What size wood stove is right for our house?

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Joemohar

Member
Oct 16, 2010
5
Western NC
Hello--We have decided to purchase a Pacific Energy Alderlea, but aren't sure about whether we should get the T4 or T5. We live in Asheville, NC, which typically has "mild" winters, dipping into the 20's and 30's at night, but easily getting back up into the 50's during the day. We have a 970 sq foot 1920's house, single story, attic has a foot of cellulose insulation, the basement has icenyne, good newish windows throughout. The stove is going in the dining room, which is open to the kitchen and living room, forming basically an open floor plan for that half of the house. The two bedrooms and the bathroom are off a small hallway adjacent to the dining room. We have a ceiling fan in the dining hall that we'll be using to circulate heat. We also have a central bio-diesel burning heater as back-up, though we hope to use that as little as possible. We've been told that while the T4 will basically heat the house, we'll have to be adding wood more often than the T5. I'm a little worried about spending $400 more for a stove that we'll never need to use to it's full potential...but also aware that we will enjoy building fires that last through the night and will be easy to start again in the morning. We also don't want to waste wood. What do ya'll think?
 
Greetings. You are right on the cusp. Either stove will work for you. At 1.4 cu ft, the T4 is not hugely smaller, but will need a bit more frequent loading. It is sized right for the house. The T5 will give you greater flexibility with loading direction, longer burns on a full load of wood and more reserves for the really cold nights. For these reasons, I'd go with the T5. It's not a perfect fit, but not bad either. You will be burning half loads in the milder weather, which will mean more frequent refueling until it gets cold. But it will handle the really cold weather well and it is a champ for long burns.
 
Thanks for the reply, this is pretty much what the guy at the stove store said. I think we are going to go with the T5...now we have to figure out how to build the hearth...
 
Hot to Trot said:
Thanks for the reply, this is pretty much what the guy at the stove store said. I think we are going to go with the T5...now we have to figure out how to build the hearth...


Always go a little larger than what you think will cover you. Comes in handy when it comes to reload times and when you get the occasional colder than normal days.
 
BrowningBAR said:
Hot to Trot said:
Thanks for the reply, this is pretty much what the guy at the stove store said. I think we are going to go with the T5...now we have to figure out how to build the hearth...


Always go a little larger than what you think will cover you. Comes in handy when it comes to reload times and when you get the occasional colder than normal days.

Good choice on the T-5 . . . I subscribe to the same philosophy of BrowningBar . . . going with one size larger than what you think you will need.
 
Definitely the T5. I struggled with the exact question; although my house is a little larger but our winters are colder here in Colorado. I am 100% sure I would have been disappointed if we went with the T4. The long burn times of the T5 are worth the extra couple hundred bucks by itself.
 
Definitely go with the larger stove, if you are trying to heat your whole house with wood the you will not regret getting the larger stove, and 2 years from now you will be kicking yourself for not spending the extra bucks especially when you find yourself constantly starting new fires because you can't get enough wood into that small firebox to burn overnight or while you are at work.
 
Go bigger, I did and had the same questions as you did and I do not regret it.......
 
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