we bought the farm, unfortunately it came with this house

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steamtrain

New Member
Nov 24, 2012
5
canada
After years of looking, we finally found our dream land, but the house... not so hot (literally). It's a 1970s, done on the cheap bungalow. It's 1200 sq. ft. of drafty, one pane windows (in Canada!), drafty doors, and a few electric baseboards scattered here and there (some working, some not).

The farmer that lived here before us was using a wood stove in the basement. The whole basement was coated in creosote and was stomach-churning due to the rancid smoke smell. The inspector found the chimney/flue to have evidence of fires and he recommended sealing it off (it was collapsing as well). We gave away the old wood stove to a neighbour with a workshop he wanted to heat.

We are presently looking to heat our home. We are replacing the windows next spring so for this year, we'll cover them in plastic. We have a fireplace in the basement surrounded with brick and stone. We were going to have someone check the chimney and then use either a little wood stove put in there or an insert. Is that even worth it? The basement is cold and we would like heat for the pipes. There is electric, but we have common and lengthy power outages so we're hoping to find something that doesn't need any electricity to operate.

Would it make more sense to put a wood stove in the basement or upstairs? The upstairs living room and kitchen is one big area. I would love to have a wood cook stove, but I don't think it will fit. We're stuck on whether a wood stove would better heat the stove from upstairs or downstairs and we keep getting conflicting advice.

Also, regarding the stove, we would like to have a cast iron stove, but how can we tell the stoves that are all cast iron and not just wrapped in cast iron? We really like the looks of a more modern stove, but that seems like a tough challenge to combine with the cast iron or soapstone.

We have learned so much from reading through these forums. We're so happy to learn from all of your knowledge and experience.

Thank you,
Nicole
 
After years of looking, we finally found our dream land, but the house... not so hot (literally). It's a 1970s, done on the cheap bungalow. It's 1200 sq. ft. of drafty, one pane windows (in Canada!), drafty doors, and a few electric baseboards scattered here and there (some working, some not).
The farmer that lived here before us was using a wood stove in the basement. The whole basement was coated in creosote and was stomach-churning due to the rancid smoke smell. The inspector found the chimney/flue to have evidence of fires and he recommended sealing it off (it was collapsing as well). We gave away the old wood stove to a neighbour with a workshop he wanted to heat.
We are presently looking to heat our home. We are replacing the windows next spring so for this year, we'll cover them in plastic. We have a fireplace in the basement surrounded with brick and stone. We were going to have someone check the chimney and then use either a little wood stove put in there or an insert. Is that even worth it? The basement is cold and we would like heat for the pipes. There is electric, but we have common and lengthy power outages so we're hoping to find something that doesn't need any electricity to operate.
Would it make more sense to put a wood stove in the basement or upstairs? The upstairs living room and kitchen is one big area. I would love to have a wood cook stove, but I don't think it will fit. We're stuck on whether a wood stove would better heat the stove from upstairs or downstairs and we keep getting conflicting advice.
With a drafty house in a cold climate, you are going to need a larger stove. Put the stove where you spend the most time. Heating from the basement in a drafty house will be very challenging.
Also, regarding the stove, we would like to have a cast iron stove, but how can we tell the stoves that are all cast iron and not just wrapped in cast iron? We really like the looks of a more modern stove, but that seems like a tough challenge to combine with the cast iron or soapstone.
Why are you concerned with a steel stove wrapped in cast iron? Jotul and Pacific Energy make several that are very good.
Also, most modern design stoves are quite small and not applicable for your needs.
 
I would put the stove in the kitchen/living area.
If you don't mind spending some money look at a Woodstock Progress Hybrid ..it has soapstone and by all accounts sounds like a fine stove and the company that makes it backs things up from what I read on this forum.
Good luck with whatever you end up doing..but you can not go wrong with a new epa stove to heat with.
A stove in the basement is nice because your mess stays down there but the walls will suck your heat and you will be making lots of trips down there to check on tings and if you don't have a walk out it's a pain to get wood down there I would think.
 
I don't know why we're concerned about the steel wrapped in cast iron other than everyone around here keeps telling us not to do it. A lot of the farmers in our area are using wood furnaces (usually Olsens), but we're having trouble finding a nice vintage one in good condition and that brings us back to being reliant on electricity for the blower (and we don't have duct work so that's an added cost).

We spend most of our time on both floors. Our bedroom is in the basement, the kids' rooms are upstairs. Our office and rec room are in the basement as well. We do have a door directly into the basement that the previous owner carved out of the foundation. Sigh..

One of our thoughts was to put a stove down in the basement this year with the idea of getting a wood cook stove next year that could help out with the heat upstairs. Would that work or is that silly/overkill/nonsensical?

Thank you for your ideas!
 
I have a steel insert, it heats my home which is draft and uninsulated, I have 2500ft to heat . YOur 1200 ft in Canada will be easily heated by an insert like I have. Forget having to have cast iron I think that's old school heating?
 
By the description you definitely need a stove in the basement. If the heat has a decent way of getting upstairs quickly then you can get a good sized stove in the 2.5-3 cu ft range. If not, then get a 2 cu ft stove for the basement and plan on getting another stove for upstairs. Unfortunately, getting good dry wood at this time of year is going to be a challenge. Modern EPA stove really like dry wood to provide the most heat and best performance.

As far as cast iron jacket or not, that will depend. I suspect a lot of locals want strong radiant heat for their under-insulated drafty old barns.You may want/need the same or not. We'll need a bit more info here. Is the basement insulated?
 
I have a steel insert, it heats my home which is draft and uninsulated, I have 2500ft to heat . YOur 1200 ft in Canada will be easily heated by an insert like I have. Forget having to have cast iron I think that's old school heating?
Can you tell me what type of insert you have? Do all inserts require electricity?

begreen: The basement is insulated, but not well. The windows are the biggest issue. No wait, the windows and the horrible steel door are an issue, but we are going to cover the windows with plastic and put some weather stripping on the door this week. We will be replacing the windows next year.

We're leaning towards a stove in the basement with a wood cook stove in the kitchen. I love the Esse cook stove or perhaps the Heartland. Maybe that would work with a stove in the basement? Has anyone used an old fireplace surround to put a wood stove in (once the WETT guy fixes up the old flue)?
 
If you're living area is in the basement, you're going to have to put the stove down there.

I heat from the basement and it works very well for me.


Whether it's steel or cast iron doesn't make a whole lot of difference. Steel will heat up a little quicker and the cast will hold the heat a little longer.


Englander NC30 in the basement and you'll be golden.
 
I have a High valley stove, there made here in the south east, about 20 miles from me actually, but its similar to an appilachain or a buck 91. Go to Stoll fireplaces, they now produce High Valley. I have the 2500 model running as an insert, it is advertised to heat 2500sqft, they also have a 1500 but with a drafty house go with the big one. Its a cat stove so I can turn it way low and if I choose the wood species right I can control the heat pretty well. The buck is ALso a steel stove that looks almost identical to mine but is a bit bigger.

If you can go freestanding go for the Englander 30 its close to the same heat and a bit cheaper.
 
If you're living area is in the basement, you're going to have to put the stove down there.

I heat from the basement and it works very well for me.


Whether it's steel or cast iron doesn't make a whole lot of difference. Steel will heat up a little quicker and the cast will hold the heat a little longer.


Englander NC30 in the basement and you'll be golden.
I agree.Put a good size stove in the basement.Don't play around and get a stove too small.Those of us who have never been through a Canadian winter have no idea what it's like. I say go with a Mansfield from hearthstone to begin with.If I were in your shoes I would go for the Equinox,Blaze king King or the old Hearthstone I.If you make the wrong choice and go too small you will freeze your blank off.
 
I agree.Put a good size stove in the basement.Don't play around and get a stove too small.Those of us who have never been through a Canadian winter have no idea what it's like. I say go with a Mansfield from hearthstone to begin with.If I were in your shoes I would go for the Equinox,Blaze king King or the old Hearthstone I.If you make the wrong choice and go too small you will freeze your blank off.
After seeing the pics of the Hearthstone I, I really want one. Or, at least, I want to use one. Looks like a massive heater.
 
After seeing the pics of the Hearthstone I, I really want one. Or, at least, I want to use one. Looks like a massive heater.
I can't get the experience of the "one" out of my mind even after experiencing the Mansfield,LOPI Liberty Pacific Classic and the Blaze King King the "ONE"trumps them all.I hear naysayers hear and there however I know what I witnessed with this stove.Keep looking they're out there.
 
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