Help With Stove Sizing/Purchase

[mgriffin]

I am new to this site and purchasing wood stoves. I have heated with wood for a number of years but only in rentals, so the stove in the house was not my choice. I have recently purchased a home and am planning on putting in a wood stove. Our house is a single floor bungalow, just under 900sf and has an open floor plan. I am looking for advice on optimum stove size.

The three stoves I have narrowed down to are the Nepoleon 1100PL (steel), the 1100C (cast) or the 1400PL. I plan to use the stove as the primary source of heat and thus would like to be able to keep a bed of coals through the night and work day (~8-9hrs). The 1400 seems like the clear choice for a 24/7 burn but I have concerns that burning this stove efficiently would produce too much heat for our 900sf home. I am sure the 1100 would produce enough heat for our home but am on the fence if it will keep a bed of coal overnight.

It is possible to find a stove that is suited for a home of 900sf that can be used as a 24/7 burner with out having to re-light the fire multiple times a day? If anyone has insight to this delima or can attest to the quality of these stoves I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks-Matt

 

[madison]

Is the bungalow located in Alaska or Florida? Does it have windows? Is it insulated ?

May get some more help with description, location, current heat type (? BTU furnace) etc

Have you researched/considered catalytic stoves as an option for long - low intensity burning?

 

[mgriffin]

Our house is located in Rhode Island where we have winters with average temps in the 20's-30's. The house is well insulated and currently heated with an oil fired tankless hot water heater. Plenty of windows in the house, all are double pained with a tight seal. The location I plan to put the stove is in a corner with one wall being primarily glass.

I have not looked into catlytic stoves, as the simplicty of non-catalytic is apealing. Possibly catalytic is the way to go.

 

[ecocavalier02]

youd be surprised how simple the blaze king is. almost fool proof as long as u have good dry wood.

 

[ecocavalier02]

youd be surprised how simple the blaze king is. almost fool proof as long as u have good dry wood.

 

[mgriffin]

Thanks for the insight. Still think i'm sold on non-catalytic. Does anyone have experience with Napoleon stoves. How does the quality compare to Jutol or Vemont Castings?

 

[begreen]

The first stove I thought of for this house is a mid-sized catalytic like the Woodstock Keystone or Paladian. That seems like the best fit. Using a cat + soapstone will give you the comfort you are looking for in a small space over the longest burning season. A Buck 20 stove might also work.

The Napoleons are good stoves and will do the job. But they won't provide the long burn times during the shoulder seasons like the Woodstock will. I would agree that the 1400 should give you better burn times, but this will most likely only be in winter. In fall/spring, to not overheat the house, you will be running partial loads of fuel and letting them die out.

 

[Renovation]

Thanks for the insight. Still think i'm sold on non-catalytic. Does anyone have experience with Napoleon stoves. How does the quality compare to Jutol or Vemont Castings?

Hi MGriffin,

I'm a newbie too, and started out sold on non-cats like you, for simplicity and low cost. The more I look into it, the more I think cats are the right match for me, for the reasons BeGreen mentioned. Cats give you the option of damping down a full firebox for a long, low burn--something non-cats cannot do--while retaining the option of a high output in cold weather. I'm looking for a 24/7 heater too, and that flexibility seems the right fit.

The Blaze King is pretty unique in having the cat and a thermostat to control the burn. Good luck, and I hope you find the stove that's right for you.

All the Best,

George

 

[krex1010]

Napoleon makes a solid stove at a good price, I looked at them when I was shopping, good rep and people seem to like them. Jotul is a step up from Napoleon pricewise and I think they make some of the nicest looking stoves out there and their repupation is excellent. As a heating appliance I think you would likely be happy with either brand. As far as Vermont castings go, I have heard things about their products and service that would make me avoid them right now, issues of products breaking down to soon and then not having warranties honored, hopefully VC gets it all straightened out but that is what I have heard about them.
I have no experience with cat stoves so I can't really say how they would work for you, but their owners here seem to love them, if you go with a non cat then you have to be careful about the size. Even a small stove will likely heat your home but you may be disappointed with the burn times and the constant swings in temp that will occur if you aren't able to feed it every couple of hours, but go to big and you will be spending more money for capacity you will never use. In my opinion I would go with a mid size stove, it seems that something with about a 2 cu ft firebox will give you the option of longer burn times but won't be too oversized.

 

[KB007]

We have a Napoleon 1450 which is a basic black version of the 1400. It was able to heat our 1800 sqft bungalow from the basement with a bit of help moving the air around, but was in no way heating us out of the house.

IMHO - go with the 1400 to get the much larger firebox to give you lots of flexibility. You can burn smaller fires in the spring/fall, which we were doing, but rarely was I not able to get a hot re-start after an over night burn in the spring/fall. Get the fan - it helps to move heat around - definitely worth the money.

Napoleon makes a good quality unit - we've had no issues with quality at all and it works quite well.

 

[Todd]

Just purchased a Woodstock Keystone this year to heat my main floor which is about 1000 sq ft. So far it heats the whole space just fine and doesn't blast you out of the stove room. I haven't pushed the stove yet but with a full load you can turn it down to a low slow burn and get an easy 8-10+ hour burn. I don't know of a similar sized non cat stove that can burn that long.

The folks at Woodstock are very helpful and will bend over backwards for you. They are having a sale with $500 off and the Fed tax credit is still good til the end of the year so that's another $600. Great time to buy. Check them out www.woodstove.com

 

[mgriffin]

Thanks everyone for your input. Catalytic stoves seem to be a great medium to achieve long efficient burns and will certainly keep them in mind for the future. I'm leaning toward the Napoleon 1100c due to low clearances, which is a huge plus in our case; reasonable price and good reviews. I feel our house is small and tight enough to hold the heat for a few hours when the stove burns out at night or when working. Now the finite planing of the installation can begin.

I appreciate your thoughts on the stoves.
Matt