HI200 too small?

[bender]

Hi, I could use some help in verifying an insert size.

I just ordered an Hampton HI200 based on discussions with the dealer, but having read through so many posts here I'm wondering if its going to be too small (1.2 cu ft firebox)?

The fireplace I'm looking to put this in is in the kitchen, center of the house, in an area that is hard to feel comfortable in due to an adjacent 12x20 sunroom addition with vaulted ceiling that sinks all the house's heat in our New Hampshire winters.

If I total up the area of the kitchen, dining room and addition, I'm still only around 650 sq ft, so it seemed like the HI200 made sense. The entire two bedroom cape is probably 1500 sq ft. I have 20 acres of hemlock which I would certainly like to utilize but I can get hardwood at $200/cord from a friend. I imagine the rated 55,000 btu of this stove is with hardwood and I should derate that for hemlock.

The only point I have for comparison is that I do own a few kerosine shop heaters and I run one in the kitchen when we lose power. A 23kBTU/hr unvented heater seems about right... in November it would be too much but on a cold winter night you would certainly like more. Is 55kBTU from this stove per hour, or some ideal peak number that I'll never achieve?

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Hemlock will burn fast and hot, but not as long. Hardwood will sustain heat for longer (overnight). With a small firebox you'll want to burn denser wood overnight at least. Make sure that all wood is dry- hemlock is sopping wet when first cut and may need a year to dry.

Do you have a ceiling fan in that vaulted ceiling? That should help quite a bit.

 

[fossil]

The BTU rating is, indeed per hour...now, whether or not you can ever really achieve/maintain that output depends on the fuel, and on the way you load and operate the appliance. Welcome to the forum! (ceiling fan - YES!) Rick

 

[kmdesautelle]

I looked at this model as well, but when I took one of my 16" split logs into the store, I realized I would be burning the wood one piece at a time because the firebox was so small.

 

[bluefrier]

According to the BTU calculator, a 4 hour burn with 22lbs of hardwood from a 1.2 cu ft firebox would yeild 21945 btu's per hour.

 

[bender]

Interesting that the calculated BTU/hr can be so much lower than advertised (why should I be surprised?) If I play with the calculations, I'm coming to the conclusion that the 1.2 cu-ft firebox will be just about right with hardwood, if I can fit it in the box and if its not too cold. Basically, no margin and probably not good enough if I were to burn my hemlock. If I were to step up to the next model with 2.3 cu-ft firebox, is there any problem with running the thing with less than full firebox most of the time?

I do have a ceiling fan in the addition, but we don't sit in that room in the winter any more. It's three walls of sliding glass doors and tall windows. Lovely in the summer but stupid in the winter. Built back in a time when oil was 50-cents a gallon I'm sure.