Dr. Richards said:
firefighterjake said:
Gotta ask . . . since I am always quite curious . . . Central Maine means different things to different people . . . it could mean LA, Bath/Brunswick, Belfast/Camden, Augusta/Waterville or even Bangor . . . if you don't mind me asking . . . which town or city do you hail from . . . and no, I promise not to visit you unannounced.
Minor correction . . . the legislation regarding the two flues in one chimney was actually passed several years back when the oil prices first skyrocketed to over $4 per gallon. I'm honestly still not sure if I think it was a good idea and perfectly safe or if the existing NFPA code was written for a very good reason. What I am sure of though is that the main reason this law passed muster was that the legislators were very concerned with Mainiacs not being able to run the woodstove or pelletstove they had bought or dug out of the proverbial mothballs . . . and so the law was approved.
As Pen said . . . the only possible sticking point with the two flues issue could be with the insurance company. Some may have no issues . . . heck, some may never do an inspection or require anything from you. Other insurance companies may send their own inspector or refuse to carry you if you go against the national code. It really is a big question . . . and something you would want to address first.
Best choices . . . 1) Stick with the model you want and go with Class A (any reason you cannot or do not want to go out and up?), 2) go with a different model in the BK line up or another brand or 3) see if you cannot convert the oil boiler to a direct vent. If you elect to look at other stoves what is it that you most desire in a woodstove -- pure heating power or length of burn or both? I ask since at 1,900 square feet there are many, many stoves that could heat your home. At 1,800 square feet I can heat my two story Cape with the Jotul Oslo . . . but if you're also looking for very long burn times you might be better off sticking with the BKs or Woodstock line up.
I live in Madison, so I guess I'm in the "Waterville" crowd. I probably could direct vent my furnace or do a class A but don't really want to. So probably I will change my stove choice. When I bought this house the stove setup was the same and when I got insurance nobody visited (at least yet). My current stove (Englander 24-ACD) supposedly heats 2000 sq ft but I currently burn 500g of oil and 5 cord of wood each year for the last 3 years. So I am skeptical of the claims and want to go big. It's in my basement so I'm not worried about roasting us out.
Ah, we're practically neighbors then . . . well I'm in Unity . . . so it would be a haul to borrow a cup of sugar.
One thing I highly recommend is that you figure out your spacing needs and go at least one size larger . . . the specs for spacing are based on a set standard . . . companies don't always take into consideration the amount of insulation in a home, home lay-out, etc. . . . and if it's in a basement you more than likely will want to go one size larger anyways.
I assume you've already read up on the "perils" of basement installs . . . some folks report problems with heat loss in uninsulated basements, reverse stack situations, etc. I suspect you're pretty much committed to putting this stove in the basement, but if possible putting it where folks spend most of the time often makes more sense (unless the basement is a livable, used space) . . . the benefit to putting the stove in the living space when possible are many -- view of the fire (nice views and you know when to reload), more heat right in the area . . . OK, maybe just two benefits . . . if space is a premium many of the newer woodstoves also have fairly close clearances with the addition of heat shields (purchased or built).