How long do you leave your stove for?

[Creekyphil]

Hi Everybody,

I've been lurking on this site doing research for weeks, but I've only posted a couple of times. This forum is an amazing resource, and I wanted to thank everybody that contributes.

The reason I have to research is because I just bought a house, with wood heat. It was owned by an older, retired gentleman who burned a stove in the house, and one in the barn, as his primary heat. He passed recently, and his son is selling the place.

The house stove was an old Fisher (Mama Bear?), used in 2,000 sq ft of open floor plan. Its mostly a large open first floor, with a lofted second floor with 2 bedrooms. The insulation isn't as good as I'd like, but that is a problem to be sorted out when the weather is better. The stove was routed through a external masonry chimney. I'm not sure exactly how tall, but I don't expect to have draft issues.

The barn stove was a barrel stove. Its a 6 car garage and workshop on the first floor, with a large pool room/ bar area above it.

There is NG baseboard heat in the house that he used as a backup when he went away, but the stoves were adequate for his primary heat. Anyway, I'm closing next week, and still have a few things that I need to get sorted. I was under the impression that the two stoves would be coming with the house, so I could use them while I sorted out what I wanted to do, but it turns out that the stoves are gone, so I have to figure out a plan sooner than I thought. I'll be using the gas until I can get some new stoves in there. When he passed, the previous owner did leave around 12 cords of good local hardwood c/s/s in the yard. His son said that he thinks that its three years worth, which seems reasonable to me for burning in the house 24/7 and the workshop during the day.

I'm actually excited that the stoves are gone, instead of the wood, which would have been much more of a hassle.

I'm thinking that the final solution will be one stove in the house, a large one in the downstairs of the garage, and a small one upstairs.

I would like to use wood heat as much as possible, but I'm not sure about the practicality of a wood stove in the house. I am out of the house for at least 10 hours a day for work, sometimes as much as 16 hours. There will be other people coming and going (girlfriend, roommate, etc.), but I do not want to have to rely on them to be able to effectively heat the place.

If I were to get a large stove in the house, I'm not sure that I'm comfortable leaving it for the day unattended. A cat stove might be able to get me the kind of burn times that I need, but if I'm not around to bypass the cat or reload, I'm going to ruin it. I don't expect to be able to burn long enough with a non-cat stove. I think I may have to end up with a pellet stove, which is not my first choice, but I just can't see it working with a wood stove. Its a shame to have to pay for pellets, especially because I have access to unlimited free firewood (I own some other land that I can cut), and 3 years of wood already seasoning. I will be able to burn it off eventually in the barn, but I think its going to take me ages. I may even end up selling off some to help pay for pellets.

Just wanted to see what all the wise folks here had to say about the situation, and what they would recommend. Am I right in thinking that those kind of burn times are impossible? Do people here even leave their stoves unattended? I know that the owners manual will say not to leave it unattended, but I'm just curious if that is what happens in practice.

Thanks.

 

[ruth140]

as long as your stove is properly installed to meet all state and local codes you can leave your stove unattended.
i'm not sure why you think you will get a longer burn from a cat stove vs non cat.
non cat epa stoves will be easier to work, not requiring a by pass damper etc.
if you have a room mate to help you with the loading of the stove when you are not there it would make great sense to use wood and not pellets , since you have FREE wood

 

[HotCoals]

Get a cat and don't look back.
I have burned 24/7 for years.
Just recently with a cat..wish I had done it years ago.
Do your maintenance with the chimney and have everything set up correctly and it's all good.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Hi Everybody,

I've been lurking on this site doing research for weeks, but I've only posted a couple of times. This forum is an amazing resource, and I wanted to thank everybody that contributes.

The reason I have to research is because I just bought a house, with wood heat. It was owned by an older, retired gentleman who burned a stove in the house, and one in the barn, as his primary heat. He passed recently, and his son is selling the place.

The house stove was an old Fisher (Mama Bear?), used in 2,000 sq ft of open floor plan. Its mostly a large open first floor, with a lofted second floor with 2 bedrooms. The insulation isn't as good as I'd like, but that is a problem to be sorted out when the weather is better. The stove was routed through a external masonry chimney. I'm not sure exactly how tall, but I don't expect to have draft issues.

The barn stove was a barrel stove. Its a 6 car garage and workshop on the first floor, with a large pool room/ bar area above it.

There is NG baseboard heat in the house that he used as a backup when he went away, but the stoves were adequate for his primary heat. Anyway, I'm closing next week, and still have a few things that I need to get sorted. I was under the impression that the two stoves would be coming with the house, so I could use them while I sorted out what I wanted to do, but it turns out that the stoves are gone, so I have to figure out a plan sooner than I thought. I'll be using the gas until I can get some new stoves in there. When he passed, the previous owner did leave around 12 cords of good local hardwood c/s/s in the yard. His son said that he thinks that its three years worth, which seems reasonable to me for burning in the house 24/7 and the workshop during the day.

I'm actually excited that the stoves are gone, instead of the wood, which would have been much more of a hassle.

I'm thinking that the final solution will be one stove in the house, a large one in the downstairs of the garage, and a small one upstairs.

I would like to use wood heat as much as possible, but I'm not sure about the practicality of a wood stove in the house. I am out of the house for at least 10 hours a day for work, sometimes as much as 16 hours. There will be other people coming and going (girlfriend, roommate, etc.), but I do not want to have to rely on them to be able to effectively heat the place.

If I were to get a large stove in the house, I'm not sure that I'm comfortable leaving it for the day unattended. A cat stove might be able to get me the kind of burn times that I need, but if I'm not around to bypass the cat or reload, I'm going to ruin it. I don't expect to be able to burn long enough with a non-cat stove. I think I may have to end up with a pellet stove, which is not my first choice, but I just can't see it working with a wood stove. Its a shame to have to pay for pellets, especially because I have access to unlimited free firewood (I own some other land that I can cut), and 3 years of wood already seasoning. I will be able to burn it off eventually in the barn, but I think its going to take me ages. I may even end up selling off some to help pay for pellets.

Just wanted to see what all the wise folks here had to say about the situation, and what they would recommend. Am I right in thinking that those kind of burn times are impossible? Do people here even leave their stoves unattended? I know that the owners manual will say not to leave it unattended, but I'm just curious if that is what happens in practice.

Thanks.

A blaze king (cat stove), Equinox (non-cat), and a few other stoves have long burn times.

And people leave their stoves unattended all the time. No different than if you were sleeping. You will not ruin a cat stove doing this either.

 

[HotCoals]

as long as your stove is properly installed to meet all state and local codes you can leave your stove unattended.
i'm not sure why you think you will get a longer burn from a cat stove vs non cat.
non cat epa stoves will be easier to work, not requiring a by pass damper etc.
if you have a room mate to help you with the loading of the stove when you are not there it would make great sense to use wood and not pellets , since you have FREE wood



i'm not sure why you think you will get a longer burn from a cat stove vs non cat.

Because he will.

 

[remkel]

All I can do here is share what I do.

1- I load the stove in the morning for the family and let it run all day while I am at work
2- Wife usually gets home a little before me. She gets the stove going again using whatever coals may be available.

Basically my stove is going 24/7. I am not aware of any stoves that have 10-16 hour burn times, but if you find one, please share the information.

I would also add that growing up our house was heated using a VC Defiant which ran all day while we were all out at work/school. At the hunting camp we leave the wood stove going while we are out in the woods. I find many people become nervous when first operating wood stoves afraid of fire. If the stove is installed properly, combustible materials are kept away from it, and you are conducting proper chimney maintenance with regular cleaning/inspection you should be all right.

There are others on this site who I know have much more experience than me that may tell me I am crazy, but that is how I have always done it.

Good luck and absolutely good fortune on the 3 years supply!

 

[Creekyphil]

I was considering a BKK cat, but was afraid that the cat would get ruined if the stove temps drop too low at the end of the burn. I know that there isn't much gas left at that point, but there is still some, right? Wouldn't this contribute to premature clogging of the cat?

 

[Hardrockmaple]

I routinely leave the house at 6 a.m. with my small firebox full/burning/closed down and return to a decent bed of coals around 6:30p.m. Throw in 3-4 smaller sticks and 1/2 hour later the stove is back up to operating temps. No biggy at all IMO.

 

[heatwise]

welcome. i think the not leaving the stove unatended is a disclaimer. you should be able to get a stove to heat for most of the day , lots of people on here have em and run 24/7. having wood is half the battle and it sounds like your in front. i hope you choose to get the stoves replaced and end up with a better set up than the previous owner. you can set your ng to kick in whenever it gets realy cold. good luck on your decisions. pete

 

[BrowningBAR]

I was considering a BKK cat, but was afraid that the cat would get ruined if the stove temps drop too low at the end of the burn. I know that there isn't much gas left at that point, but there is still some, right? Wouldn't this contribute to premature clogging of the cat?

Nope.

 

[HotCoals]

Three year full guarantee from BK on the cat..pro rated for another three years.
I get 24 hour burn times in the shoulder seasons....12 or more easy in the cold temps.
The thermostat does make a difference.
I went four weeks the first time cleaning the ash out..now three weeks the second time.
You will appreciate e the deep and large firebox of the BK.
I'm sure there are other cat stoves that will get the job done also for longer burns.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Three year full guarantee from BK on the cat..pro rated for another three years.
I get 24 hour burn times in the shoulder seasons....12 or more easy in the cold temps.
The thermostat does make a difference.
I went four weeks the first time cleaning the ash out..now three weeks the second time.
You will appreciate e the deep and large firebox of the BK.
I'm sure there are other cat stoves that will get the job done also for longer burns.

Doesn't Buck make a few large cat stoves?

 

[HotCoals]

Three year full guarantee from BK on the cat..pro rated for another three years.
I get 24 hour burn times in the shoulder seasons....12 or more easy in the cold temps.
The thermostat does make a difference.
I went four weeks the first time cleaning the ash out..now three weeks the second time.
You will appreciate e the deep and large firebox of the BK.
I'm sure there are other cat stoves that will get the job done also for longer burns.

Doesn't Buck make a few large cat stoves?

I think so..I have just always have had BK's..just two of them actually.
First one went 24 years and it could have went longer.
I have been around tube secondary's and they are more work then a cat if you ask me..trying to keep the secondary's lighted anyways...even at that I almost bought a Lopi Liberty.
Way cheaper then the 3200 + tax that I had to pay for the new BK cat classic.
But in retrospect..it was worth it for me.

 

[Creekyphil]

Somebody mentioned the Kuma Sequoia in another thread as a large cat stove. I missed it in my research, so I'll have to dig into that a bit. There are Vermont Elm cat stoves in that class as well, and a hybrid cat / secondary system is interesting.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Three year full guarantee from BK on the cat..pro rated for another three years.
I get 24 hour burn times in the shoulder seasons....12 or more easy in the cold temps.
The thermostat does make a difference.
I went four weeks the first time cleaning the ash out..now three weeks the second time.
You will appreciate e the deep and large firebox of the BK.
I'm sure there are other cat stoves that will get the job done also for longer burns.

Doesn't Buck make a few large cat stoves?

I think so..I have just always have had BK's..just two of them actually.
First one went 24 years and it could have went longer.
I have been around tube secondary's and they are more work then a cat if you ask me..trying to keep the secondary's lighted anyways...even at that I almost bought a Lopi Liberty.
Way cheaper then the 3200 + tax that I had to pay for the new BK cat classic.
But in retrospect..it was worth it for me.

I run a non-cat, a cat, and a pre-EPA stove. Not much of a difference. (the cat stove is a pain in the ass, but it has nothing to do with the cat).

 

[HotCoals]

I don't know what you are referring to then saying a cat stove is a pain.
I can leave my cat on by pass and use it the same way my non cat BK was if I wanted to..I still have the damper in the pipe.
But I have no idea why I would do that.
There is no diff in running the BK cat as opposed to the non BK cat.
You just use the bypass handle instead of the damper..that's all.
It is actually easier to use the cat version..I just set the thermostat and leave it there most of the time.
I would never go back to non cat.
Way cleaner burning also.

 

[HotCoals]

The only drawback that I have seen is that my glass will get dirty very easy...but I don't care.
My wood could be better seasoned then that would help that.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I don't know what you are referring to then saying a cat stove is a pain.
I can leave my cat on by pass and use it the same way my non cat BK was if I wanted to..I still have the damper in the pipe.
But I have no idea why I would do that.
There is no diff in running the BK cat as opposed to the non BK cat.
You just use the bypass handle instead of the damper..that's all.
It is actually easier to use the cat version..I just set the thermostat and leave it there most of the time.
I would never go back to non cat.
Way cleaner burning also.

You miss-read. The stove is a pain in the ass. It just happens to be a Cat stove. The cat part has nothing to do with it being a pain in the ass.

 

[HotCoals]

I don't know what you are referring to then saying a cat stove is a pain.
I can leave my cat on by pass and use it the same way my non cat BK was if I wanted to..I still have the damper in the pipe.
But I have no idea why I would do that.
There is no diff in running the BK cat as opposed to the non BK cat.
You just use the bypass handle instead of the damper..that's all.
It is actually easier to use the cat version..I just set the thermostat and leave it there most of the time.
I would never go back to non cat.
Way cleaner burning also.

You miss-read. The stove is a pain in the ass. It just happens to be a Cat stove. The cat part has nothing to do with it being a pain in the ass.

No ..I understood that part..just waiting to hear the PIA part..lol.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I don't know what you are referring to then saying a cat stove is a pain.
I can leave my cat on by pass and use it the same way my non cat BK was if I wanted to..I still have the damper in the pipe.
But I have no idea why I would do that.
There is no diff in running the BK cat as opposed to the non BK cat.
You just use the bypass handle instead of the damper..that's all.
It is actually easier to use the cat version..I just set the thermostat and leave it there most of the time.
I would never go back to non cat.
Way cleaner burning also.

You miss-read. The stove is a pain in the ass. It just happens to be a Cat stove. The cat part has nothing to do with it being a pain in the ass.

No ..I understood that part..just waiting to her the PIA part..lol.

It's an intrepid. Short burn times. Poor heat output. Reload is a pain in the ass. Need to crack the door way to long with dry wood (under 20% moisture). Over-priced parts. VC customer service is poor.

 

[HotCoals]

Oh..I see.
I spent a lot of money for my stove...and trust me if it was not worth it I would tell it.
The thermostat could be a little faster acting..that's all I see that I would like changed.

 

[branchburner]

First thing is see what size and shape the flue is in - if it is going to be lined, will it fit an 8", or only a 6" liner? If only 6", that will eliminate a few of the bigger cat stoves. Even if you don't get a cat stove, if your firebox is well over 3 cu ft any good EPA stove should leave you some coals after 10 hours. If you can, though, get the big cat and don't look back. One more to consider: Country Flame BBF. http://www.americanenergysystems.com/model-bbf.cfm

 

[HotCoals]

First thing is see what size and shape the flue is in - if it is going to be lined, will it fit an 8", or only a 6" liner? If only 6", that will eliminate a few of the bigger cat stoves. Even if you don't get a cat stove, if your firebox is well over 3 cu ft any good EPA stove should leave you some coals after 10 hours. If you can, though, get the big cat and don't look back. One more to consider: Country Flame BBF. http://www.americanenergysystems.com/model-bbf.cfm

Nice..585#!

 

[Mcbride]

I was considering a BKK cat, but was afraid that the cat would get ruined if the stove temps drop too low at the end of the burn. I know that there isn't much gas left at that point, but there is still some, right? Wouldn't this contribute to premature clogging of the cat?

You are worrying about a non-issue.
I burn mine good and hot once a day for a bit, and then sometimes it barely smolders for nearly 24 hours before the next good burn.
Never an isue.
Current heater is 6 years old and still in good shape despite my abusing it.
It will burn 20 plus hours at idle, or could need wood every 4 hours if running it hard.
Average loading in winter is 3 times a day, once a day in spring/fal, if really cold out it could be 6 times per day.
In normal use I stoke it up before bedtime, idle it down low and go to bed.
In the morning toss bypass open, and damper full open, wait 5 to 15 minutes, crack door open just a little, and walk away for a minute or 2.
Grab an arm load of wood from outside, come back into house, and slowly open door fully, fill it as full as i wish, could be half full, or jammed right to the max.
Close door and walk away, and maybe 10 minutes later come back and flip bypass closed and walk away for 20 or 30 minutes.
Then dampen it down some if need be, like say house is still really warm.

Fool proof stove to run in my opinion.
Never been an issue with it at all.
Only caveat is never burn wet wood, or your household garbage in it.

 

[rdust]

Cat or non cat properly sized will do the trick. I have a medium sized non cat and it's a little undersized for my needs now. Even with this stove I load it around 7 am leave for work, get home between 6-7 pm with a good bed of coals to reload on. Temp is usually 70-72 when I leave and about 64 when I get home if it's below 30 during the day.

When I bought the stove my wife worked from home so I wasn't worried about the daytime burn, just the night burn which this stove does without issue. Now she went back to an office job and the house is empty during the day so now I need a longer burn for the daytime. I think a CAT stove is in my near future!(BK Princess)