How big and why?

[Hakusan]

Hello.

I am sure I am asking a question that has been posted before, but if you can bare with me, I hope to learn from your experience. I want to heat with a wood stove (naturally). In particular I am looking at two Pacific Energy units, Super 27 and Summit. The house is a 1.5 story 1800 sqft modular cape built in 1995. The insulation is standard for the construction. The stove will be located in the center of the house and the house is partitioned. I would like to primarily heat with wood, but I will have an oil burner. The specs for the Super 27 would say it is good for this building. Because of the winters here in Central Maine, I am wondering if the Summit would be a better fit.

How bad is having a stove that is too big?

And here is where things get fuzzy for me (not really questions but things that are bugging me in order to get to an answer):

Early in the season, most stoves are going to have to be dampened simply because heat loss from the building is going to be lower. They are effectively too big for the space, but it can't be a serious problem.
Burns do not give even output--it takes time to warm up and will die down over time so heating is not even over time.
I plan to cut my own wood from my own property and so will be using hardwoods and softwoods and so I imagine a large stove will work better with the lower energy of softwoods.
Why not use less wood so not to overheat a space? Wouldn't five pounds of wood give off equal energy regardless of the difference between a medium and large firebox (in particular, the Super 27 and Summit)?
I understand the large firebox can give longer burn times because it can hold more fuel. Wouldn't restocking and restarting a smaller stove be less efficient?

I have never heated with wood before. Your thoughts are appreciated.

 

[Brian VT]

Go big. It's more fun hanging out in your underwear than in a sweater or blanket.

 

[Hakusan]

This guy may not agree with hot enough to hang out in underwear theory..

 

[gzecc]

I would err on the side of too big rather than too small. You can always slow down, add less fuel, open the damper, use lesser btu fuel, etc to reduce heat output. If its twice as big as necessary than its too big!
If its an open floor plan and you can disperse the heat, I wouldn't be concerned with < 25% too big. If its in a closed off room it will be no fun.

 

[Jags]

All of your assumptions on smaller wood loads, etc. are correct. That being said, even though I like the 27, in your case I would personally go with the Summit (or comparable size stove). Seems to be a better fit in my opinion.

 

[Wet1]

I wouldn't go with anything less than a 3 cu ft fire box with a 1800 sq ft area. Anything less and you might find you'll have to reload the stove too frequently. Nothing worse than having to get up in the middle of the night to reload the stove, or wake up cold... Go larger than you think you might need and you wont be sorry.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Hakusan it sounds as if you are thinking about right. However one point you make would concern me and that is your statement, "I plan to cut my own wood from my own property and so will be using hardwoods and softwoods and so I imagine a large stove will work better with the lower energy of softwoods."

If you plan on burning wood next fall or winter, that wood should already be cut, split and stacked out in the sun and wind in order to be ready to burn next fall or winter. Even then, some wood will still not be ready to burn. For example, it takes a minimum of 2 years to season red oak. So if you haven't got your wood ready yet, get it done ASAP and split it small. Stack in single rows in sun and wind. Good luck.

 

[Hakusan]

Thanks for all the replies. You are confirming my gut reaction to go with the bigger stove.

Thanks for the heads up about seasoning wood. I have already started cutting and splitting some blowdown at my current residence. I hope to clear out some blow down as soon as I get to my new place. Whether I will have enough wood for my first winter, I am not sure, but you got to start with what you are dealt.

Thanks again.

 

[PapaDave]

This guy may not agree with hot enough to hang out in underwear theory..

Looks like my Katie.
Like the dog, go big.

 

[firefighterjake]

Just echoing here.

Some of the best advice I read here when I was considering what type of stove and what sized stove to get was to go a bit bigger than what I thought . . . not so big that you're continually blasted out by the fusion-like heat . . . but rather slightly larger than what you think you need for those wicked cold days, for that time in the future you opt to build on or for the plain, simple fact that when a manufacturer says their stove will heat x square feet or produce y BTUs they don't necessarily have your house in mind (with the variables of insulation thickness and type, open vs. closed construction, etc.)

So as others have said . . . going a bit bigger is generally a good idea. Going way too big is probably not a good idea unless you're trying to turn your house into a sauna all winter long.

Going with a slightly larger stove is fine . . . you can always build a smaller fire in it when you just need a small fire to take off the chill . . . whereas in middle of winter when the winds are howling and the temps are below the donut a smaller stove going full bore may not be up to the task of heating your home.

In the shoulder seasons you can use the air control to control the heat output . . . or you can not load up the firebox as full . . . or you can select wood that will tend to produce quick, hot fires (like softwood . .. or softwood slabs in my case) which work well to warm the place up without making it too hot. Of course, if it gets too hot you can always open a window.

One thing that I did not find (although I expected to find) was a lot of temp fluctuations . . . in general once my stove is up and running the temps in the room do not fluctuate so much that I feel really cold or really hot . . . about the only time I really notice the temp difference is when I get up on a winter morning and have to get the stove back up and running after letting it go all night unattended.

Softwood and hardwood . . . it's all good . . . if it's seasoned. In general I like using a mix of the two . . . the softwoods tend to get the fire up and running pretty quickly and the hardwoods produce some good heat on a long term scale. Softwood is also great for shoulder seasons. That said, as our western compatriots are so fond of pointing out . . . all wood can be burned if it is seasoned as they pretty much are limited to burning softwood. As others have mentioned, the key is to get wood cut, split and stacked as soon as possible . . . standing dead wood would be useful . . . as is ash (used late in the winter) . . . split smaller rather than larger to get it as dry as possible. In my case, having a lot of standing dead elm really saved me last year.

And finally . . . I'm always curious to know what one considers Central Maine to be . . . seems as though the answer varies from place to place with folks saying it is LA, Augusta/Waterville or even Bangor.

 

[Lanningjw]

My 1.3 cf insert works buts it too small when it gets really cold in Jan weather in Minnesota. The smaller stoves require alot more messing around. Thats why I got the new stove.
My wood is cut and split and getting ready.
I have learned from the advise of the other wood burners on this forum. The guys on this forum are so willing to share advise.
Jim

 

[Hakusan]

Thanks again for the input.

Central Maine does not have hard and fast boundaries. It is in the area from Augusta to Penobscot bay. As far North as Bangor and Waterville and as far south as Brunswick. But when your consider more of Maine exists North of Bangor than South of it and Brunswick is closer to the NH coast than to Bangor, what does "central" really mean?

 

[TreePapa]

"How big and why" ... isn't that a personal question?

 

[iceman]

if i were you get the biggest stove possible that you can afford maine has tough winters and you might lose power.... the summit would be the smallest i would get if i was you... you also must learn how to "move airflow " in your house ....
i have a summit and love it ...... it can still be tough to heat my whole house in the dead of winter when its 0 outside ... especially when i have to leave and go to work..

 

[BrotherBart]

I like big firebox stoves just for the fact that they give me some working room in there. I hate little stoves that require a CAD program to figure out what splits to pack it with. Less splitting to do also.

Even on the three degree nights in January I didn't "stuff" the 30-NCL to the top. Just put in three honkin big splits and let'er run.

 

[gpcollen1]

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/choosing_a_wood_stove

Good info right here just for the taking - other articles too.

 

[Arlo]

I heat with a Jotul f600 which will heat 3000 sq feet. My house is 1200 sq ft. I burn 24/7, back of the house where the stove is stays around 85, front of house 80, bedrooms (farthest from stove) 75. I used 90 gallons of oil last year only because my domestic is hooked to my boiler.

As I used to say in Summit County back country "Go Big or Go Home"

 

[rdust]

I burn 24/7, back of the house where the stove is stays around 85, front of house 80, bedrooms (farthest from stove) 75.

You must be cold blooded! I don't like being that warm in the summer, no way I'm interested in that during the winter! I have my house at 70* right now due to newborn in the house and it's driving me nuts!

 

[iceman]

I heat with a Jotul f600 which will heat 3000 sq feet. My house is 1200 sq ft. I burn 24/7, back of the house where the stove is stays around 85, front of house 80, bedrooms (farthest from stove) 75. I used 90 gallons of oil last year only because my domestic is hooked to my boiler.

As I used to say in Summit County back country "Go Big or Go Home"

that is beautiful... wow doesnt even look "real" thats looks like a poster or something

 

[Arlo]

I heat with a Jotul f600 which will heat 3000 sq feet. My house is 1200 sq ft. I burn 24/7, back of the house where the stove is stays around 85, front of house 80, bedrooms (farthest from stove) 75. I used 90 gallons of oil last year only because my domestic is hooked to my boiler.

As I used to say in Summit County back country "Go Big or Go Home"

that is beautiful... wow doesnt even look "real" thats looks like a poster or something

thanks, appreciate the comments. Did the install and built the hearth myself. Wife did the tiles.

As for the heat, yep were both cold blooded.

 

[BrowningBAR]

As for the heat, yep were both cold blooded.

You would have hated it this year when my furnace broke and my upstairs temp was 40*. (Hell, I hated it!)

 

[gibson]

One more vote for going on the big side. I don't need to tell you how cold it gets up there!

 

[Arlo]

As for the heat, yep were both cold blooded.

You would have hated it this year when my furnace broke and my upstairs temp was 40*. (Hell, I hated it!)

As Richard Proeneke would have said....""Thanks to my fireplace and my stove, my cabin is a toasty 40 degrees"

Yep thats a little less than 80.

 

[Martin Strand III]

"Bigger is not always better" when it comes to spring and fall heating.

The important subject which has not been mentioned in the above rants and advice is Partial Charge Efficiency.

First realize the most efficient and environmentally responsible way of heating with cordwood is to burn it rapidly in a brisk fire at high temperature. The hotter the fire, the higher the combustion efficiency and the lower the emission level.

Next realize each stove model and size has its own ideal fuel load being burned at a certain temperature range to minimize unwanted emissions and still provide the desired heat output. Too big a load burned too hot may over fire the stove and/or provide too much heat. Too big a load burned not hot enough may provide the desired heat but will produce unwanted emissions and creosote build up. Too small a fuel load burned hot may not be able to heat the stove enough to be be "efficient" since some stoves do not handle small fuel charges efficiently because higher temperatures are needed to obtain non-smoldering combustion. Too small a fuel load not burned hot enough is obviously not going to provide heat just emissions.

What you want is a stove that handles reasonable fuel charges with equal efficiency. This is especially important during the milder days of the heating season when only a partial charge is required.

Unfortunately, there is no specific correct answer to your question "How big and why?" However, now armed with this information, you may have a better chance of obtaining a better choice in stoves by asking more appropriate questions of the stove dealer. Good luck.

Aye,
Marty
Grandma used to say, "Work smarter, not harder."

 

[Hakusan]

Marty, thanks for the post. Burn efficiency is what I am having trouble with. If I just need heat, I can burn my furniture, but that may not be the best way to go.

And thanks to the other member who keep adding to this thread.