Need help on stove size - Flue size?

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Dirt Devil

Dirt Devil

New Member
Jun 8, 2012
8
North Central Indiana
Ok, newbie here, been reading and learning a lot and have a few questions that I can't find answers to.
So here is my dilemma, we are rehabbing a 130 year old triple brick two story farm house 1000 sq ft on first floor, nine foot ceilings and 900 sq ft on second floor open floor plan with lots of big windows. Simple heat loss calculations put it at 80,000 btu's on -20 degree days.
My ideal stove would be a progress hybrid, question is will it heat it with relative good burn times. I was told by a dealer that a six inch flue will not provide enough heat and that I need a blaze king or dutch west on an eight inch flue, and yes I have five cord c/s/s and another five - six cord c/s of elm, maple, and ash as of the middle of June. Any feed back welcome. Edit - planning on using wood as only heat source.
 
I'll let the Woodstock fanatics answer the question about the Progress Hybrid, but how often do you see -20 degree days in your locale? If this is indeed your only source of heat it may matter, but it's perfectly acceptable to assume the furnace may pull backup duty on the one or two coldest days of the year, if that means getting a stove that will be more appropriately sized for 90% of your weather.

Welcome to the forum!
 
The big PE stoves are rated at 97,000 btus max with a 6" flue. Not trying to sell you on one, but by that figure the sales person is not correct. FWIW, a Blaze King King is rated at 47,000btus/hr. average high heat output.

If you can address the heat losses in the building, then the -20F requirement will improve. This can be done with insulation, sealing and reducing the heat loss through the windows with insulated curtains, inner storm windows, insulated panels or honeycombed shades.

Long story short, if you have your heart set on a Progress Hybrid, try it out.
 
We can get a week of -20 but not very often -10 not uncommon but average temp would run 10 to 15 at night 15 to 30 during the day. I would like to have the long burn times of the blaze king but they only rate it at 47k btu's so i know that to get 50-60k btu's the burn time will be less. The progress is rated at 72k btu's with a 12 hour burn time so I am thinking that it is about firebox size. Progress sure looks a lot better also. Was also looking at the PE Alderlea T6. So many stoves so little time. I am aware of most heat loss improvements but budget constraints mean we get in the house first then improve as we go.
 
Welcome to the forum Dirt Devil:) It's obvious you've been doing a lot of homework.
The Progress looks great on paper, it also gets good reviews. FWIW, it's advertised at 80,000 btu (cord wood)
max down to 12,538 btu min ("greatest range of btu's as tested by the EPA")
In sheer HP, I don't know how they would compare. Everyone brags on BK burn times (which they will do) but not at max btu's. The King has a hugh fire box that will hold lots of wood (btu's). The Progress seems to be a good balance of HP and burn times. It seems to me that HP = secondary burn and burn times = cat. The Progress has both.
I'd like to hear a comparison from someone that has burned both stoves. Good luck!
 
Dirt Devil said:
We can get a week of -20 but not very often -10 not uncommon but average temp would run 10 to 15 at night 15 to 30 during the day. I would like to have the long burn times of the blaze king but they only rate it at 47k btu's so i know that to get 50-60k btu's the burn time will be less. The progress is rated at 72k btu's with a 12 hour burn time so I am thinking that it is about firebox size. Progress sure looks a lot better also. Was also looking at the PE Alderlea T6. So many stoves so little time. I am aware of most heat loss improvements but budget constraints mean we get in the house first then improve as we go.
Click to expand...

That's totally practical. Actually, I think all of these stoves would work for you. Is there a working heating system in place?
 
BG, No, there is not any heat in the house at all. Thanks for the reminder to look at the PE stoves again. The T6 would do the job but haven't seen any burn times on that stove, what can I expect 8 hours or 12? PE is running a rebate on their stoves right now so that would help on price.
 
Burn time will vary with the wood, how the stove is loaded and run AND how one defines burn time. With good hard wood in the T6, 8 hrs going from 300F stove top to 300F stove top is quite possible, with nice hot coals for at least another 2-4 hrs..
 
There is only so many BTUs in a given amount of wood. There isn't a stove out there that is going to give 12 hours at max output.

BK's 47k is a somewhat realistic average thru a cycle. Somewhere in their literature, they say if you want to run it wide open and stand there and chuck wood in it, you'll get 90k.

BTU numbers is what they is. Flue size is more related to firebox size. Bigger firebox=more wood=more heat, for a longer period of time.
 
Thanks for all the input here, I started looking at the PE stoves again and went to a local dealer. He had a one year old PE Summit for sale for $1600 so we went with that stove for now. I think that will give us a good idea of what it will take to heat this house, so when we are ready to upgrade to cast or soapstone we will know what works.:)
 
So you are now a 6" flue guy. That was the original question anyway.

With 1900 SF of two story, you don't need that many btus anyway. The summit is rated for 2000-3000 SF. Should work great.
 
Yes, I am now a 6" flue guy. I kind of wondered about that dealer anyway when he told me that I needed an 8" flue to heat my house.

And with my 1900 SF of triple brick no insulation draftiness I will probably need the btu's for now. It will possibly heat like 2500 SF.!!!
 
How the stove heats is as much the way it's run as it is the size of the stove. You'll be fine as long as you don't fill it to the gills when it's only 30 or 40 outside.
 
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