A stove for the house..UPDATE!

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Frostbit

Feeling the Heat
Hearth Supporter
Aug 4, 2008
307
Northwest Arctic Alaska
Greetings all from the far North....and very West, too, if you look at a map. This is but my third or forth post, and I seek information. Please, your comments would be most appreciated.

The Woman who lets me live with her decided she wants a wood stove in the house. We live far and away from the dealerships (they would be in Anchorage), but we visited some and they sent us home with pretty catalogs....and some gold plated prices. The Woman wants a piece of shiny wood burning furniture, so my hands have been perusing through the Jotul, VC, HearthStone and Lopi Leyland glossies. I have been doing this for many nights...

We both are steered toward the Jotul F 3CB in Blue Mojolica Porcelain Enamel.

The house is 1300 sq. feet, but I am not looking for a stove to be the sole heat source. We heat the house with an oil-fired Burnham LE low mass steel boiler which is filled with a 60/40 glycol water solution and pumped through conventional wall mounted continuous loop Slant Fin copper/foil radiation units. This is the norm in Nome. We wish to place the wood stove here in the living room/kitchen, which is one room with no partitions. It measures 20x28. The stove would be located closest to the South wall, center. A hallway feeds the back three bedrooms and bath, each with their own door.

We told the dealer we planned to use the stove occasionally, it was not to primarily heat the house but to supplement. The Jotul dealer really was pushing the Castine, but we both feel its a little large. The 3CB, physically, looks right.

I own a circa 1990-ish Blaze Princess, which we use to solely heat our cabin, so I do have experience heating with wood (and felling, limbing, sectioning, splitting, stacking Black Spruce!)

My basic question to the group is if we appear to have made a good choice with the F 3CB, based on what I have described.

Thanks!


We went with the F400 Castine, in Blue Majolica, and I finally have it in the house. Due to the fact I have to bring everything I need in (by airplane) to do the install, its taken time. The stove sits on the south outside wall. I built my own hearth pad, 44x42 inches, which is the minimum requirement from Jotul. The pad sits right on my hardwood laminate floor, the pad being 1" plywood, topped with 1/2" Durock. I then thinset mortared 12" porcelain ceramic tile to that, grouted and finished the edges with oak stained pine. Heavy is an understatement! Wanting to keep the stove close to the wall, I went with Excel pipe and accessories. A square (10") ceiling support was framed in the ceiling attic to the truss/rafters. Put the adapter ring in the bottom of the square can and put in the first 48" piece of Excel. Used a plumb line from the center to get the corresponding point of cut through the roof, and drove a nail up and through from the attic. (metal covered plywood sheathed roof). Back in the house, put the two piece trim ring on the square support, which extends into the home 4". Brought the Castine in the house, placed it on the hearth pad, installed the Excel stove adapter on the stove. I bought Excel double walled black pipe for the in-house vertical run, a two piece adjustable unit; one slides inside the other. Quite slick. Attached at the stove adapter and slid up tight over the adapter ring that sits dropped in the square support. Three screws at the stove adapter, three at the sliding segment. I left the screws out of the pipe top at the support, as it was misting freezing rain and I did not want to get on my metal roof that day. So, when the weather permits, up on the roof, align the roof jack with my sticking up nail, draw the inside circle and cut the hole. Drop my next section of insulated Excel onto the one already in the attic, back in the attic screw those together. On the roof, install the jack, seal, install storm collar and rain cap. Back in the house, screw top of double-wall to ceiling support adapter. Bear with me guys, this is my first time, and I read a ton! A lot of it right here.

I bought the rear heat shield for my stove, which I put on. Also put on the bottom heat shield that came with the stove. The stove back at the closest point (the outlet), is 7 1/2" from the drywall covered wall. The double walled pipe, all the way up to the support, is also at 7 1/2". Jotul says 7" is the closest you can have it, stove and double walled pipe with the rear heat shield, and thats what I went with. Boy, it DOES look close! Has anyone else done theirs this way? It looks great here in the house on its pad, I'll get a pic when I can. Hopefully we'll get a nice day in the next several and I can finish the roof work, then.........fire in the hole!

Its 6 degrees tonight. We've had 18 below a couple of weeks ago. The stove is a beaut, and that black double walled Excel pipe complements it. Its been a long, time consuming project (I hand-carried the 17 pieces of 12" tile on the airplane back with me from Anchorage). I'm eager to sit and watch it work with brew in hand :)
 
Yes, if heating isnt your prim reason for it,Than what ever you chose will be right for you.
 
I believe the little F3 has a pretty good reputation as a solid little stove. There are some users on the forum (and past user) of that stove that may speak up on its behalf. If its not a primary heat source, then go with whatever stove is to your liking.

One downside is: that stove has a small firebox. I wouldn't expect much usable heat (again, not your primary concern) after about 4 hours.

question: what is your Lat. up there??
 
Having owned both the F3CB and The F400 I think the dealer is giving you good advice. The Castine is much more flexible for burning small to large fires, takes large pieces of wood and has the reserves to put out heat over a longer period of time. Also, instead of the majolica finish I consider getting the blue-black or ivory porcelain finish. It's much tougher than the standard porcelain finish.
 
I burn an F3 in a much warmer climate and same size house. You should step up to the Castine given your colder climate.
 
Jags said:
I believe the little F3 has a pretty good reputation as a solid little stove. There are some users on the forum (and past user) of that stove that may speak up on its behalf. If its not a primary heat source, then go with whatever stove is to your liking.

One downside is: that stove has a small firebox. I wouldn't expect much usable heat (again, not your primary concern) after about 4 hours.

question: what is your Lat. up there??

Latitude is 64.5 degrees. In case you're wondering, Longitude is 165.4 degrees.
 
Thanks for your comments, folks. Anyone else, please feel free...especially F3CB and F400 owners.
 
I heat my office with the F3CB. I wouldn't dream of trying to heat much space for long periods with it. It only works there because I am here to feed it every couple of hours.
 
Frostbit said:
Latitude is 64.5 degrees.

ZOINKIES Scooby. That is up North! You ice fishing yet??

Get a bigger stove. :gulp:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.