Considering Gas Stove

[mattyarbro]

First Post Here:

I want to add a stove to my basement, considering gas, wood, pellet, electric...

Info: 1600 sq. ft. each floor in a 2 floor home with lower floor being a walkout basement. Gas forced air existing. I just can't seem to keep the basement at a comfortable temperature in the winter. My home does not have an existing chimney or fireplace, my insulation is very good, windows good, doors good also... This basement has 3 bedrooms and one large game room where I would like the stove to be placed.

I have my eye on a Lopi NG Stove rated to heat 800-1500 sq. ft. at approx 38,000 BTU. I like the price and specs... but I am very concerned about fuel costs in the future.. My neighbors think that a pellet would be a better option, but I also feel that the fuel price is an issue also.

If I had my dream..I would build a masonry chimney on my home...I live on a hill so it would be very, very tall..and expensive...and put in a free standing wood stove. Up here in Spokane I have good access to Larch (Tamarack) wood $250 for 2 cords, but the installation costs are going to be insane...

So, any advice or tips would be appreciated. For the last few winters I have been using 5, yes 5, electric space heaters to heat the basement.

 

[Highbeam]

Hmmm, I tore down a masonry chimney. They look nice but lots of issues. I've been to Spakane several times and see lots and lots of steel chimney pipes coming from houses. Why not run a regular chiney pipe out instead of a masonry chiney and then put in the wood stove that you want?

If I had NG I would be very inclined to install an NG stove. That is currently the cheapest way to go since the efficiency is so good abscent the ductwork. No noise either as a pellet stove would make.

You've got some good options and several good choices.

 

[Redox]

Ya, masonry is overrated. I bulldozed a brick fireplace when we redid our addition and put in a class A chimney and a freestanding wood stove. Big difference in draft!

NG is a great fuel, if you can get it. Clean, quiet, efficient and a good deal right now. Pellet prices are climbing quickly and NG is will probably also go up to match it. I suspect that both will be comparable in price for a while at least and less than oil or propane. Gas stoves are also cheaper than pellet stoves and are probably more available right now.

I would lean towards the gas stove as you aren't likely to be running it for hours on end to heat the whole house. Pellets would be my second choice if you can't get NG, but you have it, soooo...

Wood stoves are for us crazies that don't mind the work, or the mess, or the inconvenience of a heat source that costs less than any other form of heat, 'cept for solar...

Chris

 

[R&D Guy]

Natural Gas all the way. A pellet stove is more costly to run, REQUIRES weekly maintenance/cleaning, and as already stated, you have to buy pellets, find somewhere dry to store them, and feed the unit every few days.

With a gas unit, you just hook it up to a thermostat, or turn it on when your using the room (I'd get a thermostat remote so you don't even have to get up) and maybe clean the glass once a year.

NG is still relatively cheap.

 

[R&D Guy]

Oh-Yeah, did I mention the gas unit will still work in a power outage?

 

[Redox]

Oh-Yeah, did I mention the gas unit will still work in a power outage?

At least it will if it has millivolt controls on it. That remote control doodad requires power at the stove.

Chris

 

[R&D Guy]

Oh-Yeah, did I mention the gas unit will still work in a power outage?

At least it will if it has millivolt controls on it. That remote control doodad requires power at the stove.

Chris

I think you'll be surprised, the newer remote systems today work on 6 volts DC which allows battery backup (4 AA's). If it's engineered right there should also be a manual on/off switch on the unit. Now the blower, that another story. 8-/