Super 27 ain't cuttn it this year

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westkywood

Feeling the Heat
Oct 14, 2009
420
Kentucky
This is my 5th winter with my Super 27. I've got 1300 sq ft.. I live in an old house, but since I got my stove, I've insulated some walls and replaced some windows. I've got good insulation in the attic.The previous 4 winters it's done pretty good. I live in Ky so our winters aren't usually too brutal. I'd say 90% of the season, my stove will heat the house with no supplement heat and I'll get 8 -10 hours out of it. So the other 10% of the time is when it's below 15 degrees or so and I'll get maybe 5 - 6 hours out of it. I've become obsessed with not wanting to hear that heat kick on. I had my 500 gallon propane tank filled 4 yrs ago and its still sitting on 60%.
This winter has been different. Many days below 10 degrees and wind chills below zero. They say the Super 27 will heat 1200 - 2000 sq feet. I would have thought since I only had 1300sq ft, it would be all I ever needed.
I'm thinking of upgrading to the Summit. I think if I had it, my heat would never kick on. I just don't want a stove too big where I'd have to build a lot of small fires. Wouldn't this add to creosote?
During the previous winters I couldn't justify buying another stove because 90% of the time this stove was fine. This winter I'm probably looking at 20% of the winter where the stove aint cuttn it. I'm cussin when I hear that heat kick on in the wee hours of the morning.
 
sounds perfect to me! Your backup furnace gets some exercise,,so you know it is working, but you are mainly heating with your stove. I think people that never hear their backup furnace kick on,,,may be in for a big surprise when it is needed.

also lets you sleep thru the night by kicking on in the wee hours,,,, PERFECT!
 
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razerface said:
sounds perfect to me! Your backup furnace gets some exercise,,so you know it is working, but you are mainly heating with your stove. I think people that never hear their backup furnace kick on,,,may be in for a big surprise when it is needed.

also lets you sleep thru the night by kicking on in the wee hours,,,, PERFECT!
Click to expand...

In the past few winters, I'd kick my heat on now and then to make sure it was working. Also, my furnace is used if I go out of town for a night or two. I want a stove that I have the option to use 100% of the time if I want to. I dont want to HAVE to get up at 4:00 or 5:00 am to stoke the stove. Especially when I get up at 6:30 am for work.
 
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bsruther said:
I'd be happy to take the Super off your hands. I'd even drive as far as Louisville for the right price.
Click to expand...

I'm in far West Ky.. I wouldnt get rid of it until this summer or Fall.. If interested, put your bid in the hat.
 
Sounds like a Blaze King would be right up your alley. Burn slow and low 90% of the time, then crank it up when you need it.
 
westkywood said:
In the past few winters, I'd kick my heat on now and then to make sure it was working. Also, my furnace is used if I go out of town for a night or two. I want a stove that I have the option to use 100% of the time if I want to. I dont want to HAVE to get up at 4:00 or 5:00 am to stoke the stove. Especially when I get up at 6:30 am for work.
Click to expand...


i understand wanting 100%. I get up at 5am every day, so I haven't minded my furnace licking on in the wee hours to help out. Like you say, I don't want to get up and cut out 1 or 2 hours of my sleep either. I might think about replaceing if the burn didn't last as long as i wanted to sleep! My stove will still be running in the morning,,just down to 350 deg or so,,,no big heat.

This cold snap isn't "normal everyday" weather here,, so I am not wanting to replace my stove for a small number of days that my furnace helps out. I figure it actually helps circulate the warm air the stove is putting out.

We sound about the same, my last (first) propane refill is going on 3 years, sitting at 35% right now.

Looks like your stove may be an easy sell.
 
Westkywood, I am in western ky and this has been the worst winter that I can remember in the last several where my stove has not kept up. When we have had that single digits with the wind chill it seemed my stove wasn't helping much at all with my propain furnace kicking on at will. I have been disappointed and somewhat depressed about it like you. But, it seems like your stove is doing much better than mine and with this type of weather woodstoves start to show their limitations. I would be patient if you are otherwise happy with the stove and ride out this sucky weather. We shouldn't typically have much of what we have had in a normal winter here in this part of ky. take care.
 
That's surprising. Our Spectrum is in a similar sized house, with questionable insulation and really old wondows, in northern MI. We have to run the furnace to get the place up to temp (don't use it whole lot in the winter, so we drain the pipes), but otherwise it has no problem keeping it very warm, even subzero temps. I heard the furnace come on once or twice at 5-6 am, but the thermostat was set at 72 ;) It needs to run occasionly to blow a little heat in the crawlspace.

Do you have the blower? We don't, but I set a small fan behind the stove, pointed up behind the rear heat shield, and it blows across the top just like the factory blower. I found it makes a huge difference, and we run the air almost completely closed until it burns down to coals. Reload after 8-10 hours in cold weather.
 
How warm do you like to keep it?
I sold the FIreview and kept the Keystone, figuring it would be enough to heat this place if I tightened up some of the air leaks. This winter has convinced me that the time to do that is now. :eek: During that first cold snap, I let the house get down to 60, and couldn't recover until it warmed up. I did a couple of quick fixes on my worst air leaks, put film over my worst window, and now I can hold 64, even in single digits with wind. I'm still working....need to hold 67 or so, at least.
There's not as much concern with oversizing a cat stove, and they work pretty well here, where we get a lot of moderate weather. If it's normal conditions I get enough heat running the stove low, I save wood and don't have to load often.

Anyway, it sounds like you are pretty close to being able to just keep your 27 if you can tighten up the envelope a bit more. I would check into a free energy audit from the local utility; You may have a big drain that you aren't aware of, that could be easily fixed. Or a series of smaller fixes could put you over the top....
 
jeff_t said:
That's surprising. Our Spectrum is in a similar sized house, with questionable insulation and really old wondows, in northern MI. We have to run the furnace to get the place up to temp (don't use it whole lot in the winter, so we drain the pipes), but otherwise it has no problem keeping it very warm, even subzero temps. I heard the furnace come on once or twice at 5-6 am, but the thermostat was set at 72 ;) It needs to run occasionly to blow a little heat in the crawlspace.

Do you have the blower? We don't, but I set a small fan behind the stove, pointed up behind the rear heat shield, and it blows across the top just like the factory blower. I found it makes a huge difference, and we run the air almost completely closed until it burns down to coals. Reload after 8-10 hours in cold weather.
Click to expand...

First, my stove is at one end of my house. But it is fairly wide open and most of it makes a "square" inside ( so it circulates well. What I mean is I can walk through my house and come back to where I started. I do have to move the air, which I do with a little fan at the end of the house blowing towards the stove. I've studed out some walls and insulated and I've blown insulation in the attic. Also all new windows. But the fact is, if it's below 15 degrees, I wont get more than 5- 6 hours out of my stove, and if its windy, no more than 5 hrs.. I keep my heat set on 68 and the thermostat is about 18 feet from the wood stove in the next room, but there is an 8 ft opening separating the two rooms.
And for the record I burn 3 yr old hardwood.
 
Woody Stover said:
How warm do you like to keep it?
I sold the FIreview and kept the Keystone, figuring it would be enough to heat this place if I tightened up some of the air leaks. This winter has convinced me that the time to do that is now. :eek: During that first cold snap, I let the house get down to 60, and couldn't recover until it warmed up. I did a couple of quick fixes on my worst air leaks, put film over my worst window, and now I can hold 64, even in single digits with wind. I'm still working....need to hold 67 or so, at least.
There's not as much concern with oversizing a cat stove, and they work pretty well here, where we get a lot of moderate weather. If it's normal conditions I get enough heat running the stove low, I save wood and don't have to load often.

Anyway, it sounds like you are pretty close to being able to just keep your 27 if you can tighten up the envelope a bit more. I would check into a free energy audit from the local utility; You may have a big drain that you aren't aware of, that could be easily fixed. Or a series of smaller fixes could put you over the top....
Click to expand...

My thermostat is on 68 ( read response above ). Ive got new windows. Some of my walls could use insulation and some walls dont even have studs. Ive studded out and insulated quite a few walls. I planned on doing more this summer. You may be right in it making all the difference in keeping the stove or getting a bigger one. I'm fine with having to supplement with gas heat on nights below zero but I'm only getting 5-6 hours out of my stove on nights when its 15-20...
 
westkywood said:
planned on doing more this summer. You may be right in it making all the difference in keeping the stove or getting a bigger one.
Click to expand...
Average lows in Jan. are 20 in our neck of the woods, and like you said, it's a pain if you're having to burn a lot of small loads to keep from roasting yourself out. I say go ahead and upgrade this summer, then see where you stand next burning season. That work will also pay off in the summer with cooling costs.
 
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bsruther said:
It's overrated, just a thing that pisses you off when you hear it come on. Sometimes, I think it would be nice to be liberated from that anger.
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And you work you're ass off to do it , lemme tell ya.
 
I have no problem with the heat pump coming on. It's doing it's job and that's why I have it.

Dix, do you have an estimate on what would it take to get the furnace working?
 
begreen said:
I have no problem with the heat pump coming on. It's doing it's job and that's why I have it.

Dix, do you have an estimate on what would it take to get the furnace working?
Click to expand...


No.

I didn't drain the heating system 3 years ago, and we had snow from Christmas night until April and freezing temps. Pipe busted for the second zone. I think I'm out of oil too.

Dunno, been doing OK .

Thanks for asking, BG.

.
 
I also had some frustration during a few of the coldest days with constant reloading, struggling with coals, losing sleep for midddle of the night reloads, and wishing for a bigger firebox. Now that we've got a warmer couple of days though, my perspective is that it doesn't make sense for me to size a stove based on the coldest winter in I-don't-know-how-long. The Castine is pretty much perfect here for 95% of the time and the rest it'll just be little colder inside (like it used to be all the time) or run the oil furnace a bit (which I need to do periodically anyway). Good luck, I hope the warmer temperatures have reached you, too
 
ailanthus said:
I also had some frustration during a few of the coldest days with constant reloading, struggling with coals, losing sleep for midddle of the night reloads, and wishing for a bigger firebox. Now that we've got a warmer couple of days though, my perspective is that it doesn't make sense for me to size a stove based on the coldest winter in I-don't-know-how-long. The Castine is pretty much perfect here for 95% of the time and the rest it'll just be little colder inside (like it used to be all the time) or run the oil furnace a bit (which I need to do periodically anyway). Good luck, I hope the warmer temperatures have reached you, too
Click to expand...
Hey now, there's some of us would like to see that horribly underpowered Super replaced with a nice big new shiny Summit and that nasty horrible Super tossed out onto the curb in anger and frustration. It sure would look nice in my living room heating in total condemnation. ...
 
ailanthus said:
I also had some frustration during a few of the coldest days with constant reloading, struggling with coals, losing sleep for midddle of the night reloads, and wishing for a bigger firebox. Now that we've got a warmer couple of days though, my perspective is that it doesn't make sense for me to size a stove based on the coldest winter in I-don't-know-how-long. The Castine is pretty much perfect here for 95% of the time and the rest it'll just be little colder inside (like it used to be all the time) or run the oil furnace a bit (which I need to do periodically anyway). Good luck, I hope the warmer temperatures have reached you, too
Click to expand...

I hear ya on the struggling with coals etc. My heat would kick on ( at 68 ) and my firebox would be full of coals. It is frustrating. At 4:00 am I'm up trying to burn the coals down so I can reload. Sometimes I'd just take shovel fulls of coals out just to make room for wood so I could get some sleep.
I've decided to insulate some more walls, replace my old wooden front door with an insulated one and blow more insulation in the attic. I'll give my Super one more season after doing all that and see how she does.
 
billb3 said:
Hey now, there's some of us would like to see that horribly underpowered Super replaced with a nice big new shiny Summit and that nasty horrible Super tossed out onto the curb in anger and frustration. It sure would look nice in my living room heating in total condemnation. ...
Click to expand...

Dream on. Dream on.. This Super would be a nice down payment on a Summit.
 
You could try some pine or cottonwood or poplar splits on top of the heap of coals.
They help make some quick heat to give the coals time to finish cooking down.
Not something you'd want to be doing at 11PM but for some it works.
 
westkywood said:
This is my 5th winter with my Super 27. I've got 1300 sq ft.. I live in an old house, but since I got my stove, I've insulated some walls and replaced some windows. I've got good insulation in the attic.The previous 4 winters it's done pretty good. I live in Ky so our winters aren't usually too brutal. I'd say 90% of the season, my stove will heat the house with no supplement heat and I'll get 8 -10 hours out of it. So the other 10% of the time is when it's below 15 degrees or so and I'll get maybe 5 - 6 hours out of it. I've become obsessed with not wanting to hear that heat kick on. I had my 500 gallon propane tank filled 4 yrs ago and its still sitting on 60%.
This winter has been different. Many days below 10 degrees and wind chills below zero. They say the Super 27 will heat 1200 - 2000 sq feet. I would have thought since I only had 1300sq ft, it would be all I ever needed.
I'm thinking of upgrading to the Summit. I think if I had it, my heat would never kick on. I just don't want a stove too big where I'd have to build a lot of small fires. Wouldn't this add to creosote?
During the previous winters I couldn't justify buying another stove because 90% of the time this stove was fine. This winter I'm probably looking at 20% of the winter where the stove aint cuttn it. I'm cussin when I hear that heat kick on in the wee hours of the morning.
Click to expand...

I'm in a similar situation: I have the Spectrum Classic (same firebox as your Super 27) heating 1500SqFt of poorly insulated house. During very cold snaps it just can't quite keep up. During those times I find one of my many hooded sweatshirts and put it on rather than turning on the electric baseboard heaters. The house I grew up in was large and old and no woodstove on the market would heat it sufficiently when the temps dipped so I've never had the "This wood stove must work perfectly under all conditions and circumstances" mindset.

Point is, this winter has been an exceptionally cold one for you. If your back up heat has to do some work every 5-10 years I'd say you already have the perfect wood stove. Do you really want to get cooked out every winter just to avoid using propane for an occasional cold snap?
 
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billb3 said:
You could try some pine or cottonwood or poplar splits on top of the heap of coals.
They help make some quick heat to give the coals time to finish cooking down.
Not something you'd want to be doing at 11PM but for some it works.
Click to expand...

I do just that to burn them down. Still takes a long time when the stove is full of coals
 
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