I hope this is not inappropriate, but I have a englander furnace that I would be interested in selling. I live in cheshire ct. Let me know if your interested. It worked great in my previous home of 1600sq feet, uninsulated basement, with less then ideal wood. I actually bought a second one at my current home thinking I'd use one for the house and one for indoor pool room. At this point I've been happy burning two stoves on 1st floor half sitting in fire place. +1 on the seasoned wood with whatever you decide and welcome to the world of wood burning.
Looking for stove size guidance....
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jeff_t said:
Yes, the ceiling will very likely need a ceiling heat shield. Contact Englander to discuss whether an NFPA 211 shield on the ceiling will be needed.
In the longer term, why not address the source of cold and leakage so that regardless of heat source the house is not wasting so many btus? This seems like the best investment for the long haul.
madrone
Minister of Fire
Seems like you're pretty sold on the basement, but I got 2 cents anyway. I have a very similar house, 1910, same size with second story and uninsulated basement with low ceilings. No way I'd try to heat from the basement. All the good heat is the radiant heat, and the dirt will be enjoying that instead of you. If my house hadn't already come with a stove, I'm pretty sure I'd have thought there was no place to put it. It's in a strange spot, near a window and not quite in a corner. It eats up more space, but it has to because of the chimney location. I don't mind at all. I put a little fence around it to keep the kids from bouncing off the hot stove. If I had to go up and down the stairs to burn twice as much wood and couldn't enjoy the radiant heat and the view of the fire, I'd probably go for that furnace.^ The second floor will be cold if you're relying on convection from 2 stories down. I understand you gotta do what you gotta do, but if you go with the basement, use this winter to figure out where it goes in the living room.
Also, I second the insulation. It would pay for itself in the first year with electric heat. I put in the absolute minimum in my attic, (partly because of cost, partly because of limited access) and it's crazy how big a difference it made.
Also, I second the insulation. It would pay for itself in the first year with electric heat. I put in the absolute minimum in my attic, (partly because of cost, partly because of limited access) and it's crazy how big a difference it made.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Random thoughts:
First, welcome to the forum . . . you're in a good place if you have questions about heating with wood.
As mentioned by others . . . even free wood isn't totally free . . . not counting the cost of gas to transport the wood from Point A to home or the fuel for a saw . . . or the cost of buying those "must have" toys such as chainsaws, woodsplitters, mauls, axes, etc. . . . there is the time that it takes to process wood . . . and for some folks time is money . . . or in some cases more valuable than money.
You have a bunch of strikes against you with a basement install unfortunately . . . Strike 1) A lack of insulation in the home. Strike 2) A basement install in an uninsulated and unused basement away from the main living area and Strike 3) As mentioned having a bunch of holes in the floor could be a violation of fire code . . . and "everyone else does it, why can't I" didn't work with my mother and it may not work with your insurance agent or local fire inspector . . . or it might . . . best to ask first . . . and doing so may be OK . . . but it isn't the safest thing to do.
That said . . . there are folks here and I know folks who have basement installs . . . sometimes due to lack of space, sometimes they figure it's a good way to get it out of the way (which blows me away since I really like watching the fire, smelling the potpourri and listening to it crackle away) or that's where the easiest install location is . . . it can be done . . . but just bear in mind you will be losing a lot of your heat which translates into wasted wood which translates into having to cut more wood which translates into more work.
I know you say space is at a premium . . . but I would really look around at the various options . . . many stoves have pretty tight clearances . . . and when done right a stove in your living space not only heats you and your home better by being where you spend the bulk of your time . . . but you will find yourself drawn to it. In my own case I have a decent sized living room, but my wife was still reluctant to give up too much room . . . our compromise was a corner install . . . and we took down a non-load bearing wall and moved it back a foot or so.
Safety of the children . . . there is a recent thread on this very topic. The general consensus is that gates can be bought or made cheap enough . . . and most children learn very quickly to stay away from the stove . . . or you can invest in some of those shock collars . . . and yes I am kidding.
If you opt to not go with the wood furnace and want to go with the stove in the basement . . . I would go larger since you will be losing a lot of heat.
Best advice . . . and it has already been said . . . but it bears repeating . . . in fact it was some of the best advice I took away from here when I was researching woodstoves . . . before you spend money on a woodstove it's almost always better to spend the money on insulation . . . preserve the heat you generate whether it be from wood, oil, gas or electric . . . otherwise that heat you bought (in time or money) will not keep you as warm for as long . . . on the otherhand you will be doing your part to help heat up the neighborhood and the great outdoors.
Seriously, before I bought my stove I spent a good portion of my heating funds on insulation to trap and preserve the heat I generate . . . whether it be from the oil boiler or woodstove.
First, welcome to the forum . . . you're in a good place if you have questions about heating with wood.
As mentioned by others . . . even free wood isn't totally free . . . not counting the cost of gas to transport the wood from Point A to home or the fuel for a saw . . . or the cost of buying those "must have" toys such as chainsaws, woodsplitters, mauls, axes, etc. . . . there is the time that it takes to process wood . . . and for some folks time is money . . . or in some cases more valuable than money.
You have a bunch of strikes against you with a basement install unfortunately . . . Strike 1) A lack of insulation in the home. Strike 2) A basement install in an uninsulated and unused basement away from the main living area and Strike 3) As mentioned having a bunch of holes in the floor could be a violation of fire code . . . and "everyone else does it, why can't I" didn't work with my mother and it may not work with your insurance agent or local fire inspector . . . or it might . . . best to ask first . . . and doing so may be OK . . . but it isn't the safest thing to do.
That said . . . there are folks here and I know folks who have basement installs . . . sometimes due to lack of space, sometimes they figure it's a good way to get it out of the way (which blows me away since I really like watching the fire, smelling the potpourri and listening to it crackle away) or that's where the easiest install location is . . . it can be done . . . but just bear in mind you will be losing a lot of your heat which translates into wasted wood which translates into having to cut more wood which translates into more work.
I know you say space is at a premium . . . but I would really look around at the various options . . . many stoves have pretty tight clearances . . . and when done right a stove in your living space not only heats you and your home better by being where you spend the bulk of your time . . . but you will find yourself drawn to it. In my own case I have a decent sized living room, but my wife was still reluctant to give up too much room . . . our compromise was a corner install . . . and we took down a non-load bearing wall and moved it back a foot or so.
Safety of the children . . . there is a recent thread on this very topic. The general consensus is that gates can be bought or made cheap enough . . . and most children learn very quickly to stay away from the stove . . . or you can invest in some of those shock collars . . . and yes I am kidding.
If you opt to not go with the wood furnace and want to go with the stove in the basement . . . I would go larger since you will be losing a lot of heat.
Best advice . . . and it has already been said . . . but it bears repeating . . . in fact it was some of the best advice I took away from here when I was researching woodstoves . . . before you spend money on a woodstove it's almost always better to spend the money on insulation . . . preserve the heat you generate whether it be from wood, oil, gas or electric . . . otherwise that heat you bought (in time or money) will not keep you as warm for as long . . . on the otherhand you will be doing your part to help heat up the neighborhood and the great outdoors.
Seriously, before I bought my stove I spent a good portion of my heating funds on insulation to trap and preserve the heat I generate . . . whether it be from the oil boiler or woodstove.- Status
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