How much heat will the second floor suck up?

[ourmoneypit]

Having never heated with wood, our heads are spinning after considering all the options, and reading many articles and reviews here and elsewhere. Now, I've gotten to wondering how big a stove we really should be looking at...

The house is on a concrete slab, the ground floor is about 2000 sq ft, about 1100 of which is one open area, roughly 'T' shaped, The top of the T being the LR/DR/Kit in an open area roughly 24 x 45. The stem of the 'T' is a hallway about 6' wide that terminates in a tiny room with a grille in the ceiling allowing circulation to the second floor. The second floor is about 15' wide by 55' long, one open area. The stairs to the second floor are open risers, and located next to where the stove will be. There is a good gap under the door at the top of the stairs. Second floor is essentially extra space, ultimately a games room, and could have it's own woodstove in the future if need be. The house is open to the breezes on the north and west, and more often than not, there is one. The climate is equivalent to Northern Maine, and ultimately the house will be well-insulated and sealed with energy-efficient windows, so we're working to those parameters.

We aren't seeking to heat the whole house with the woodstove. We'd like for the woodstove to provide primary heating in the main room, and if in so doing we can reduce our need for electric heat in the rest of the main floor and on the second level, all the better. If we can get an overnight burn time, great. Initially, we were looking at stoves with fireboxes of about 1.4 cu ft to 2.0 cu ft., but now I'm thinking that the second floor is going to suck up enough of the heat that we should be looking at 2.0 cu ft and more. Having no experience, though, that's just a guess. We went to a dealer last night, and DS fell in love with the HearthStone stoves, 'til we read a review that suggested the max recommended temp of 320 F for the soapstone top pretty much ruled out cooking, then we were back to square one, with her wishing for a Heartland cookstove again, which is clearly not the answer to our needs :grrr: , not to mention its significantly higher cost.

Can someone help a newbie sort out what size firebox we should be looking at, given our situation?

 

[begreen]

There are other stoves besides the Heartland. Take a look recent posts inquiring about cookstoves. You might want to look at Esse stoves, they can put out the heat. Or for a smaller unit maybe the Napoleon 1150P. There is also the Pacific Energy Alderlea series. FWIW, I would be considering a 3cu ft stove in your climate. A lot of heat will go upstairs with an open staircase right next to the stove. But a blower on the stove or a fan may help reduce this a bit.

 

[ourmoneypit]

3 cu ft???...well, we sure were looking at the wrong end of the scale...

I apologize for the red herring about the Heartland...further discussion reveals it is really the old-fashioned look of the Heartland that she loves. We've agreed that our main priority is heating, followed by esthetics.

 

[burntime]

A 2.5 to 3 cu ft stove should heat the downstairs well. Some heat will go upstairs, it depends on how open it is. Either way you are saving! Get it now so you are ready for fall and more importantly get the firewood delivered and stacked or scrounged so that you will enjoy the first year with it. It is all too common to have a nice stove and no fuel for the first year or two.

 

[Todd]

[quote author="ourmoneypit" date="1213980312 We went to a dealer last night, and DS fell in love with the HearthStone stoves, 'til we read a review that suggested the max recommended temp of 320 F for the soapstone top pretty much ruled out cooking, then we were back to square one, with her wishing for a Heartland cookstove again, which is clearly not the answer to our needs :grrr: , not to mention its significantly higher cost.

Can someone help a newbie sort out what size firebox we should be looking at, given our situation?[/quote]

320 F max temp? That's not right. I'm pretty sure Hearthstone's max is 600 and Woodstock soapstone is 700 max. I've burned both. I also cook ontop of mine many times with a dutch oven.

I agree that you need a stove with at least a 2.5 cu ft firebox.

 

[Thomask9590]

I always thought soap stone would stain after a time if you cook on it directly.

 

[burntime]

You asume that it is open. If the air path is not very good then who knows how much??? In a perfect world yes.

 

[Rockey]

You asume that it is open. If the air path is not very good then who knows how much??? In a perfect world yes.

WADDA U MEAN THE WORLD AINT PERFECT! :ahhh:

What a rare treat - I understood what you were saying Pook.

 

[ourmoneypit]

Thanks for the feedback, folks.

Just got back from another dealer. Finally got to see the Pacific Energy stoves. If the Alderlea T6 were enamel, I think the choice would be made. It is still in the running, as is the Summit Classic (more based on looks, and having just read BeGreen's review of the T6, maybe not so much now...) We're also looking at the HearthStone Mansfield.

The plan is to have it installed by late summer, and we have already started collecting our wood. We have plenty of deadfall that will be ready next year. Would standing deadwood dry fast enough for the coming heat season if cut and split, and properly stacked in the sun and wind by the end of the month?

 

[fossil]

Second floors don't really "suck" (many are very nice, in fact)...but air decreases in density (gets lighter) as it warms, so it rises. If that were not the case, then there'd be no hot air balloons (or a lot of other things). After burning downstairs all day and into the night, keeping the downstairs comfortably warm, the upstairs (if not isolated by a door) will naturally have become even warmer. The speed with which this occurs and how widespread the difference upstairs depends a lot on the specific configuration. A ceiling fan, or two, or more, at strategic locations, can give you quite a bit of control over the dispersal of the heated air from your stove. But, in the end, a woodstove, after all, is a space heater. Best of luck with the stove selection and installation. Rick

 

[ourmoneypit]

Todd said:

I’m pretty sure Hearthstone’s max is 600 and Woodstock soapstone is 700 max. I’ve burned both. I also cook ontop of mine many times with a dutch oven.

After checking the manual, the above is confirmed. It's looking more and more like the Mansfield.

 

[wellbuilt home]

Hi Ive been heating a 3200sq foot house with a 55000 btu VC duch west stove since 1994 and about 6 years ago i killed my gas heater and i have not used it since. The 2nd floor stays warm even with the doors closed .I like the hearth stone stove .I am looking for a new stove because my Duch west is getting old
(15years)and my son over fired it a few years ago.I would start burming in oct non stop and burn till may.I would get a new duch west but it looks like they are going under.I would get a stove that could heat the hole house.

 

[snowtime]

About heat upstairs. We have built 3 2 story log homes from 2800sqft to the current 3600sqft in the last 40 years. We had found that the upstairs got to hot for us. We like it cool around 65F for sleeping. When it was -50 out and the stoves were working the upstairs would heat up to much.
On our last home I made it a point to seal the 2nd story off as much as possible to keep the heat down. Log joists of course then 2by6 TG with TG plywood on top. We finished with hard wood but as you can see the floor is tight except for the stair well. Well this house is always warmer down stairs. The heat difference is usually 15 degrees different. We now have cool bedrooms with warm living spaces down stairs.
The key to keeping your heat downstairs is to have a tight home. I know people can not change the way their homes were built or at least do not want to spend the money but at least our experience tells someone they can have a cool upstairs.