Hi Guys. I’m new to the forum and wood inserts. I have a very large and pretty open home about 4,000 Sq Ft. The home has a fireplace in the Great Room which is 27x25 with 16ft vaulted ceilings. Off of the Great room i have my foyer with 22ft ceilings and that goes right up to the bedrooms. Also off the Great Room There are 2 double doors going into an open dining room living room and there are 2 large openings into the kitchen. So like I said its a really open floor plan Im looking for a Insert for my fireplace that is going to allow me to burn the least amount of home heating oil. Looking at a few Inserts i have stumbled across the Osburn 2400. With its large firebox and 100,000 btu rating most other inserts don’t compare. I can get this unit for around 2,050 plus install. I have read many posts about this unit vs others and just don’t understand how the others can compare to the stats of this monster. Can someone please help me out and or give me a recommendation. My home is very well insulated and all 2x6 construction built in 1991 so its not an old home. I just purchased this home about 4 months ago and can see burning about 1500 gal of oil in a year so thats why im looking for some help. Thanks in advance.
Large Home Need Help (newbie)
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Buck Stove model 91 cat stove or model 94 non cat. Country flame has a big ole monster as well. Don't pay attention to manufacturer BTU claims. Firebox size is what matters. Your gonna need a lot of insert to heat that barn. Osburn firebox is 3.1. Buck is 4.4. Cat stove will give you spring and fall versatility as well.
Long Dog said:
Ignore the BTU ratings. They are worthless when determining heating capabilities and they border on marketing fluff. Fact is that the Osburn is a 3.1 cu ft firebox, which is a nice size stove, but far less than what you need.
For the most part, one stove will not heat your entire home in this instance. But, a large stove like the Blaze King King and the Buck 94 will heat a sizable chunk of your home as they are both 4+ cu ft fire boxes.
Welcome longdog. Yep, that is a very large home. It's likely that no one stove will heat the entire place in the dead of winter. However, a 3 cu ft stove may heat it 50-75% of the time depending on the house. The Osburn 2400 is a decent stove to consider. Or, if there is a basement with outside access and a ducted furnace, then maybe consider installing an EPA wood add-on furnace?
One important note. The heat output is going to correlate to the wood quality. Modern stoves like dry wood and most bought wood is not fully seasoned. If purchasing wood, you may not see the full potential of the stove this year.
One important note. The heat output is going to correlate to the wood quality. Modern stoves like dry wood and most bought wood is not fully seasoned. If purchasing wood, you may not see the full potential of the stove this year.
Thanks for all of the advice. Arent these stoves free standing? Im looking for a fireplace insert. So im really looking for the big fire box. This helps me out a bit. Thx
Long Dog said:
Note that once you get much larger than about 3.2 cu ft the flue size goes up to 8". Is the fireplace a full masonry fireplace or prefab? What is the firebox opening size and depth? And how wide is the damper throat?
Don't let the BTU advertisements mislead you, if you are thinking that a "100,000" BTU insert will heat a 4000 sq ft vaulted ceiling home,, you will be disappointed. Your fuel bills maybe reduced by 1/3 to at best 1/2 with an insert.
I would be looking at wood furnace or Equinox or some other monster if you are considering attempting to heat 4000 sq ft of vaulted ceilings,,,,, with wood
I would be looking at wood furnace or Equinox or some other monster if you are considering attempting to heat 4000 sq ft of vaulted ceilings,,,,, with wood
How about a Kuma Sequoia?
"The granddaddy of the Kuma Wood Stove line, the Sequoia is a large full convection heater capable of heating homes above 3500 square feet. An extra-heavy built unit, the Sequoia stove will take up to 23 inch logs and features a long burn time."
http://kumastoves.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=25
"The granddaddy of the Kuma Wood Stove line, the Sequoia is a large full convection heater capable of heating homes above 3500 square feet. An extra-heavy built unit, the Sequoia stove will take up to 23 inch logs and features a long burn time."
http://kumastoves.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=25
Longdog,
Welcome to the forum. I have an Osburn 2400. It's a great insert. But I'm heating less than half of what you're trying to heat. Where did you see the Osburn? Was it in a store showroom? I didn't know they sold Osburns locally. I'm on the north shore in suffolk. That Kuma sounds like a beast. Good luck with whatever you choose.
Welcome to the forum. I have an Osburn 2400. It's a great insert. But I'm heating less than half of what you're trying to heat. Where did you see the Osburn? Was it in a store showroom? I didn't know they sold Osburns locally. I'm on the north shore in suffolk. That Kuma sounds like a beast. Good luck with whatever you choose.
Its a full masonry fireplace. 43inc wide 29 high and 26 deep looks larger then most. 8 inc going up the flu is not an issue. The damper is odd shape 25 wide x 6.5. Thx guys for helping me out. Its greatly appreciated. I would really like to stay away from a furnace. I have 2 hvac units in the house and would rather use an insert in the fireplace. Like i said i would like to get the oil consumption down to a minimum. Just to give you guys an idea how well insulated the house is. In the summer when it was 90 out i put the ac on for a few hours in the morning and the house stays cool all day long.
jatoxico
Minister of Fire
Hey Dog. I went for a Jotul which is fully flush mounted. Jotul doesn't spec it out but I am told the fire box is a respectable 2.9 cu ft which is a recommended way to assess heating capacity. That said the inserts that extend onto the hearth like the Osburn will put out more radiant heat if that is the main goal, just need to have the mantle and floor clearances.
Long Dog said:
I envy non-drafty homes. Throw a big ass insert in there (country flame or buck) and give it a try.
I found one guy on the island selling them. Found him on craigslist. Caption soot or something like that. He was a nice guy. Has great prices and carries osburn.DaFattKidd said:
Long Dog said:
Oh I've seen that guy on Craig's List. Does he have a showroom? I bought my Osburn at dynamitebuys.com. I am very happy with the service I got from them. At the time when I was looking (last December) they had the best prices on the web.
I think im leaning more toward a non cat stove. That way i don't have to worry about every piece of wood being total dry. On the island it may be a bit hard sometimes to get fully seasoned wood. And not having to worry about clogging the cat will give me piece of mind. I have heard with the cat stove u can't put even damp wood in it.
Long Dog said:
Cat or non-cat, dry wood is needed. This is coming from someone that has and uses both types of stoves at the same time. I have used less than desirable wood in both and it takes a lot of wet wood to clog a cat. And if you have that much wet wood you are not going to be a happy camper whether it is a cat stove or a non-cat stove.
True, definitely buy twice as much wood now as you think you need. If you end up with extra, you'll have a headstart on next season's heating.
I think the OP's point is that with a cat stove one risks damaging the expensive catalyst by burning too damp wood. With a non-cat, the heating results will be less than satisfactory, but at least it won't damage the stove. However, there will be more cleaning of the flue required. Depending on the wood, this could be needed as frequently as monthly. If you are paying for this service, it will add up.
I think the OP's point is that with a cat stove one risks damaging the expensive catalyst by burning too damp wood. With a non-cat, the heating results will be less than satisfactory, but at least it won't damage the stove. However, there will be more cleaning of the flue required. Depending on the wood, this could be needed as frequently as monthly. If you are paying for this service, it will add up.
RE: "expensive catalysts"... Are they really that expensive? If we're saving thousands of $$ by burning wood, isn't a $125 catalyst sort of incidental to the whole process?
wendell said:
Looking back, I'm still torn on that. I still don't know if I would have. At the time when the furnace died I had the opportunity to do so, but I lacked the knowledge to commit to it.
I don't get the seering heat of a stove, but heating our large old home entirely with a single 3.5 cu ft firebox is great. If we ever build or buy a different home I will choose a wood furnace again. As far as wood furnaces go, the max caddy is the largest furnace that's a clean burner.
Long Dog said:
That's the same reason I went non cat as well. Some guys love them, but in my situation a large non cat was the best fit
DaFattKidd said:
Seasoned wood here is a problem. If you have room to store wood, both DFK & I have info one a guy with cheap, wet cords. Full cords :smirk: I'm seperating the locust & ash and making a semi seasoned pile. I bought 6 1/2 cords of wood from him.
I do have access to a guy out of Yaphank with wood that will be ready to go this year. I love this guys firewood. He's burner, and knows. PM me if your nearby, and I'll give you his contact info.
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