output in shoulder times. And, the infrastructure cost and space needed. Users also were not all that happy with the overall experience for heating.

We've gone from a coal tent stove from mil use to an Ashley creosote machine, Franklin Fireplace stove, Lange, an old Morso 2BO that "recirculated" the smoke, Tempwood top load which is still used in a workshop, VC Vigilant, to now on our 3rd VC Encore cat with a Jotul Oslo doing the job in a second wing.

I've tried out one of the $$$ cute Rais soapstone stoves that were pretty, but only that; fine if you need only to entertain and love to cut 12" sticks.

There's no best. You have to do some study, play with the stoves at the dealers, talk to owners who use the stove hard. Important is how the appliance looks to you and your boss: if you like the square look of the say BK stoves and not classic cast, fine. You and yours will be spending a lot of facetime in front of the stove. 

QC. Does the product have good quality, good backup and parts and advice ? Example: I'd stay away from ANY Vermont Castings' stoves now. Jotul, Pacific Energy, Blaze King, Woodstock, Morso all have good reps for making a good stove and backing them. 

Forget all about the cost of the stove: you'll more than get your payback faster than any other product.


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## SS396driver (Jan 15, 2012)

Well my 30 yr old Vigilant is roaring right now. Its 16° outside and 74° in the house . I don't care how much you pay for a stove if it heats and 30 years later you can still get parts for it its the best stove. I just bought 4 new grates and a door handle for my stove in the fall . Mine burns ---- dare I say coal too---:msp_sneaky: and there is 400 lbs for when it gets really cold out and I need a 10 hour burn


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## Rebelion Diesel (Jan 15, 2012)

I have a Jotul 600 CB Firelight thats their biggest stove, Jotuls are considered by alot of folks to be the premier stove, but I can tell you it does not compare to the Pacific Energy Summit I have. Alot of factors affect the performance of stoves especially the wood you use and the Chimney. Goto ********** forum for an unlimtited supply of oppinions and good tech data, just like here!!


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## mesupra (Jan 15, 2012)

I have recently installed a Quadrafire Cumberland Gap after it came highly recommended from a close friend. Its a nice looking, "decorative" stove that is a pleasure to use, great heat output, easily heats an adequately insulated 2000 sq.ft home. Good burn times of around 8-10hrs with good out put and plenty left to restart without paper. As mentioned above it is a very clean burning stove as well. I bought it used (1 season) for $1500, not cheap but I would do it again!! Its 5 degrees here in Monmouth ME right now and the stove has kept the house at 70-73 all day with no problem.


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## 1project2many (Jan 15, 2012)

Actually, I think one poster hit the target right on the bullseye:



> we sold house in Pennsylvania and moved to south.



Hard to beat the sun's 1292000000000000000000000000 btu output with a little woodburner.


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## SS396driver (Jan 15, 2012)

1project2many said:


> Actually, I think one poster hit the target right on the bullseye:
> 
> 
> 
> Hard to beat the sun's 1292000000000000000000000000 btu output with a little woodburner.




But now he wants to know the best A/C unit as his house is 120° in july....


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## arborealbuffoon (Jan 16, 2012)

I vote for the stove that someone else bought, expertly installed (humped it into the hut), and mysteriously left a couple cords of bone dry oak and hickory nearby.

Secondly, I would vote for the one keeping my dumb azz warm right now.

But seriously, folks....I would have to admit that a GARN unit would be too cool, if only I had the shack big enough to justify it. And, of course, I would still need that stove inside as well so I could watch me a little "cave man TV".....


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## firewood guy (Jan 16, 2012)

Not sure if you want a free-stander or a built-in, but I'm a definate Vermont Castings fan. Have a reliant in the cabin (free standing) and their Sequoia III EPA-rated catalytic in my primary house. Cooks me out in over 2500 sq ft, but very spendy. Absolutely beautiful though, and built to last a lifetime.


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## benp (Jan 16, 2012)

Steve NW WI said:


> Money's no object?
> 
> Build a Russian Fireplace, then design your house around it. Efficient as all get out with literally tons of thermal mass to give off constant, even heat from short hot fires.



I just googled that. Excellent excellent concept.


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## Como (Jan 16, 2012)

FlyLow said:


> This thread could be very cut and dry. Make a spread sheet with efficiency numbers, emissions (g per hour,) btu output for sizing, weight for an idea of how much steel is there, and any other specs you feel are necessary to call one best. I found the bigger they are the less efficient they are.
> 
> 
> I have a Quadrafire Millennium 3100 rated at 1.1g/hr emissions, 90.2% efficient and output of 51,000btu with a weight of 325lbs. I love it.



No Stove could be this high, even the very best Boilers with Lambada controls just about reach this.

My expectation is that in reality the best you could expect is 60%.

Using ideal situations no doubt you could nudge it higher.


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## CrappieKeith (Jan 16, 2012)

logbutcher said:


> Sticking to the OP's "best" wood stove and not whole house furnaces or OWBs, the specs on each heater are only a beginning.
> Every stove is like a romance: it takes time to get into the routine of getting the beast to perform on both sides.
> 
> We chose NOT to build in a Masonry/Russian Fireplace for a few reasons. Cost of the structure. Experience with varying the heat output in shoulder times. And, the infrastructure cost and space needed. Users also were not all that happy with the overall experience for heating.
> ...



I tried to rep ya for this but is says I must spread more bs first....LOL
Good reply.....


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## psuiewalsh (Jan 16, 2012)

We have 4 hitzer 983 inserts in the family. Mine heats 2700 sqft. Weighs 600lbs though. I prefer the cast iron grates to a solid bottom as I can remove the ashes without messing with the fire.


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## Dieselbreath (Jan 16, 2012)

Wazzu said:


> BLAZE KING would be my preference.



+1. expensive but very long burns


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## lampmfg (Jan 16, 2012)

Forget a stove and get a furnace... :msp_biggrin:

Kuuma Vapor Fire "Smokeless Burn" 

.45 Gr/Hr. Emission
99.4% Combustion Efficiency
99% Smokeless Burns
>80% Overall Efficiency


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## Como (Jan 16, 2012)

That is interesting, I have not seen a gassifying furnaces.

Just wondered how long a burn, presumably it has no storage.


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## logbutcher (Jan 16, 2012)

lampmfg said:


> Forget a stove and get a furnace... :msp_biggrin:
> 
> Kuuma Vapor Fire "Smokeless Burn"
> 
> ...



Shameless capitalist !! 

We thought seriously about ALL wood options including gasifier wood furnaces when building. We chose the simple, cost effective, space heating, off-grid stand alone wood stoves.

Furnaces are more efficient (though "99.4 % combustion efficiency" and "99% smokeless burns" are a long stretch in reality for any heater except electric or gas ), yet most need some source of power to pump water or air. A system of distribution through the home is needed; expense and space. Any wood burner will "smoke" on loading; most wood stoves will clean burn after coaling.

Sure a furnace is more efficient in combustion and manpower for feeding. In 1999 we spent a long time researching and asking about Masonry Heaters and furnaces such as Tarm. Butt, our wood stoves are basic radiant space heaters used where we spend the time. They have to be loaded more often, need more fussy operation and maintaining than furnaces. They are more romantic than running down to the cellar to fill the furnace ! I like romance :msp_wub:.

It's all a matter of choice.


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## lampmfg (Jan 16, 2012)

Como said:


> That is interesting, I have not seen a gassifying furnaces.
> 
> Just wondered how long a burn, presumably it has no storage.



Not only is it's design unique but VaporFire 100 gives you a clean, safe, and automatic front to back burn that delivers very even heat for 10-12 hours per load followed by many hours of coals. Even heat output results from the front to back burn principle in our VaporFires. It heats approximately 3500 square feet.

Sorry no storage only indoor and forced air, but we do offer an optional H2O that works great for heating domestic hot water.

Definitely a capitalist...  We did some very strict testing with Intertek which produced the best results we have seen for any forced air wood furnace on the market. A PDF of the results is available on our website. Combustion efficiency 97%, 98%, and 99% on our tests...


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## Como (Jan 16, 2012)

100,000 btus an hour?

I only have softwood so I guess that would be a 6 hour burn.


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## lampmfg (Jan 16, 2012)

Como said:


> 100,000 btus an hour?
> 
> I only have softwood so I guess that would be a 6 hour burn.



What I need to know about BTU ratings?
A lot of people are mixed up on the BTU's required to heat a home because oil and gas furnaces do no run steady hour after hour. If they did you'd spend $20,000/yr. to heat a home. As it is some people are spending over $4000/yr. to heat their homes. They cycle on and off. Your BTU needs are delivered intermittently. If your home is poorly insulated, or if for some reason you let it cool down, your oil and gas furnace would then run steady. Generally, a furnace rated at 100,000 BTU/hr. runs from 1/4 to 1/3 of an hour on the coldest of MN. days delivering about 30 to 40,000 BTU's/hr. to maintain a comfortable heat level for your home, i.e. 70 degrees F. Most people feel cool in their homes in between the on and off cycles of the oil and gas furnaces, therefore many people prefer wood heat because it's continuous.

Now, heating a home with our VaporFire furnaces is really special because they deliver very even continuous heat hour after hour. They don't smolder the wood and then blast the wood (the two extremes) like other wood furnaces. Instead, its unique automatic draft system avoids these extremes with a continuous front to back burn pattern that allows the user to adjust the burn rate, which in turn varies the BTU output. In mild weather you use a low setting for 15-25,000 BTU's/hr., in moderate weather a medium setting for 25-45,000 BTU's/hr., and in cold weather a high setting for 45-60,000 BTU's / hr. It adjusts simply by turning the knob on the computer from low to high and anywhere in between. Most people never go above the medium setting all winter long.

Keep in mind that all wood has the same # of BTU's pound for pound. The heavier more dense wood (oak, hickory, maple) have more available BTU's/piece than the lighter less dense wood such as poplar and pine, only because each piece weighs more. Every pound of wood that is 100% dry has approximately 8,600 BTU's /pound. Say for instance your home needed 100,000 BTU's/hr. to heat, it would take 11.6 pounds/hr. of 100% dry wood to heat it. Now, if your wood has a 20% moisture content, each pound of wood has only 6,880 BTU's in it (it's 8600 x .80). Then if your wood furnace is only 60% overall efficient, your BTU's would only be 4,128 BTU's/pound (that's 6,880x.60). This would result in a ridiculous amount of wood, 24.2 pounds/hr., to get the needed 100,000 BTU's/hr. In a 24 hr. period that would mean 576 pounds of wood needed for 100,000 BTU's/hr after hr. This would result in probably more than 20 cords of wood to heat your home for one winter. It makes more sense to say that most homes in the coldest of weather only use the 30-40,000 BTU's/hr and probably use 7-10 cords of wood/season to heat their homes. With our VaporFire furnaces that are 85% overall efficient and 99% combustion efficient most people use only 3-5 cords of wood to heat their home/season and that's what makes our furnace very special. To top if off we also have the clean burn of less than 1 gr. emissions/hr. :msp_rolleyes:


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## Como (Jan 16, 2012)

I do have a pellet stove to heat a small house with pretty much the same outputs you mention, and where I am it just about heats 1100 sq ft. 80% efficient.

But then I live in a cold location, -3 tonight and it can get much colder. Much colder. And the building is not very well insulated.

In the other building I have 2 stoves, to keep it simple one is a Heartstone Phoenix. Now that has a burn time of up to 8 hours and supposedly can heat 2,000ft. It can not do either. May be able to do so in a warmer climate or a much better insulated building. Hardwood would help. I am sitting next to it now and half fill it every 90 minutes so that is 3 hours.

Which is why I question sq footage. if I know my heat demand I can modify for fuel source and altitude, I do not know how to modify sq footage and there are no numbers I have come across.

Now it may be my altitude and lack of hardwood are so so small a part of the market that it does not really matter.


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## NWnewguy (Jan 16, 2012)

*Hard to say the best*

Not getting a lot of great answers here to a difficult, but sincerely asked question. I would personally say that the Pacific Energy Summit in one of their porcelain enamel finishes would be real hard to beat. I love them because they are a super efficient stove that puts off a lot of heat with great engineering and stainless baffles. My wife would say it's wonderful because of the porcelain coating making it look so nice. I would warn against getting a Summit if the area isn't big enough to justify it though. Pacific Energy makes models for most sizes of house and climates, and all of them basically work the same way. I have been using the mid sized one for the last 6 years and it has worked wonderful as our full time and only used heat source. Definitely worth a look in my opinion. They also have a real high opinion of them over at **********.


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## daddyoneleg (Feb 5, 2012)

I live in Northern BC and use a 5700 quadrafire.All my family burns wood.Blaze King,Regency,Homeade 8 cu ft 3/8 plate stove all have good and bad points.Bigger is better for us. A -45c all night burn,low btu firewood and stove placement along with house size and insulation all play a factor.There is a huge difference between a ''saturday night burner'' or a full time wood burning demand. New stoves are so efficient but in the spring and fall they burn too hot with the min. air hole used to keep the stove buning clean,unless you go Blaze King with the fact that the catalist is a comsumable.When it comes to real heat and 12hr burn times, Dads homemade plate stove puts out the best bar none.Dad calls the stoves that won't burn all night ''small bladder stoves'' hence build for people who get up to pee once or twice in the night and put wood in while they are up. My Quadrafire is great but the firebox cracked to the outside so Warranty is on the menu. My ideal wood stove wood be a 5.0 cubic foot non-catalyst,end feed 24'' wood, with a thermostat to cut back the air in the night when most secondary burn non-cats heat spike like none other. Right now I would settle for a Blaze King-King model and just accept the fact the catalyst is a consumable and 8'' chim is pricey. Just my 2 cents worth..........


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## Arbonaut (Feb 5, 2012)

Harman Stoves from Pennsylvania. Royall from Wisconsin. Both make indoor boilers and both are unsurpassed in quality and can use coal as a backup. Always use water based with solid fuel, safer and more practical and can heat your domestic water. Dane Harman uses robotic welders and I think Royall uses skilled craftsmen. Thanks. Good topic!


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## jimbo64 (Feb 5, 2012)

daddyoneleg said:


> I live in Northern BC and use a 5700 quadrafire.All my family burns wood.Blaze King,Regency,Homeade 8 cu ft 3/8 plate stove all have good and bad points.Bigger is better for us. A -45c all night burn,low btu firewood and stove placement along with house size and insulation all play a factor.There is a huge difference between a ''saturday night burner'' or a full time wood burning demand. New stoves are so efficient but in the spring and fall they burn too hot with the min. air hole used to keep the stove buning clean,unless you go Blaze King with the fact that the catalist is a comsumable.When it comes to real heat and 12hr burn times, Dads homemade plate stove puts out the best bar none.Dad calls the stoves that won't burn all night ''small bladder stoves'' hence build for people who get up to pee once or twice in the night and put wood in while they are up. My Quadrafire is great but the firebox cracked to the outside so Warranty is on the menu. My ideal wood stove wood be a 5.0 cubic foot non-catalyst,end feed 24'' wood, with a thermostat to cut back the air in the night when most secondary burn non-cats heat spike like none other. Right now I would settle for a Blaze King-King model and just accept the fact the catalyst is a consumable and 8'' chim is pricey. Just my 2 cents worth..........



wow first time i heard of a quadra fire cracking- we also had a 5700 when we lived in Pa- had a blower on it-great stove-chimney just didn't get dirty with this although we cleaned it out every spring:msp_confused:


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## FlyLow (Feb 5, 2012)

Como said:


> No Stove could be this high, even the very best Boilers with Lambada controls just about reach this.
> 
> My expectation is that in reality the best you could expect is 60%.
> 
> Using ideal situations no doubt you could nudge it higher.



This is the Quadrafire brochure that I got the info from.


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## planman (Mar 10, 2012)

*best way to heat full time*

How do you want it to look ? I installed a ZC Inglenook fireplace and have been heating a 2500 sq foot 2 story frame house all winter. Wife loves the heat, 75% eff 4g hr with good burn times on white oak and ash. Kid and insurance company friendly as its a ZC with a blower. The glass gets hot but you can touch the face without getting burned. Im in the investment biz and have clieints over the house and they loved my new "fireplace". I vented the unit to heat the upstairs as well. Just refinishing the facia as the wife has changed her mind 3 times about how she wants it to look. Plus I got a great deal, e-mail me if you want. 

Tom


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## planman (Mar 10, 2012)

*ZC fireplace*

Forgot to add that you can run my ZC fireplace from 11K BTU to 150K an hr. Yes, 150,000 BTU hr. You only get a 2hr burn time on high but you can really blow the doors off of most homes if needed.

Tom


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## wndwlkr (Mar 10, 2012)

I've heard good things about Sedore stoves. :msp_thumbup:


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## Eecho (Mar 10, 2012)

Fisher they arent epa friendly. They are plate steel stoves that havent been made since the 80's but I saw one on ebay going at 800 fully decorated emblems and all . I hate the new epa stoves personally but my fisher burns 12 hours long and makes it a pleasant 80 degrees inside 2200 sq ft all day long with wet or dry hardwood. It doesnt matter if its -5 or 50 degrees it turns the house 80 with ease. I burn six to eight cord a year from late october to late march. Its my primary source of heat so I dont shut it off once its lit in october just low an slow on the draft knobs. I have used this stove for ten years and I clean my chimney every other year . You cant buy one new or epa compliant but I have nothing bad to say about mine .


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## Como (Mar 11, 2012)

EPA dropped their efficiency rating for OWB's, I am pretty sure they did the same for everything else.

EPA efficiency and real world efficiency have very little in common.


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## EXCALIBER (Mar 11, 2012)

daddyoneleg said:


> I live in Northern BC and use a 5700 quadrafire.All my family burns wood.Blaze King,Regency,Homeade 8 cu ft 3/8 plate stove all have good and bad points.Bigger is better for us. A -45c all night burn,low btu firewood and stove placement along with house size and insulation all play a factor.There is a huge difference between a ''saturday night burner'' or a full time wood burning demand. New stoves are so efficient but in the spring and fall they burn too hot with the min. air hole used to keep the stove buning clean,unless you go Blaze King with the fact that the catalist is a comsumable.When it comes to real heat and 12hr burn times, Dads homemade plate stove puts out the best bar none.Dad calls the stoves that won't burn all night ''small bladder stoves'' hence build for people who get up to pee once or twice in the night and put wood in while they are up. My Quadrafire is great but the firebox cracked to the outside so Warranty is on the menu. My ideal wood stove wood be a 5.0 cubic foot non-catalyst,end feed 24'' wood, with a thermostat to cut back the air in the night when most secondary burn non-cats heat spike like none other. Right now I would settle for a Blaze King-King model and just accept the fact the catalyst is a consumable and 8'' chim is pricey. Just my 2 cents worth..........



I would agree with most of this. First question I would ask is do you want the ability to heat your home if the power goes out? If yes then you can forget about a owb, or furnace unless you have a generator with lots of fuel in case the power is out for longer than expected. Only a stove will continue to heat without power, which is part of the reason I bought one. Do you need to cook on your stove in case of power being out ect? If so some models such as the pacific energy Alderlea T6 are designed to be cooked on. Some stoves are just better to cook on than others. Now you need to realize, like what was said above, that if you get a stove with a cat you will need to replace it someday. I am on my second year of heating full time with my blaze king king and have no need to replace it yet. Most say 4 to 8 years it will need replacing. Now a non cat stove has wear items as well (the dealers never mention this though). The secondary burn tubes will need replaced probably about as often as a cat will need replaced. Some stoves have fire blankets ect that will need replaced. Bottom line either way you go there is not a stove made that you can run 24-7 and never plan on replacing anything, all stoves have wear items that need replacing. 

Now do your research and find the stove that is going to fit your lifestyle, needs, wants better than the rest. Stick with the well known quality products from reputable manufacturers. Forget price, the satisfaction from having a well made, high quality stove will last much longer, than the regret of buying a cheap, poor working stove because it was a great deal at the time. A quality stove will pay for itself in short order.


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## Ronaldo (Mar 11, 2012)

I have been using a Pacific Energy Super 27 now for 13 years and could not be happier. Have not had to replace or do any maintenance,other than very inexpensive baffle gaskets. The secondary burn baffle is a fairly thick stainless steel box in the top of the firebox and it is still in great shape.The stove is made of plate steel and has a '' floating firebox '' so expansion and contraction can take place independently of the outside plates(this helps to keep the plates and welds from stress fractures) it must work well!!!! I am heating 2000 s.f. of fairly well insulated area.I easily get good overnight burns with plenty of coals for starting up again in the AM.Cost about 13 yrs. ago was 1100$. LOVE IT! Just my 2 cents.

Ron


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## Preston (Mar 11, 2012)

After reading this entire thread I need some advice now. I live in an old log house. A 4 pen dogtrot. The pens are 18X20 so that gives me 4 rooms that size. It has an addition that is 46X14 across the back that is insulated. Even though it's old and redone, 1850's, the chinking is not the tightest. Although over all it's pretty tight. I'm planning on a heater in my fireplace in the kitchen. The square footage is 1800 but the upstairs is hardly used. What heat/stove would be recommended for this house? Remembering the main house only has the 6 inches of logs as insulation. :msp_smile:


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## stihlavarna (Mar 11, 2012)

planman said:


> How do you want it to look ? I installed a ZC Inglenook fireplace and have been heating a 2500 sq foot 2 story frame house all winter. Wife loves the heat, 75% eff 4g hr with good burn times on white oak and ash. Kid and insurance company friendly as its a ZC with a blower. The glass gets hot but you can touch the face without getting burned. Im in the investment biz and have clieints over the house and they loved my new "fireplace". I vented the unit to heat the upstairs as well. Just refinishing the facia as the wife has changed her mind 3 times about how she wants it to look. Plus I got a great deal, e-mail me if you want.
> 
> Tom



Rep Sent, that is exactly what I'm looking for, I'm due to replace this old passive unit and I'm stuck in the ZC boat, good find!


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## Cantrellc123 (Mar 29, 2014)

I've got an OWB that I love, but what I've became curious about is a stove to install in my basement that has a 6" flue. I'd only use it if the power failed which seldom happens long term here.
I'd like to know of a quality stove brand to be looking for used such as on eBay or Craigslist. I think I read that Fisher was a good non cat stove made some years ago, what other brands should I keep in mind? It would help if it were an attractive unit to keep the Wife happy, but not a deal breaker if price and performance were a premium.


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## flotek (Mar 29, 2014)

For a cat stove I'd say blaze king or you could choose a Woodstock soapstone these are top of the line and quality . Jotul is also worth mentioning as well as the quadrafire


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## Vermonster (Mar 30, 2014)

Centrally located masonry heater. All 9 tons of it. One my wood turning friends has a Russian Furnace. 5 cords per year. Load it once a day. Burn it flat out wide open then shut it down. No maintenance involved. It's the cat's ass.


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## bert the turtle (Mar 30, 2014)

This is like asking what is the best motor vehicle.

It all depends on what you want it to do.


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## Cantrellc123 (Mar 30, 2014)

bert the turtle said:


> This is like asking what is the best motor vehicle.
> 
> It all depends on what you want it to do.



I thought I was quite clear on what I wanted to do, but I'll type it again VERY slowly.... I'd like a wood stove for my basement that would only be used when the power was out more than 2-4 hours. I wouldn't want an integrated 120volt fan as it would be back up when power was non existent. I'd like it to be visually pleasing but that's not a deal breaker if performance and cost made up for looks. I've got a 6" flue into a chimney to work with.
If it were extremely efficient I might use it as primary heat at the beginning and end of the heating season, but that would be short term at best, if at all.


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## olyman (Mar 30, 2014)

Turkeyslayer said:


> A friend of mine just bought a Cunningham heater by Suppertime stoves. He looked at the Blaze King as well as the Pacific Energy Summit. The Cunningham has an automatic damper as well as a very large firebox and btu output. He is took out a Regency stove that didnt hold enough wood for the long periods of time he is at work (13+ hours a day plowing snow). The Cunningham is also less than half the price of either the Blaze King or the Pacific Energy.
> Cunningham Wood Burning Heater


 thanks!!


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## Richard_ (Mar 30, 2014)

Ronaldo said:


> I have been using a Pacific Energy Super 27 now for 13 years and could not be happier. Have not had to replace or do any maintenance,other than very inexpensive baffle gaskets. The secondary burn baffle is a fairly thick stainless steel box in the top of the firebox and it is still in great shape.The stove is made of plate steel and has a '' floating firebox '' so expansion and contraction can take place independently of the outside plates(this helps to keep the plates and welds from stress fractures) it must work well!!!! I am heating 2000 s.f. of fairly well insulated area.I easily get good overnight burns with plenty of coals for starting up again in the AM.Cost about 13 yrs. ago was 1100$. LOVE IT! Just my 2 cents.
> 
> Ron



Can't go wrong with pacific energy , we've been extremely happy with our pacific insert


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## bert the turtle (Mar 30, 2014)

Cantrellc123 said:


> I thought I was quite clear on what I wanted to do, but I'll type it again VERY slowly.... I'd like a wood stove for my basement that would only be used when the power was out more than 2-4 hours. I wouldn't want an integrated 120volt fan as it would be back up when power was non existent. I'd like it to be visually pleasing but that's not a deal breaker if performance and cost made up for looks. I've got a 6" flue into a chimney to work with.
> If it were extremely efficient I might use it as primary heat at the beginning and end of the heating season, but that would be short term at best, if at all.




I was actually responding to the initial post, but I'll try to help you out. I have a Fisher stove that I took out of a house I tore down. I have no need for it. It appears to be in good shape other than some surface rust that will come off with a wire wheel in a few minutes. It is yours free if you want to pick it up (not sure how long a drive it is for you to central NC) and I have a tractor to load it in your truck. It is a heavy SOB. I was planning to sell it on Craigslist, but I haven't gotten around to it in the last 3 years, so I'm guessing I never will. I'm also a bit torn about putting it back into service when there are more efficient and less polluting stoves available. I have a neighbor (thankfully downwind from me) who burns an old smoke dragon and from the looks of it burns freshly cut wood and perhaps old tires, so I'm sensitive about the pollution issue.

Since you are using it for occasional power failure use, in my opinion the best stove for you is one that doesn't cost you a lot. Return on investment just isn't there for a high dollar modern stove. It need not be efficient since it will rarely get used. If it smokes more than a modern stove, it won't be a month-in, month-out kind of thing and you will probably be burning decently dry wood since it will have time to dry between power failures. From all I've read, the Fisher is a good stove even if not up to todays standards.

With regard to the OP, I should have tried to be more helpful and less of a smart-ass. "Best" is determined by function. Yes, you can figure out what stove is most efficient, but it may not be the appropriate stove for you. For example, To determine what stove would be best for you, you will need at a minimum to specify how big your house is and how well insulated it is. That is a VERY rough beginning point, but it is at least some information to work from. 

As an example of how I chose my stove, I had an engineer evaluate my house and determine how many BTU/hour it should take to heat it at particular inside to outside temperature differentials. That gave me a starting point so that I would at least have a reasonable idea of how big or small a stove I need.

Then I had to make choices taking into consideration that my house has extremely high thermal mass, how warm I want the house to be, how often I would like to fire the stove, etc.

I was very intrigued by the Twin-fire stove as it is extremely efficient and the aesthetics would work well with my modern house. After figuring out what the actual energy needs of my house are, and how I anticipated using the stove, I ended up with a Pacific Energy Fusion and it works extremely well in my house.


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## flotek (Mar 31, 2014)

If you want a stove for only 2 hours if your power accidentally goes out then just buy a generator . Don't even bother with wood heat . That's not what woodstoves are designed for and by the time you invest in the stove the liner the install the tools and equipment required your not saving a penny or helping your cause


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## Cantrellc123 (Mar 31, 2014)

flotek said:


> If you want a stove for only 2 hours if your power accidentally goes out then just buy a generator . Don't even bother with wood heat . That's not what woodstoves are designed for and by the time you invest in the stove the liner the install the tools and equipment required your not saving a penny or helping your cause



LOL, paying attention to what's in type is always important. I typed at least 2 hours or more, such as a mass power outage from severe weather which could last for days. In 98 we were without power 8 days from an ice storm. If it were just a 1-2 hour issue then no it's not worth any investment of time or money as my house will easily stay warm that long.

It's MUCH better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.


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