I have a recently constructed two story 2700 sq ft home in the mountains of northern Colorado with a reverse floor plan. There is 1650 ft2 living area upstairs that is well heated by an FPX 44 Elite, and a 1050 ft2 downstairs that currently relies on the propane heated radiant floor system. I am planning to install a wood stove in the 500 ft2 downstairs recreation room to provide more economical heating and to provide some heat to the house during a power outage. Wood is mostly lodge pole pine, Douglas Fir and Englemann Spruce.
The local temperatures routinely run from about -10 F at night to the mid 20's during the day and there are substantial winds, but the house is very well sealed and insulated (R-50 ceiling,R-19 below slab and R-23 plus 1" foam board on walls). I used about 100 gallons of propane per month during last winter, although some is used for water heating and cooking. The downstairs will not likely require a lot of heat. A 5100 Btu/hr electric space heater in the rec room raised the temperature in the rec room from 56-58 F to about 65 F with the upstairs running in the mid 70's.
I originally planned on installing a BK Ashford 30 because of its controllable low heat output. I also like the concept and appearance of the cast iron wrap of a steel box like the BK Ashford, PE Alderlea and Enviro Boston lines. I thought about waiting for the Ashford 20 to come out, but in looking at the stove specs, there appears to be little if any advantage in the smaller 20 models in terms of low heat production. Both are rated at about 12,400 Btu/hr, although the heated area rating of the 20 is about 20% lower. It appears you mostly give up wood capacity and burn time with the smaller stove. Now my installer is saying the 30 is probably too much heat output and suggesting I wait on the Ashford 20. He has even suggested one of the very small 1 ft3 firebox type heaters like the Jotul F3CB
I have read comments on this site to the effect that there is no benefit to the 20 other than its smaller footprint, as the specs would suggest. On the other hand it would seem the smaller box would have to offer less surface area for heat transfer and should have a lower heat output for the same stove temperatures. I am interested in hearing experience or opinions with regard to which size stove I should select.
Attached is a floor plan of the lower level. The lower floor is a walk-out basement type design although all of it was originally fully insulated as living area. The interior wall between the rec room and the hallway shown in the drawing was not installed so the stairwell and the bedroom doors open directly into the rec room. The stairwell is open to the upstairs living area and there is a ceiling fan in the center of the rec room to spread the heat.
I really appreciate this site for the information it has provided and look forward to your responses.
The local temperatures routinely run from about -10 F at night to the mid 20's during the day and there are substantial winds, but the house is very well sealed and insulated (R-50 ceiling,R-19 below slab and R-23 plus 1" foam board on walls). I used about 100 gallons of propane per month during last winter, although some is used for water heating and cooking. The downstairs will not likely require a lot of heat. A 5100 Btu/hr electric space heater in the rec room raised the temperature in the rec room from 56-58 F to about 65 F with the upstairs running in the mid 70's.
I originally planned on installing a BK Ashford 30 because of its controllable low heat output. I also like the concept and appearance of the cast iron wrap of a steel box like the BK Ashford, PE Alderlea and Enviro Boston lines. I thought about waiting for the Ashford 20 to come out, but in looking at the stove specs, there appears to be little if any advantage in the smaller 20 models in terms of low heat production. Both are rated at about 12,400 Btu/hr, although the heated area rating of the 20 is about 20% lower. It appears you mostly give up wood capacity and burn time with the smaller stove. Now my installer is saying the 30 is probably too much heat output and suggesting I wait on the Ashford 20. He has even suggested one of the very small 1 ft3 firebox type heaters like the Jotul F3CB
I have read comments on this site to the effect that there is no benefit to the 20 other than its smaller footprint, as the specs would suggest. On the other hand it would seem the smaller box would have to offer less surface area for heat transfer and should have a lower heat output for the same stove temperatures. I am interested in hearing experience or opinions with regard to which size stove I should select.
Attached is a floor plan of the lower level. The lower floor is a walk-out basement type design although all of it was originally fully insulated as living area. The interior wall between the rec room and the hallway shown in the drawing was not installed so the stairwell and the bedroom doors open directly into the rec room. The stairwell is open to the upstairs living area and there is a ceiling fan in the center of the rec room to spread the heat.
I really appreciate this site for the information it has provided and look forward to your responses.
Is it too early to put in a vacation request? 
of us can't compare the different size BK stoves, since we buy one and stick with it.
