Bunch of noob questions

[KB007]

Brand new to the site and so far I have found a bunch of things that have been quite helpfull - have been searching and reading all morning!

We've been buring last winter and just started this year, the nights are getting cold here in Ottawa already We live in a 1600 SQF bungalow (upstairs) with fully finished open plan basement. The stove is in the basement, on the centreline about 1/3 of the way from the side walls.

Couple of things:

1) I have a Napoleon / Wolf Steel NC-12 or NC-16 wood stove in the basement. Any idea how I tell which it is? I realize it's not an EPA stove, is there any way to retrofit it to become EPA?

What is the difference in wood use between EPA an non-EPA stoves? I went thru approx 9 face crods last winter (it get cold here) and am wondering if this is due to the stove being out dated based on what's available today?

2) If I were to replace it with an EPA, is buying a used stove a reasonable way to go? There's someone local to me with a 4 yr old Regency F3100 for sale with the blower and it looks like a decent deal new gasket and fire bricks. He says he's converting to corn. What kind of things should I look for if I want to consider used?

3) While the Napoloen stove does a good job of keeping most of the house warm, I do have 2 bedrooms at the opposite end opf the house that just don't get quite so warm. Is it OK to cut openings in the basement ceiling / main floor floor and try this to have the hot air rise? Do I do anything special for this? One post suggested the purpose of the registers was to have the cold air "fall" down to the basement, nto have the hot air rise up - that the case?


Thanks in advance

 

[firefighterjake]

Brand new to the site and so far I have found a bunch of things that have been quite helpfull - have been searching and reading all morning!

We've been buring last winter and just started this year, the nights are getting cold here in Ottawa already We live in a 1600 SQF bungalow (upstairs) with fully finished open plan basement. The stove is in the basement, on the centreline about 1/3 of the way from the side walls.

Couple of things:

1) I have a Napoleon / Wolf Steel NC-12 or NC-16 wood stove in the basement. Any idea how I tell which it is? I realize it's not an EPA stove, is there any way to retrofit it to become EPA?

What is the difference in wood use between EPA an non-EPA stoves? I went thru approx 9 face crods last winter (it get cold here) and am wondering if this is due to the stove being out dated based on what's available today?

2) If I were to replace it with an EPA, is buying a used stove a reasonable way to go? There's someone local to me with a 4 yr old Regency F3100 for sale with the blower and it looks like a decent deal new gasket and fire bricks. He says he's converting to corn. What kind of things should I look for if I want to consider used?

3) While the Napoloen stove does a good job of keeping most of the house warm, I do have 2 bedrooms at the opposite end opf the house that just don't get quite so warm. Is it OK to cut openings in the basement ceiling / main floor floor and try this to have the hot air rise? Do I do anything special for this? One post suggested the purpose of the registers was to have the cold air "fall" down to the basement, nto have the hot air rise up - that the case?


Thanks in advance

First off, welcome to the site.

Second, as you may or may not know, woodstoves in the basement often have some issues . . .namely being that some folks say if the basement is not insulated you lose a lot of your heat to the surrounding concrete.

To answer your questions . . .

1a) Check the back of your stove . . . many manufacturers (even those built in the '80s) have a plate on the back (or side) which may give you the stove ID, clearances, etc. . . . if nothing else take a pic of your stove and post it here . . . many folks with years of experience are pretty good at stove ID.

1b) I don't believe there is any real good way to retrofit an old stove to meet the EPA requirements . . . short of buying a new EPA stove.

1c) Most folks say the difference in wood consumption when going from pre-EPA tech to EPA tech is about 1/3 less wood used.

2a/2b) Going with a used stove can be a good option . . . if you know what you want, you know the size stove you need and you know what to look for in terms of making sure the stove has not been abused. Some signs to look out for are warped parts, discolored paint and broken parts such as glass, baffles, baffle tubes, etc. While some folks would have no issues going with a used stove, I personally (as a noob myself) felt more comfortable buying a new stove . . . that way I knew the stove had never been abused or over-fired.

3) I don't have any personal experience in moving the heat out of the basement . . . I do know some folks have had some success with fans . . . perhaps folks with real life experiences in moving the heat from the basement will chime in.

 

[53flyer]

I'm not an expert but if you only used 9 face cords (3 actual cords) that seems pretty good. I used about 5-6 cords last year to feed a Quadra-fire in the basement and I have trouble getting that air upstairs as well. As I said in my only other post so far, I even have two floor fans that we turn on low (high seems to cool down the air too much as it comes up) and still can't get it over 62-66 (without space heater help) while the basement room with the Quad is at 80-92'ish deg and the OAT is below freezing. I'd even thought of cutting a big 24"x46" whole with a grill cover directly over the Quad so the air would practically have no choice but to go straight upstairs!...

I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Pagey]

Welcome to the site! I'll try to share what little I know.

1.) Take a minute to read this link http://www.woodheat.org/technology/woodstoves.htm paying attention to the combustion design section. Basically, an EPA certified stove is designed to "reburn" the smoke (this process is referred to as secondary combustion) produced when wood burns (primary combustion). The construction of an EPA certified stove includes some type of baffle in the top of the stove. Think of it as a shelf that forces the smoke to travel in an S shape up the back of the fire box, along the baffle, and then over the lip of the baffle to the back of the stove to exit to the flue. In a traditional, non-EPA stove, there is usually no baffle to prevent the smoke from going straight to the chimney. There are different ways of achieving secondary combustion, but the two most popular designs on the market today are non-catalytic and catalytic. The link above will explain the difference and show you diagrams of each. A catalytic stove basically passes the smoke through a special ceramic catalyst treated with special metals, which causes the wood smoke to ignite at around 500F and burn. A non-catalytic stove usually introduces preheated secondary combustion air onto the top of the fire via a series of air tubes just below the baffle. The baffle material radiates heat back to the fire, and the heat/air/smoke all get together there and ignite. The bottom line with both designs is: cleaner emissions (by far) and more heat from your fuel, as the smoke is not sent up the chimney as waste.

2.) The issue in my mind that really jumps out buying used is: will the manufacturer honor the warranty? I don't know which, if any, will transfer the warranty, but it is something to consider. Also, with a new stove, you'll know FOR SURE how it's been treated since day one.

3.) Some people have success using registers in the floor, but I seem to recall reading that this can be against fire code in some areas. You might want to check any local codes. Consider your home owner's policy as well.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum KB007.

I hope your basement is insulated but it must be because you really are not burning that much wood. Definitely that is not a lot.

To what others have posted, I'll only add that we installed a new stove 2 years ago and it is our only source of heat. We used to burn 6-7 full cords of wood per winter and we now burn 3. The real kicker is that we are much warmer now than we were. Yes, the new stoves can be wonderful.

As to buying new vs. used, some folks are okay with used but I am pretty picky and like to know what the equipment has gone through or how it has been used. With a heating unit, there are so many things that could have gone wrong in the past....and I would not be willing to take a chance.

When one realizes the fire and heat required of a stove and then realizes the possible dangers it is difficult to understand why one would take chances. Why don't people buy used oil or gas furnaces? Why don't people scrimp when it comes time to install a furnace in the home? Yet these same people think nothing of going "cheap" with a wood burner! Think long and strong before you do.