Best wood stove for me?

[Wedgebanger]

Hey all, looking for a wood stove for the house. House is 1500 sq. Ft., Looking for a UL listed stove (insurance) and something with a glass front capable of being loaded from the side. What has worked for everyone and what's a good option for me? Thanks

[doc henderson]

I would research brands then size it to you home size and degree of insulation ect.  I am a fan of Lopi, although my home and shop have Avalon.  I have the biggest stoves they make.  you do not want to oversize, as I feel it is good to be able to burn all out now and then to keep things clean.  not sure about the glass front side loading.  We used to get earth stoves, but decided to avoid gimmicks.  not sure as an example that soapstone adds anything to the true operation of a wood stove.  

[Wedgebanger]

I have heard high praise of Lopi, will check out their line

[47sawdust]

Don't know where you live but I live in Vermont and use a Hearthstone Mansfield stove.It has a glass door on the front and is made of soapstone.The heat from it is very even.I installed an outside air intake and the glass stays very clean.I do burn dry wood.

[John Mc]

Don't know where you live but I live in Vermont and use a Hearthstone Mansfield stove.It has a glass door on the front and is made of soapstone.The heat from it is very even.I installed an outside air intake and the glass stays very clean.I do burn dry wood.

Hearthstone makes some great stoves. I have their Phoenix and love it. I don't believe either the Phoenix or the Mansfield are made anymore (and at any rate, the Mansfield was likely too large for the 1500 sq ft space that Wedgebanger described - wasn't the Mansfield a very large stove?) They do make some newer models that may fit your needs.
Another brand that has won all sorts of awards is Woodstock. They are known for high efficiency, clean burning, and a wide range of adjustment for heat output. My sister and brother-in-law have one of their larger models and LOVE it. I know of a few others who own their stoves, and all just rave about them. (If I didnt already own my Hearthstone Phoenix, I would order a Woodstock.) Their Absolute Steel Hybrid Wood Stove would likely be a good option for you: glass front, side loading (can be ordered with either a left or right side door), and a heat output range of 10,000 to 48,000 BTUs: enough to heat up your 1500 sq ft area quickly, but turns down low enough to avoid driving you out of the room in not-so-cold weather.

[Peter Drouin]

80° at my house all winter.  ;D ;)


 
Made from a kit- doors and legs.  I had it for over 25 years. 
not airtight to gum up the chimney.

[Peter Drouin]

Even this leg wood will fit in it. :D :D

[samandothers]

Woodstock stoves have several sizes and worth checking into.  They are very efficient.

[Pine Ridge]

80° at my house all winter.  ;D ;)


 
Made from a kit- doors and legs.  I had it for over 25 years.
not airtight to gum up the chimney.

That looks to me like that would be a very good setup !!!!

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Sorry but not knowing where you are located makes it hard to give woodstove advice. Might I suggest updating your profile with a little more information.

I have been using a Sierra wood stove in my great room since 03.
It will take a 22" log comfortably. has a glass front door and side loads.
Heats the whole front of the house. I like it.

[doc henderson]

you can buy the barrel kits at tractor supply, but I know the barrel would not be UL approved and prob. should not go inside a habital (home) space.  they heat well and are used a lot in shops in the Midwest.  yours looks great with all the brick work @Peter Drouin .  the barrels will burn out over time.  

[Pine Ridge]

Lots of people have the barrel stoves, but thats the only one i've seen with the brick work, looks nice and simple to operate, no pumps or blowers to go bad, and i'll bet it does do a good job heating.

[curved-wood]

One mistake that a lot of people make is to install a stove too big for the square footage of the house. They have to choke the stove because it is too hot inside the house and choking help to form creosote in the chimney

[Pine Ridge]

Curved-wood you are right about that. When i was a kid we had an old potbelly stove, old house with high ceiling, no insulation. My mother kept it stoked up and burning hot all the time in cold weather, never had a problem with creosote.

[Peter Drouin]

 
I have burn wood my whole life. I burn 5 cords a year. When I clean the chimney in the spring I get a ½ full 5-gallon bucket of ash in it. When the power goes out the thing will still work. and I have a kitchen wood stove to cook on too. [old one]
Back in the day, everybody cooked on wood, The old cast iron stove was not UL listed.

In NH I guess we do stuff differently.
I remember a  guy down the road had got a pelt stove. When the power goes out it will not work. He and his kids came over to stay warm. Same with the outside big stove, No power no heat.

I don't like tight houses. Or caps on chimneys. But that's just me. ;D :D :D

[doc henderson]

@Peter Drouin you have installed yours in a grand way with a non combustible surround with thermal mass and all.  

[hedgerow]

Not many barrel stoves around here anymore the insurance company's have seen to that. 

[Old Greenhorn]

I like your stove setup Pete. Over the years I have had at least 4 stove barrel kits here and there. I had a double barreled job in my shop for a few years and it had 20' of near horizontal run the get through the wall. I had to take that chimney apart every two weeks to clean it and I could fill a grabage can with creosote. 
 I heated part of my house here for 20 years with a 25 gallon barrel. 3 years ago while doing fall maintenance, I realized it was rotted through and unsafe to use. I finally went with a proper insert, and although it was 3 grand I didn't have, I have no regrets. More heat now that ever before.
 As I recall, that double barrel will generate 240,000 BTU's. One time I made the mistake of throwing in a wheel barrow of cedar shingles. That stove was dancing all over. I was throwing bar stock up against the feet to keep it in place. Man that thing was cherry red!
 AH, good times. ;D :D
 I still like those barrel stoves.

[tim in New York]

Another Hearthstone user here.  The Heritage has a glass front and side load door.  You can order which side you want the door on.  We burn around the clock for about 6 months and use around 3 full cord a year. But we only heat a couple of rooms in the old farmhouse with it, so we don't burn it real hot very often. 

This stove just went in last year and replaced a 30 year old Hearthstone II, same stove just a few generations older.  That one we burned the heck out of - 6 full cord a year before we had the house insulated upstairs.  We abused it and it still worked fine, just cheaper to replace it than to repair it.

I would not buy any other brand.

Tim

[Raider Bill]

I have a englander. I would not buy another one. Poor design and the worst customer service I have ever had the displeasure to be involved with.

[Al_Smith]

I have a plate steel glass front Lopi that dates back to the mid 80's  an insert with a blower .It does well .Built solid as a battle ship ,heavy plate fire brick lined .
Those barrel stoves are  a throw back to the making of the AlCan highway during WW2 .Made out of "tundra daisies " , discarded oil drums which were plentiful .I think you could heat a barn with the doors left opened with a double barrel .Lots of heat .I've made several using the "Stotz kits" which I haven't seen in a while .Those were air tight .

[Bandmill Bandit]

There are quite a few of the Double barrel stoves in use in this country but  they are made from 24 to 30 inch waste pipe from pipe line installs and the several I have seen are built to be pretty air tight. You get a 4 footer of those heated up it takes a week to cool off. 

A friend did one out of 36 inch pipe 5 feet long with a water jacket and a thermally controlled damper system and uses it to heat his house and shop. It burns for up to 3 plus days when full. I think the pipe wall is 1/2 inch.   

[Al_Smith]

There is a local pallet works that have a variation of a double barrel  stove,several as a matter fact .Large circular things about 4 feet in diameter made of rolled plate steel and about 6 feet long .My bud Ron who owns a fab shop made them .
Ron is my go to guy if I need any aluminum welding as I don't have the to  means myself 
 .He's not real bright on electrical stuff but has my phone number . ;)
I might add that pallet works also has a rubber tired reclaim saw they use to cut down old pallets to make light weights from the salvaged oak lumber .Using abrasive blades it goes right through the old nails slick as anything .With all the scrap lumber their heating bill is basically cost free .

[doc henderson]

my brother used to build roads and work outside.  they made an outdoor version of a two barrel stove.  they welded two together top to bottom like a tall chimney.  they cut the bottom out of the top can,  welded some exhaust tube through the can at an angle about a foot up from the bottom to let in air.  they would add 15 gallons of waste oil in the bottom and throw a lit rag into the mess.  when it got going it was like a rocket stove with air swirling around the bottom, flames out the top. and red hot metal melting snow in all directions for 50 feet.  do not try this at home. 8)

[Al_Smith]

I once made a stove for a buddy who was a masonry contractor to heat sand in winter for mortar .Two barrels welded end for end .
He burned old  ties which were cut in pieces when they were replaced .Surprisingly once they got going they didn't smoke that bad .
Those old sleepers which were oak would coal up real nice and hold fire over night .
Over the week end the fire would go out when it wasn't tended .He just filled the stove and dumped a gallon of kerosene down the flue and toss in a burning rag .It didn't take long before it was burning real toasty .

[Bandmill Bandit]

The double barrel stoves I've seen locally are stacked horizontally on top of each other with a piece of 6 to 12 inch pipe (depending on barrel/fire box size) welded vertically between them at the end opposite the loading door, the chimney in the top barrel above the door with the water jacket in the top chamber when they have a water Jacket. They work very well.   

[Al_Smith]

The relatively thin sheet steel of a common oil drum radiates heat well plus there is a lot of surface area in a drum .I've heard of but never have myself lined the bottom with fire brick .I suppose after many years of usage they could burn out but I've never seen it myself .
If you think about it a double with the potential of 250,000 BTU /hr is a lot of heat .As a gauge on that  my slightly over 2100 sg ft house has a heat lose of slightly over 30,000 btu per hour .I'd have to leave the doors open and sit around in my underwear .Geeze would that be a sight to make eyes sore .   

[John Mc]

The relatively thin sheet steel of a common oil drum radiates heat well plus there is a lot of surface area in a drum .I've heard of but never have myself lined the bottom with fire brick .I suppose after many years of usage they could burn out but I've never seen it myself .
If you think about it a double with the potential of 250,000 BTU /hr is a lot of heat .As a gauge on that  my slightly over 2100 sg ft house has a heat lose of slightly over 30,000 btu per hour .I'd have to leave the doors open and sit around in my underwear .Geeze would that be a sight to make eyes sore .  

I was kind of wondering how we got off on this tangent. The OP was asking about heating 1500 sq ft. I can't imagine using a double drum stove for that.

[Al_Smith]

Use smaller drums perhaps  ;D

[thecfarm]

open a window. :D

[doc henderson]

whole house fan works when we get it a little to warm.   8) 8) 8)

[Al_Smith]

Quite frankly I have been known to open a door on occasion .Some times they can get away from you .I don't even light the fire until it gets below 30 .

[doc henderson]

we get excited for the first fire in the fall.  it feels good in the living room but all the bedrooms are upstairs, and then it is too warm to sleep.  heat set at 55 in the shop, so I get a fire in the am to take the chill off.  I would say we spanned the gamut on barrel stoves, and would recommend a well controlled stove for the OP.  

[Al_Smith]

Alright already barrel is out .Vermont castings makes a nice side loader about the right sized for the application  .Weather it's worth 1200 bucks might be another subject of conversation .Just "Goggle " it .

[Old Greenhorn]

Whats the model name, they have several? They make good stoves.

[Al_Smith]

Aspen C3

[rubberfish]

80° at my house all winter.  ;D ;)

I am never coming to visit you. Unless I get to sit outside and look in a window. 

[Al_Smith]

If you have low humidity 80 probably wouldn't feel that hot .

[doc henderson]

as a side note.  we have a trilevel house. the stove in on the mid main level.  the beds are up the stairs and easy to heat with the stove.  in fact in the eve. we keep the doors closed so it does not get too warm.  we do not use the down stairs as much, and it will stay 60 degrees if running the stove.  we have a natural gas boiler with pex in the floor radiant heat.  the up stairs has a water to air exchanger with forced air heat.  we try to use the stove in the winter with the coiler as a back up.  I installed a fan behind the stove in the med level that goes through the wall and come out in the hallway in the lower  level so in  a power outage we can heat out 4500 sq. foot home with our stove.  ice storms are the usual reason we would have power out for a week.  "be prepared" @Old Greenhorn  .  we can run our boiler with very little elect. current.  we have to power the pump and logic board.  we can use an inverter or generator.

[Old Greenhorn]

Aspen C3

That's a nice design. In the 80's I heated my shop with an Atlanta casting stove of similar shape and size except it was made from 5/16 plate. I'd like to get that stove going again.

[Al_Smith]

During the so called "energy crunch ",late 70's mid 80's  with a resurgence of wood burning there must have been a couple hundred companies making stoves .Many had some type of end loading box stoves .They did fine depending on how large an area to be heated .You could probably find them in trading papers or Craigslist if you looked .Just look them over before you buy .

[doc henderson]

I found a small lopi nearly new.  put in a nice lake house and only used a few times.  wife remodeled and out goes the stove.  they were asking 250$ but turns out he knows my cousin and he took off another 50 bucks.  keep your eyes open.  it looked great, small and if you lived closer ... loads from the front.  sold it to my brother over a year ago and he still has not installed it.  If I were putting a stove in my house, I would only go used if it was fairly new and in near perfect condition.  

[John Mc]

If I were putting a stove in my house, I would only go used if it was fairly new and in near perfect condition.

X2

[thecfarm]

I don't know for sure,I work in a hardware store,we don't sell the real nice stoves,but we have the cheap ones at 40% off. If we do not get rid of these "older" stoves by the end of this year,we will be stuck with them. Seem to be new regs on the amount of smoke wood stoves can put out? All that Parts Per Million stuff?

[Al_Smith]

I suppose  there are some areas of the country where regulations of stoves exist pertaining to emissions however this part of Ohio is not one of them .
I'm not sure exactly what could go wrong with a heavy plate steel stove except the door seals go bad which are easy to replace .Even if it sat outside for 20 years all it would do is surface rust .Sand blast it and give it a good daubing of stove black you wouldn't be able to tell it from a new one .

[doc henderson]

our 20 y/o Avalon, had been overfired a time or two.  My wife still cannot figure which way the air controls go.  the box is ok, but the interior air channel had cracks at the joints.  It made it so I could not shut it down as well, and the glass soiled, and it did not burn as well.  I packed stove cement in the cracks and it works like new again.  able to control the air flow again.  when ours is going, you can see heat out the chimney but no dark smoke.  very efficient.  in power outages we can keep our 4500 sq. foot tri-level comfortable with just the stove.  It is rated for 2200 Sq. feet.

[doc henderson]

I think the OP has to look at his goals.  any stove will keep you from freezing to death.  it should be air tight so it can be controlled and not a risk for CO poisoning.  Efficiency should cover not only particulate output, but complete burning of fuel and getting heat for the home.  some stoves are more complex to use, with slide controls and lighting procedures, and so simple is a nice feature.  some may want it to look nice and others may want it to last 25 years.  Many of us want all of the above!  our stove has been in our great room for almost 20 years.  minor repairs and occasional inspection by a local dealer.  they carry and throw in replacements parts like the pins that hold the air tubes in the downward position.  we used double wall pipe inside due to the long flu with a 16 foot ceiling.



 

21 degrees out now, my seat watching the news, drinking coffee and surfing the FF.



 

note fox news and griffin the shih Tzu in front of the fire.  

[Al_Smith]

 :D Well I don't have Fox news on , MSNBC though .Might fire the insert up in a day or two,snow they say and 11 degrees .This one doesn't belch smoke either once a nice bed of coals is established .It's a letter designation like model x or something ,double glass front doors ,blower .Most likely once the fire is lit it won't be a dog in front .Possibly two cats  from time to time .
I think the fire brick lined bottom and part way up the sides acts like an oven because it burns every thing to powder .It is surprising the small amount of ash it produces .

[doc henderson]

here is a few pics of the through wall fan, that helps move heat to the lower level of our trilevel house.



 

this is in the hall of our down stairs, it has the fan motor with it and the fan speed control.  the grill rotates and can direct airflow.  it is nearly silent unless on the highest setting.



 

this is the intake side behind our wood stove.  got power from the nearest 110 V receptacle.  stove is on the midlevel, and heat goes up the open stairway passively to the bedrooms and bathroom upstairs.  the fan pulls heat to the basement/lowest level.

[Pine Ridge]

Good looking setup you have there !

[doc henderson]

thanks, fine tuning after many years.  just throwing out ideas!

[Peter Drouin]

I can move heat anywhere in the house without a fan.
I say 80° but it goes down to 70° too. ;D

[John Mc]

I suppose there are some areas of the country where regulations of stoves exist pertaining to emissions however this part of Ohio is not one of them .

The regulations regarding Wood Stove Emissions are Federal regulations (though I suppose some states may have additional regulations). Last I checked, the Federal regulations only affected the production and sale of stoves. Existing stoves are grandfathered. (I'll admit, it's been a while since I checked.)

[Al_Smith]

You can move air around with a ceiling fan .I have 5 of same .Another later this winter .

[woodfire]

my house is 1100 sf, and last year I got one of Englands 13nc models, its way too small, if there is any moisture at all in firewood it won't burn unless the door is left open, my house is very very old and not insulated well and when it gets down to 25 degrees or less this stove just does not do the job.
I've got to get a bigger stove maybe the 30nc
it is very efficient when burning well seasoned completely dry wood but has never burned through the night, not even 4 hours no matter what kind of wood and how completely fully stuffed the firebox is.
its a step up from the busted, cracked and split stove that was in the house, that stove was probably from the 30's. and the house from honest Abes day or before and it aint no log cabin, maybe a converted chicken coop.
the englander burns 1/3 the wood that's the good part of it if there is any

[Raider Bill]

my house is 1100 sf, and last year I got one of Englands 13nc models, its way too small, if there is any moisture at all in firewood it won't burn unless the door is left open, my house is very very old and not insulated well and when it gets down to 25 degrees or less this stove just does not do the job.
I've got to get a bigger stove maybe the 30nc
it is very efficient when burning well seasoned completely dry wood but has never burned through the night, not even 4 hours no matter what kind of wood and how completely fully stuffed the firebox is.
its a step up from the busted, cracked and split stove that was in the house, that stove was probably from the 30's. and the house from honest Abes day or before and it aint no log cabin, maybe a converted chicken coop.
the englander burns 1/3 the wood that's the good part of it if there is any

One of my biggest regrets when building the Tenn house is buying a englander wood stove.

[John Mc]

my house is 1100 sf, and last year I got one of Englands 13nc models, its way too small, if there is any moisture at all in firewood it won't burn unless the door is left open, my house is very very old and not insulated well and when it gets down to 25 degrees or less this stove just does not do the job.
I've got to get a bigger stove maybe the 30nc
it is very efficient when burning well seasoned completely dry wood but has never burned through the night, not even 4 hours no matter what kind of wood and how completely fully stuffed the firebox is.
its a step up from the busted, cracked and split stove that was in the house, that stove was probably from the 30's. and the house from honest Abes day or before and it aint no log cabin, maybe a converted chicken coop.
the Englander burns 1/3 the wood that's the good part of it if there is any

I'm not familiar with the Englander 13-NC woodstove, but I see the specs on it are that it will "produce up to 60,000 BTUs". If it actually will reliably put out that kind of heat, your problem is more likely related to your home's insulation.

I have a Hearthstone Phoenix stove that is also rated for 60,000 BTUs. It does a good job heating 2300 square feet of my home (at least until I get multiple days in a row of -10˚F temperatures - then it struggles a bit).

The FIRST place to start is in insulating and tightening up your home. Don't put money into a bigger or better stove until you have done that. It can completely change the size of stove you need for that space. You don't want to buy a new stove, then later do the insulating and sealing and find your stove drives you right out of the house when operating.

Once you have the house well-insulated and sealed against air infiltration, then re-assess your stove situation. You may find the Englander works well for you. However, if you do still need to replace it, there are a number of higher-quality brands, many of which have already been mentioned in this thread.

[doc henderson]

just like in High School, the prettiest girl may not be the one you want to spend the rest of your life with!  :P :D 8)

[SwampDonkey]

1920 Sq Feet here, two story and walk in basement. I use a furnace with blower fan. I can use in power outage, either gravity or generator. I have a generator set up. Back up is an electric side unit, 20K-watts. Been burning wood now since Mid September. The brand I have here is Napoleon. It's a model 150. Lots of heat, and I did not over size. The 200 would likely put you out of the house. :D I keep it mid 70's during the day and let it out at night and let temps go down to 68 for sleeping. I can make it a lot hotter than 70's, but I don't care to live in misery. :D I keep humidity around 40 % and have an air exchanger. I've probably burnt less than 1/2 cord every 2 weeks. I check my pipes a few times a winter, never anything to it. I clean ash every few days. I also clean the glass door often with a putty knife. Grey powder, no black. It gets dirty mostly from me opening the ash door and speeding up the initial burn time. Then I close her up after 10 minutes and never open it again until the next start up. I never get creosote, just loose powder soot in the pale. The flu is so clean you might as well say there is nothing. And it is capped, but not one of them kind that comes down low. I don't like them kind. Draft here on the hill is no issue, plus my flu is above the peek of the roof to. And it isn't an outside flu, goes up through closets (boxed in) and attic.

I can't see how you can burn wood without making ash. That's a new one. :D I bet if it's not cleaned regular it's in that stove compressed down like dry cow patties. :D

77F and 38% RH right now. Feels good to me and no dried out airways.

[Wedgebanger]

Just to update everyone. Ended up getting a Vermont castings encore that seems to be a good fit, thank you all for the input.

[doc henderson]

enjoy!