I live within city limits. My house has a natural gas furnace that I use in the evenings and mornings as "fill" heat. It's old though, circa 1981ish, and pretty inefficient, though I'm not sure exactly how inefficient. It's a 10 ton model.
I've got this beautiful Jotul F500, and I made a cool custom hearth for it:
Jotul Oslo F500 Wood Stove by Trevarthan, on Flickr
I've been using that stove as my primary heat source during the day for two years. Works great, but it's a pain to lug wood up from the backyard, through the basement, up the stairs to the first floor. Also, the wood particulate gets everywhere. I know I'm being a big baby. Winter doesn't last very long in Tennessee and it doesn't get very cold, but I'm the kind of guy who is always looking to improve things. I have a hard time leaving it alone if I see an obvious improvement that CAN be made.
I bought the Jotul because I enjoy having a backup heat source that doesn't rely on electricity or the city. It saves a bit of money each month too, but I think I more than make up for it in manual labor. I've been wondering for a while if I'm crazy and I just need to get a gas stove instead.
Why a stove at all? It's an old medium sized 1920s house. Plaster walls with no insulation. The ceiling and floor have insulation, but it's not a modern home by any means. The original windows have storms, and while ugly, I dare not remove them. Most of the glazing is in need of replacement on the old windows. I'm slowly working through that backlog of work. But anyway, the living room is usually uncomfortably cold in the winter, so it's nice to have a fire. I like fire. It's kind of a luxury these days.
The gas line is right beside the masonry chimney, so I figure installation would be about as straight forward as it could be. Drill either up from the basement where the furnace is, or through the chimney. (probably up since it's easier)
I know the gas hearth stoves are probably less efficient than even my old 1980s gas furnace (65% is what I'm seeing on the Jotul site). So I'm not expecting operating costs to be cheaper. Just more convenient.
My problem is... man... the gas units just aren't as attractive. The Jotul GF 400 BV Sebago looks ideal. Nearly the same stats as my F500, and it says it doesn't require electricity to operate: http://jotul.com/us/products/stoves/f-400-series/jotul-gf-400-bv-sebago
But that "nautical" styling just looks... ugh... over the top, to me. Too busy and frilly. Is there a gas stove out there that is as attractive as the F500? I know, first world problems. Try not to take this thread too seriously, please. I'm just curious and looking for ideals in a non-ideal world.
I've got this beautiful Jotul F500, and I made a cool custom hearth for it:
Jotul Oslo F500 Wood Stove by Trevarthan, on Flickr
I've been using that stove as my primary heat source during the day for two years. Works great, but it's a pain to lug wood up from the backyard, through the basement, up the stairs to the first floor. Also, the wood particulate gets everywhere. I know I'm being a big baby. Winter doesn't last very long in Tennessee and it doesn't get very cold, but I'm the kind of guy who is always looking to improve things. I have a hard time leaving it alone if I see an obvious improvement that CAN be made.
I bought the Jotul because I enjoy having a backup heat source that doesn't rely on electricity or the city. It saves a bit of money each month too, but I think I more than make up for it in manual labor. I've been wondering for a while if I'm crazy and I just need to get a gas stove instead.
Why a stove at all? It's an old medium sized 1920s house. Plaster walls with no insulation. The ceiling and floor have insulation, but it's not a modern home by any means. The original windows have storms, and while ugly, I dare not remove them. Most of the glazing is in need of replacement on the old windows. I'm slowly working through that backlog of work. But anyway, the living room is usually uncomfortably cold in the winter, so it's nice to have a fire. I like fire. It's kind of a luxury these days.
The gas line is right beside the masonry chimney, so I figure installation would be about as straight forward as it could be. Drill either up from the basement where the furnace is, or through the chimney. (probably up since it's easier)
I know the gas hearth stoves are probably less efficient than even my old 1980s gas furnace (65% is what I'm seeing on the Jotul site). So I'm not expecting operating costs to be cheaper. Just more convenient.
My problem is... man... the gas units just aren't as attractive. The Jotul GF 400 BV Sebago looks ideal. Nearly the same stats as my F500, and it says it doesn't require electricity to operate: http://jotul.com/us/products/stoves/f-400-series/jotul-gf-400-bv-sebago
But that "nautical" styling just looks... ugh... over the top, to me. Too busy and frilly. Is there a gas stove out there that is as attractive as the F500? I know, first world problems. Try not to take this thread too seriously, please. I'm just curious and looking for ideals in a non-ideal world.
