For anyone doubting...

[bluedogz]

... whether an EPA stove makes any difference...

I've loaded the new 30 twice today, 5-6 medium-size splits each time, plenty more room to get crazy if I choose.

Question 1 from Mrs. Blue: "If it's this hot in here, shouldn't there be smoke coming out of the chimney?"

Question 2: "Can you, like, turn that thing down?"

 

[katwillny]

I usually load twice a day also. I try to fill it up to the brick line as it needs some room for the secondaries to do their thing. Tell Mrs Blue that if the wood is seasoned properly there should be little to no smoke coming out the top, just a white mist. As far as turning that thang down, well the only thing you can do is to limit the amount of air you give it by adjusting the knob at the bottom next to the ash pan. Those things get pretty hot very fast so keep an eye on it also make sure the ceramic boards are nice and even in the middle, there should be a space of about a quarter of an inch on both sides but they should be touching in the middle. Enjoy that bad boy, it puts out heat like a mother scratcher.

Franklin

 

[bluedogz]

Curious... I used to run the dragon at 550-600 stovetop, and that was fine to heat up the whole house. The 30 seems to put out more heat but only reads 400-450.

 

[wkpoor]

Just curious. How big a space are you heating, how high are the ceilings, and how warm is it there today.

 

[wkpoor]

When I went to an EPA stove it didn't get warmer for me. It just took less wood. What size was the old stove?

 

[bluedogz]

Just curious. How big a space are you heating, how high are the ceilings, and how warm is it there today.

Approx. 2500 sf, 8' ceilings, and it's 35 and windy.

When I went to an EPA stove it didn’t get warmer for me. It just took less wood. What size was the old stove?

Well, it's definitely taking me less wood for the same amount of heat.

Old stove was about a 2 cf smoke dragon Sierra... here it is...

 

[wkpoor]

That pic must be real deceiving as that old stove looks to be bigger than 2cuft.
2500sqft is pretty big and your doing real good then. How was the temps around the house.
I was talking to a friend about how I can't seem to the basement over 74 degrees even on a 40 degree day and he said well where are you measuring it at and what height. Well I quoted 74 middle of the room waist high cause that's where the thermometer was. I got the IR gun out and started checking around the room. Ceilings 9' high went from 109 close to stove to 85 other side of room. Floor went from over 100 to 68 middle of the room. So basically I've got more heat potential than I thought. Depends on where I take the measurement. Mind you all concrete floor and walls with 35' wall on opposite side bare block walkout. The wall itself measured 51 degrees.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I have a direct comparison as well. I just swapped out the Vigilant, which is over a 2.5 cu ft stove and put in an EPA catalytic Defiant. I can honestly say the Defiant is putting out more heat and using a lot less wood.

 

[Pallet Pete]

... whether an EPA stove makes any difference...

I've loaded the new 30 twice today, 5-6 medium-size splits each time, plenty more room to get crazy if I choose.

Question 1 from Mrs. Blue: "If it's this hot in here, shouldn't there be smoke coming out of the chimney?"

Question 2: "Can you, like, turn that thing down?"

Congratulations Bluedogz its a great feeling to be warm and save a ton of wood!

pete

 

[bluedogz]

That pic must be real deceiving as that old stove looks to be bigger than 2cuft.
2500sqft is pretty big and your doing real good then. How was the temps around the house.
I was talking to a friend about how I can't seem to the basement over 74 degrees even on a 40 degree day and he said well where are you measuring it at and what height. Well I quoted 74 middle of the room waist high cause that's where the thermometer was. I got the IR gun out and started checking around the room. Ceilings 9' high went from 109 close to stove to 85 other side of room. Floor went from over 100 to 68 middle of the room. So basically I've got more heat potential than I thought. Depends on where I take the measurement. Mind you all concrete floor and walls with 35' wall on opposite side bare block walkout. The wall itself measured 51 degrees.

The body of the stove is more than 2 cf, but the firebox is only 25"Wx12" deep x 10" H. Couldn't load N/S unless I burned clothespins.

Temps ran to about 80 in stove room, 76 next room over, and comfortably less around the rest of the house.

Sounds like you might need some practice moving hot air around the house... there's plenty of threads on that here.

 

[wkpoor]

Sounds like you might need some practice moving hot air around the house… there’s plenty of threads on that here.

Yeh and I have been in a lot of them myself for about 2yrs. I have experimented and tried everything except for cutting a big hole in the floor right over the stove. The problem is all about basment heating. And basement walkout is double or triple difficult. I'm going to try and solve the problem with an additional stove upstairs. But that will have some challenges as well since the great room ceiling is 18' that leads to an open loft room and a side bedroom. There is a big fan up there but I hate feeling air move in the room. I almost never use the fan even for cooling.

 

[begreen]

Run the fan in reverse on low speed during the heating season. There should be no noticeable draft running it this way.

 

[wkpoor]

Run the fan in reverse on low speed during the heating season. There should be no noticeable draft running it this way.

I know in the past I've tried it both ways and it never really made any difference in the comfort level. Blowing air up to spill down the walls doesn't seem to work maybe cause the air goes directly into the open stairwell and loft. I have experimented for 10yrs with all kinds of fans in ductwork and using the furnace fan and cutting holes in the plenums and blocking off this and that to try and circulate and nothing raises the temp upstairs. A 7 degree delta is always there unless the sun is out and I get some solar gain. I have concluded natural convection is doing its job but there is a certain amount of heat loss that is simply going to take more BTUs to overcome.
Blue, are you doing anything to move air or is it all naturel for the whole house?

 

[bluedogz]

Blue, are you doing anything to move air or is it all naturel for the whole house?

Tower fan in doorway of stove room. That's it.

 

[Dune]

Run the fan in reverse on low speed during the heating season. There should be no noticeable draft running it this way.

I know in the past I've tried it both ways and it never really made any difference in the comfort level. Blowing air up to spill down the walls doesn't seem to work maybe cause the air goes directly into the open stairwell and loft. I have experimented for 10yrs with all kinds of fans in ductwork and using the furnace fan and cutting holes in the plenums and blocking off this and that to try and circulate and nothing raises the temp upstairs. A 7 degree delta is always there unless the sun is out and I get some solar gain. I have concluded natural convection is doing its job but there is a certain amount of heat loss that is simply going to take more BTUs to overcome.
Blue, are you doing anything to move air or is it all naturel for the whole house?

They must have hit you with insulating the basement walls then?
Sounds like you shoud sleeper the slab too.