DS Circulator 1600 vs. EnergyMax 160 vs. CoalMaster 2100

I’m going to purchase a new coal stove this summer and I narrowed it down to a DS stove brand. Is there anyone here that own one or more of these and can tell me the good, the bad and the ugly on these models? I’m going to burn coal only and have about 3,000 square feet log home with an insulated and finished downstairs.
Thanks for your input

Have an earlier version of the CoalMaster 210, The Basement #4...
Great stove huge capacity 200# stuffed, no fans, lots of heat...
Great if you have good air flow...
Mine was in the basement with a 24x36 floor grill overhead...
Not the prettiest for the living room...
But you have a highboy...
What is the purpose of the stove...

Hi Cape Coaler, sounds good, lots of heat. How long can you go between fill and ash removal? The reason I’m getting a manual stove and getting rid of my High Boy (which is like new) is I want a heating system that don’t require electricity. I’m putting in a hand well pump and I do have generator backup but with 7 children, I need to be fully capable of extended power outage if needed. It’s a crazy world we live in. Also, what is your coal usage for a season?
Thanks for the input.

Seems like you could have the best of both worlds if you just set that stove next to the boiler. In the event of an extended power outage you could swap the flue pipe over.

As for the stove model, if you really want to try and heat that large of a house with a single stove you need to be looking for function over form. One of the DS basement stoves would probably be a good choice. Not sure how you will move the heat around, but you certainly won't freeze.

The #4 had a nice big ash pan...
I filled and emptied every day...
Every 12 hours in the winter, once a day in the spring fall...
Kept the hopper topped off...
Super cold and windy was every 8 hours...
On The Cape 3-5 tons usually covers it...
Where in NH are you...
How often the power out and for how long...
I second keeping the HighBoy and having the 2100 as a backup...
Depends on the age of the kids they could tend the stove...

Thanks Rob R and CapeCoaler, I bought the High Boy refurbished from Pacowy (he’s a great guy) here on the forum and after I got it, my wife doesn’t want to play with coal. It’s in my downstairs still not installed, this High Boy has the covers as well, all painted. I’m away from home for a week or more at a time and can’t offer much help most of the time. So we burn oil lately and have an 1893 100 lbs. capacity rail road stove for coal burn. I think I’m just going to sell my High Boy and put in a manual stove with about 5 or more tons of coal, for backup. If I was home every night I would definitely like to do it the way mentioned with both stoves but the EFM 520 wouldn’t be used in our current position. The 1893 stove my wife don’t like (it has a small shaker handle and is hard to shake down sometimes) so that will go to. My children can and do help but they let the rail road stove go out all the time (lack of paying attention). So this new stove is just for a just in case back up. I’m looking for a high powered manual stove that can offer extended burn/shake down times (is a hopper design better for this, or the big firebox in the E-Max 160 burn just as long (24-48 hours) if turned down?) for connivance and performance. I do have vents in the floor to offer some circulation of heat throughout the house without fans. Thanks to both of you for you input.

If your wife doesn't like coal, and you are frequently gone for a week at a time, I do not see a big hand fed coal stove as a good fit for your home.

Man,You may be in a Tough Spot! You've got 9 Shower Takers,A Laundry Room Set-Up that would cover the 101st Airborne and the High Boy's waiting in the basement... Please take a little more time to look at Your Outlay and Logistics based on Domestic Hot Water use alone. I'd be the first one to understand Your want of an independent of electric killer hand-fired unit,but You've got alot on Your plate right now just keeping Your Bunch in Hot Water! Try to take a moment now that Your Winter's winding down and work with these Great Guys here for a Real Bullet-Proofer of an option to keep You Sane,Happy and not broke with that Barracks Your running up there!! Happy Easter and here's to You,Dad!!

With the Highboy just take some ash out 99% of the time...
Proper bin and you should be good for a month...

We got a Coalmaster 2100 towards the end of this season and put it in our basement. The house is 2400 square ft. and the basement was consistenly 90 degrees. My biggest problem which has nothing to do with the stove is getting that heat upstairs, which when i figure that out i think ill have great heat for the first floor and enough left over to keep the second floor comfortable. I shake the grates once in the morning and then fill the hopper before i go to work and then the same thing around 5pm. We were going through 1 bag of coal a day. And it was freezing up here. Im from NH too and we had a long winter. This is our first coal stove but going to this from our pellet stove has been much less maintenance.