It's a hearth stove, you've probably seen it. Oh, it puts out the heat. If I could circulate the air in my house better it would be amazing. As it is, the basement room that it's in gets cooking and so does my bedroom, but my kids' bedrooms don't really benefit much. Too hot for me, too cold for them. I'm going to see about putting in cold air returns in their rooms and one in the upstairs living room/kitchen area.
The stove has been installed in this house slammer style for 30 years and I just had the chimney cleaned so we'll make it through the year somehow. I can probably swing getting a 6" insulated pipe in the chimney, but after that I don't think we have the money for a new stove. Frankly, if I can improve it I want to keep it. I've checked out the offerings that are available and I don't think I can set up another stove as a hearth. The orley's a barrel style that's wider than it is deep so it sits right on the sweet spot for the way the hearth and chimney are constructed. Everything else is too tall or too long to fit. I'd have to switch to an insert and those don't throw out the heat the way this one does. There are bolt-on combustors and cats, and if I can figure out what secondary tubes are and how to get some installed I'd be a lot closer to EPA type efficiency. As it is, I get almost zero smoke out the chimney.
Putting a box fan on the stairs is a deal breaker. I've already tripped over the fan once, and it's a long way down. Since we have toddlers who don't listen, I am getting a door installed at the top of the stairs. That's going to mess everything up for air flow. I'll make it a dutch so the air can get out the top half, but cold air return is going to be a pain. There's just no way I want to take a chance on my daughters winding up with their hand stuck to a 700 degree stove, safety is more important than comfort.
I'm still learning how to burn it. This year is much better than last year, but the wood's also had another year to dry.
