1,400 square foot area

[DianeB]

Thought I had settled on the Oslo because it takes a larger piece of wood, has side loading and seems to get very good reviews. Also looking for an overnight burn with morning coals to light quicky as we are out of the house working during the day. We are homebodies on the weekend. My dealer is discouraging me saying the Oslo will drive us out of the house. The floor we want to heat is the upper level of a raised ranch 1,400 sq. ft.. Most of the house is open floor plan, kitchen, dining and living room all open. We have a hall that leads to 3 bedrooms and bath. In the downstairs of the house, we have a guest bedroom, another bath, and a large TV room. We don't use that space very often and if we do, there is electric baseboard and we have begun using an infrared heater that does nicely for 2-3 hours tv watching in the evening and then we shut it off. We tend to stay upstairs, and do not do much tv watching- preferring music and reading upstairs.

We had a Fisher mamma bear for 33 years and it never drove us out, but we could dampen it down.I was planning on making just small fires in weather mild. We live in western mass, hilly and usually windy in the winter. Windows on house are 38 years old - not great but just OK. Do you all think the Oslo will drive us out - dealer thought the Castine would be better, but I now don't like the idea of the big glass door - my husband a bit rough with things I I can see him slamming the door to smash the wood in further (something done with the Fisher) and there goes the glass. The side load will keep ash on the hearth and not on the hearth extension pad in front. f We have a new hearth now (long story) picture attached. Have read here always go bigger, but hoping if you know the size of the space, you might better advise. My husband afraid of the small chamber in the Castine and likes the idea of the wood going in North/South View attachment 68401 ed

 

[jeff_t]

I think an Oslo would be just fine. Castine is probably a bit small, and I've heard they can be a bit finicky. Do you have a liner in the chimney? If not, plan on it.

A Fireview would look great there, too. Actually anything would look great there. It's a very nice fireplace.

 

[DianeB]

fireview...hmmm, will look that up. Yes, liner going in with stove.

I think an Oslo would be just fine. Castine is probably a bit small, and I've heard they can be a bit finicky. Do you have a liner in the chimney? If not, plan on it.

A Fireview would look great there, too. Actually anything would look great there. It's a very nice fireplace.

 

[jeff_t]

A bazillion threads, posts, and pics of the Fireview here. Woodstock is a fine company to deal with, and I actually just talked to them on the phone today.

 

[begreen]

Sounds like the Oslo will work just fine. You don't need to fill it full of wood for every fire and it doesn't need to be run at top temp. In milder weather just make smaller fires and let them go out. There are lots of other stoves that sound like they would also work if you need more options. While looking at Woodstock stoves I would also strongly consider the Keystone for this space.

 

[DianeB]

lebanon new hampshire is about a 2 hour drive for us. Had not thought of a catalytic stove, somehow they made me nervous, more parts

 

[begreen]

If a simple stove is desired, a Hearthstone Heritage or a Pacific Energy Alderlea T5 could do the job very well. The mass of these stoves helps reduce overheating posibility.

 

[kingquad]

The fireview will give you more control and better burn times than the Oslo. Woodstock also has some of the best customer service in the business. Nothing against the Oslo though, I would gladly own a Jotul. Burn times would steer me away from the Castine. The Castine also seems to do better top vented rather than rear, some backpuffing issues have been noted here.

 

[Bub381]

1300 sq ft 2 story here, small rooms, house built in 1800 and a little drafty,poor insulation.I moved the air around and checked the airflow it was fine.We had the Rangeley which is almost the exact same size as the Oslo and we couldn't run it over 400 in the coldest part of last winter.We ran it most of the time at 300 or it roasted us out.The lower stove temp caused a creosote problem and it resulted in hot coals dropping on the roof (burning creosote under chimney cap).I loved that stove but it was too big.We got the Fireview and man what control i have with this cat stove.250 degree stove i engage the cat and it burns clean as can be.No smoke in chimney,no creosote or burnt down house.12 hr burn times and easily got hot coals in the morn.This thing is the cats meow.Now this is for my situation and we only have had this stove since spring when the weather only dipped into the 30's so haven't tried it in cold weather yet but if you get it and it's not the right size,take it back yourself and exchange it at no extra cost.This return is only good for 6 months so time it right. I sure hope i helped.All houses and situations are different.Best i can tell you.

 

[DianeB]

I checked out the woodstock's but they don't sell thru dealers and would have to find an installer myself. Has anyone heard of the dutchwest brand by monesson hearth, KY? Are they made in the US? hard to tell from their website. my dealer offered this as an alternative, has side load and longer burn time. He suggested the midsize model.

 

[begreen]

If you are looking for a cat stove from the dealer, a mid-sized Dutchwest catalytic model 2461 should work out ok. They've been making it for a long time and there are lots of satisfied owners. If you want non-cat, I would stick with the Oslo, Hearthstone Heritage, Hampton 300 or a Pacific Energy Alderlea T5.

 

[HollowHill]

I checked out the woodstock's but they don't sell thru dealers and would have to find an installer myself. Has anyone heard of the dutchwest brand by monesson hearth, KY? Are they made in the US? hard to tell from their website. my dealer offered this as an alternative, has side load and longer burn time. He suggested the midsize model.

Diane, I also at first balked at the idea of not having a dealer. It proved to not be a problem. I went to the Chimney Safety Institute of America website (www.csia.org), put in my zip code (I live in a very rural area), found a chimney sweep who did the install for me (they even picked up the stove for me on their way to my house), and have had fantastic support from Woodstock for everything else. Honestly, I have gotten much better support from Woodstock than my mother has gotten from the local stove shop. I know it sounds like it will be a big hassle, but it was not. I have the Progress Hybrid from Woodstock and love it.

 

[Bub381]

You'll put 10 times the effort into this post then you will finding an installer.Wish ya the best.Keep us in touch though,we'll be wanting install pic's.

 

[DianeB]

everything is harder in Massachusetts! I have been trying to 6 months to find someone to install an ancrylic tub. Every tradesperson must carry specific licenses and certifications so few are around that are licensed in much of anything as the state makes it to hard to get certified. I plugged in my zip code on that site and came up with one person and this was a 50 mile radius - was listed as a chimney sweep. Will call him tomorrow to see if he does installs.

 

[begreen]

Here another site that you can also use Diane. Same deal, type in your zip code. I also found one in Lee if that is close:

http://www.ncsg.org/

Lee, MA - Clean Sweep 413-243-1691.

 

[firefighterjake]

Just echoing what others have said.

You can run the Olso if you so choose . . . I routinely have a fire going from early Fall to late Spring . . . the key to not being roasted out is in resisting the urge to reload when you either should not reload and just let the heat radiate off the cast iron or in waiting until the fire has reached the middle to late coaling stage along with loading the stove full or partially full depending on what you need for heat (i.e. more heat = fuller load) and your source of fuel (i.e. in the Fall and Spring I use the "junk" wood which consists of my chunks, punks and uglies along with softwood and slabs vs. in the winter when I need to really get the heat out and I use the good stuff.)

That said . . . there are many other stove alternatives as well . . .

 

[Wood Duck]

I see a lot of posts in which a prospective stove owner is worried that a stove under consideration is too large and will drive them from the stove room with its overwhelming heat output. I see very few posts where that is actually happening. I think unless you drastically overdo it, an oversized stove is not a big concern. I'd go big rather than small.

 

[DianeB]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. It did cause me to look at other options and to also quiet my concerns about going bigger.

 

[James02]

I had a small firebox, and upgraded in the spring....If it's too hot, I'll get a beer....

 

[Angus]

Diane, we are in a simmilar situation to you, we are thinking of the Oslo, but worried about the higher output..
We have a 7kw Jotul (f301) which is a convection stove.It is ideal in the summer months (we get cool summers) but is not able in winter, we have long winters, high winds, in an old stone house, but the f500 is way above the output recommended.
We also want a stove where we can cook a pot on, starting to think about a Vermont, but I m a big Jotul fan.
I m not sure if the f400 is as good a stove as the f500.

 

[DianeB]

I think for your conditions, one could not rely on the Jotul recommendations - I believe those are for average conditions. If you have a drafty house without modern insulation, you will need more heat output in my opinion. My house was built in 1975 in the US with insulation. But I know what I have in the attic is pretty poor and my windows now leak after all these years. The Jotul Oslo has an optional cook plate in the US - perhaps you could get one in Scotland. Nice to meet you Angus (husband's mom was a "Rae" - Scottish descent we are told)

 

[begreen]

I m not sure if the f400 is as good a stove as the f500.

The F400 is definitely as good a stove as the F500 in regards to quality of construction. I have no problem recommending one if it fits the needs. But it is a different size stove and had a different design. One is a front loader designed for areas when one does not have a lot of depth. The other is a deeper side-loading stove.

Both stoves are smaller than the Morso 3610 you were considering and which seems like a good fit. Maybe continue on if there are more questions in that thread?

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/new-stove-what-to-do.86847/

 

[ddddddden]

look at your wood source. In my area, the supplieers only cut 18 inches. Lots of stoves on the market need smaller, We used to cut our own and could do any length and for our Fisher, we cut 22 inches. The Woodstock Company list many of their stoves at 16 inches, but the Progress lists 16-22.ionches Progress may be too big for us, the Keystone would have been the better size, but only takes 16.

16" is the recommended size. I'm not sure why. . .18" fit in the Fireview just fine, 20" if inside the area of the door frame. I'm not sure what the max is in the Keystone, I think ~ 1" less than the Fireview. Todd can tell you all about the Keystone, if you want to know for sure.

lebanon new hampshire is about a 2 hour drive for us. Had not thought of a catalytic stove, somehow they made me nervous, more parts.

For a semi-local showroom visit, one could do a lot worse than taking a nice drive to visit the Woodstock factory.

Also, if you have hearth extension issues, the glass on the front of a Woodstock is a window, not a door, so the front hearth requirement is only 8", rather than the 16" required for a stove with front door.

I see that Jotul has a Maine built steel stove called the Carrabassett, but have not seen any commentary on this. Think this one would be too big for us as well.

The F55 Carrabassett = F50 Rangeley without top loading or ash pan and slightly more capacity. F55 came out just a few months ago, so I don't think anyone here has tried it yet. I have the vague impression that the F50/F55 is a bit larger than the F500 Oslo, so if you think the Oslo might be too much stove. . .

 

[Bub381]

I did have too much stove and the size of the fire helped but could not keep just a small fire going and burn clean at the same time and avoid the creosote.I was thinking i would rather have bigger than smaller but now i know neither is good.I also believe the Oslo and Rangeley to be just about the same size but could be wrong.The Rangeley firebox is 2.67 cu ft,what's the Oslo Jake?I do hope ya get it right the 1st time because it's a very costly mistake if you have to buy another stove.Again,i wish ya the best.

 

[Angus]

I think for your conditions, one could not rely on the Jotul recommendations - I believe those are for average conditions. If you have a drafty house without modern insulation, you will need more heat output in my opinion. My house was built in 1975 in the US with insulation. But I know what I have in the attic is pretty poor and my windows now leak after all these years. The Jotul Oslo has an optional cook plate in the US - perhaps you could get one in Scotland. Nice to meet you Angus (husband's mom was a "Rae" - Scottish descent we are told)

Our house, despite good windows and loft insulation, is cold, mainly due to high winds, our type of climate (30 deg.s here would feel more like 10eg.) and the cold actually comes up from beneath the house.
We like the idea of a cook plate and there are very few stoves on the market here that have that.
Its nice to meet you also Diane. You can tell your husband that Rae is very Scottish and takes the form equally commonly of Rae or MacRae. The clann originates from Ross, in the north west of Scotland