Small wood stoves -- anything for 450 sq. ft??

FromHollywood said:

I'm converting a detached garage (22' x 20') into a cottage apartment and am having a heck of a time trying to find a suitably sized wood burning (not pellet) stove. Does anyone know if there is such a small stove on the market?

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Jotul's 602 model is pretty small...

I have an attached 550 SF accessory apartment in the house, lower level. This did a good job during the brutally cold winter we just had. We're tightening the place up to make better use of the heat.

http://www.overstockstoves.com/50epacenowos.html

We went with a bigger stove for longer burn times.

This is a fairly small stove that would be OK for that size area if you build smaller, hotter fires under conditions where you don't need a lot of heat.

http://woodheatstoves.com/regency-ra7-small-wood-stove-used-p-16913.html

Mt Ski Bum said:

FromHollywood said:

I'm converting a detached garage (22' x 20') into a cottage apartment and am having a heck of a time trying to find a suitably sized wood burning (not pellet) stove. Does anyone know if there is such a small stove on the market?

Click to expand...

Jotul's 602 model is pretty small...

Click to expand...

I like the idea on the 602, only bc I have one myself. I heat about 300 sq ft with mine and it does well. I'd almost suggest a black bear for the size he is looking to heat. Might have to consider the ceiling height being taller than a typical room.

you might consider the englander 17vl. i ended up going up to the 13, but if you do a search here on the forum i think you'll find good words about the 17vl. good luck!

Take a look at the Woodstock Keystone. Easy on the eyes, soapstone for even heat, cat combustor for low output clean burns. See woodstove.com

Good luck,
Bill

Sounds like a "studio apartment" arrangement, which means the woodstove you're contemplating is intended to be in the same room where people are going to sleep...am I reading this correctly? If so, then before you go much further I'd advise you to check your local codes, because there are many areas where solid fuel-burning appliances are not allowed in sleeping quarters. Rick

Yes to what Rick said.

Morso Squirrel stove.

Marine Stoves by Navigator Stove Works.

Because function matters, but so does cute.

Enerzone just came out with a new 1.3 cubic foot model stove. Good price point, $899. Still has the incredible lifetime warranty on glass, baffles, etc. See if there is a dealer by you using the dealer locator. It aint an ugly stove, just simple. The good thing is you buy them thru a specialty retailer, so you have a place to go if you ever need service.

The stove is VERY new. The website is still not updated. If you want info let me know, I'll try to cut and paste some stuff from emails I got.

My Lopi is in a room of about 500 square feet, if I recall correctly. It is connected to stairs leading up to the living area, and has some poorly insulated parts of the wall, and the stove is fine for the space.

Wood Duck said:

My Lopi is in a room of about 500 square feet, if I recall correctly. It is connected to stairs leading up to the living area, and has some poorly insulated parts of the wall, and the stove is fine for the space.

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So if you weigh the same as a duck...

Franks said:

So if you weigh the same as a duck...

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. . . and, more to the point, if you have feathers . . .

FromHollywood said:

This garage conversion will be a studio type apartment that will be just one open room, including the bedroom. Thanks for noticing that.

I called the county where I live (King County, Seattle) and they said there is no county requirement for whether you can have a wood stove in a bedroom---at least not in the printed county codes. I was told by them that their inspector will look at the manufacturer's paperwork to see if the particular stove I install is ok for bedrooms.

So, it looks like there is no actual code (at least not where I live) for whether a stove can be in a bedroom or not.

Does anyone know what particular thing a manufacturer does to make a stove ok for a bedroom? I would think whatever criteria one manufacturer uses would be different than another one. Maybe there is some wood stove association that makes the decision on what the manufacturer has to do.

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You'll need to very carefully read the manufacturer's installation/owner's manual for every stove you consider. Some manuals specifically state that the appliance is not approved for installation in a sleeping room...others do not have this caveat. Rick

I love Caveat on crackers.

FromHollywood said:

I just downloaded the Jotul F 602 manual and I can't find any mention of whether they say it's ok to use in a bedroom or not. Maybe it is or maybe its not but their manual doesn't answer the question.

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Call them (Jotul tech support). If they say it's up to your local Authority Having Jurisdiction, and you've verified with the AHJ that it's OK with them, then you're good to go. The inspector should only care that the stove is properly installed IAW the manufacturer's instructions. Rick

Franks said:

I love Caveat on crackers.

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Careful, Franks...you could end up with egg on your face. :shut:

Unless the town/county code say its not allowed (unlikely) or the stove manufacturer says it is not allowed (possible), you are allowed to install an appropriate sized wood stove in a bedroom. There are not state or federal codes against it.

If it was me, I'd visit my local Jotul dealer. Ask them if the 602 is legal for bedroom use. If they say it is, have them find documentation stating such. If they don't have it on hand, ask them to get it from Jotul. ANy dealer worth their cast iron would do so willingly.

FromHollywood said:

Karl, Then I guess that means the Jotul F 602 is ok for a bedroom because my county does not say it is not and the manufacturer's manual that I downloaded from their site doesn't mention bedrooms. But, the county told me today that when an inspector comes out to look at it, they will want to see something in the manual saying it is ok for installation in a bedroom. It sure is difficult to try and follow codes---all the powers-that-be make them so complex and then they usually are not even available to see unless you pay money and buy one of the code books.

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Unless the town or county has something more stringent you are looking for the International Mechanical Code. The inspector should own a copy.

Section 303 says something like

303.3 Prohibited locations. Fuel-fired appliances shall not be located in, or obtain combustion air from, any of the following rooms or spaces:

1. Sleeping rooms
2. Bathrooms.
3. Toilet rooms.
4. Storage closets.
5. Surgical rooms.

Exception: This section shall not apply to the following appliances:

1. Direct-vent appliances that obtain all combustion air directly from the outdoors.
2. Solid fuel-fired appliances, provided that the room is not a confined space and the building is not of unusually tight construction.
3. Appliances installed in a dedicated enclosure in which all combustion air is taken directly from the outdoors, in accordance with Section 703. Access to such enclosure shall be through a solid door, weather-stripped in accordance with the exterior door air leakage requirements of the International Energy Conservation Code and equipped with an approved self-closing device.


Confined space and unusually tight construction will be defined elsewhere in the IMC. I think the confined space definition for heating is no more than 1k btu/hour for every 50cuft of space. Jotul says the maximum of 28k btu/hr for the 602 and you stated the space is 450sqft. So to avoid the confined space requirement you just need to make sure your ceilings are high enough. 28 (btu) * 50 (cuft) / 450 (sqft) = 3.1' high ceilings are required in that bedroom. ;-)

I doubt the clerk knows the difference between the Gas Code and the Mechnical Code. Just ask the clerk to have the actual inspector give you a call. He knows what he is looking for.

Lots of bedrooms have fireplaces so whats the big deal. Are they afraid it will suck all the oxygen out of the room?