rwhite said:Not and expert by any strech but I can give you my recommendation after installing an insert with a 1.8 cuft fire box. Anthing smaller than that regardless of rating would be a pain. 1.8 cuft does a good job of heating about 1000 sqft of living space and I can pull the heat upstairs and keep the attic room comfortable (another 400 sqft). Not enough capicity to get an 8 hr burn, maybe 5-6 if I use large chunk of oak or maple. But it is kind of a pain to load and doesn't hold a lot of wood. I would think anything smaller would be a real pain even if it would heat the house.
I think this is a very good point. Small stoves don't burn as long as big ones. Sometimes loading the stove is fun, like it will be tomorrow for me when we have our first burn in a week or so (it has been unseasonably warm here), but after a day or two I would like to be able to let the stove burn longer, and I don't get overnight heat. By February or March I will be thinking seriously about buying a stove that burns longer. I think my next stove will be a cat stove so I an let it smoulder but still get a clean, long burn.