Jotul 400 too much stove?

[Highbeam]

I have the biggest insert that LOPI makes and I appreciate the generous three plus cubic foot firebox. In my 1700 SF home with bad windows and poor insulation the stove needs to be chugging at high temps to keep us warm when outside temps are below freezing. Last night it was 50 degrees outside and I had my first ever experience with "too much stove". If I wanted a fire, a clean burning fire, with non-creosote forming temps then the room temp would quickly climb towards 80. I resorted to using medium loads of splits that were only about twice the size of kindling and then almost letting the fire die between short stokes which meant I was getting cool stack temps. It cooled off at night and I was glad I kept the fire going.

I suppose I could have just let the fire die, rooms cool, and then started another fire.

I might have too much stove once I replace the windows and improve the insulation this summer.

 

[Roospike]

I have the biggest insert that LOPI makes and I appreciate the generous three plus cubic foot firebox. In my 1700 SF home with bad windows and poor insulation the stove needs to be chugging at high temps to keep us warm when outside temps are below freezing. Last night it was 50 degrees outside and I had my first ever experience with "too much stove". If I wanted a fire, a clean burning fire, with non-creosote forming temps then the room temp would quickly climb towards 80. I resorted to using medium loads of splits that were only about twice the size of kindling and then almost letting the fire die between short stokes which meant I was getting cool stack temps. It cooled off at night and I was glad I kept the fire going.

I suppose I could have just let the fire die, rooms cool, and then started another fire.

I might have too much stove once I replace the windows and improve the insulation this summer.

Just change your burn habits and the load size. Your not required to FILL the firebox. I can heat our home with the 3.0 cf stove @ 40° with no problem and keep the temp 72°-74° ( we like 74°).

The difference between a home furnace and a wood stove is YOU.
The furnace is automatic and the wood stove depends on the operator with practice it comes to ya.

 

[babalu87]

Our Morso 3610 gets 8 hour burns without issue

10 hour burns if I pack it tight.

The above are loaded with red oak.
Maple= shorter burn times

Every time I think the stove is too big I just crack a window

 

[steve cherry]

Thanks for the info everyone. I'll probably go with the bigger stove, i.e., the Jotul Oslo since I can always adjust the amount of wood I burn or burn a smaller amount of wood for a smaller fire, but with a smaller stove you're limited if it doesn't heat the house in the dead of winter. And, yes, I would like to heat the whole house; I hate being dependent on the oil company and at their mercy for the heat in my house. And even though our new house is and "energy star" house and supposed to be so efficient, the windows leak cold air around the edges of the lower sashes in the LR and DR. The builder says the manufacturer is supposed to be sending a rep our this week because another owner is having the same problem. If I had my Oslo, the window leakage would just be a nice little source of air to feed the stoves combustion.

 

[begreen]

packrat - where do you live? what is your current monthly oil consumption? how big is the room that the stove will be in?

don't expect a miracle with a ranch, especially if it is a long horizontal one. they can be hard to heat completely with a woodstove.