Most desireable features to look for in a stove?

[Darl Bundren]

Hey, all,

I am hoping to put a wood stove in a finished room in the basement and, having just started shopping and researching, I am feeling kind of lost in terms of the number of models and manufacturers out there who'd like my money. The finished room will be @450 square feet, the entire basement is 900 (and at least the walls in the finished room will be insulated--I may insulate all the walls while I am at it), and I'd like to think that some of the heat will make it up to the living room and kitchen on the first floor. I'd also like to have a stove that will allow all-night burns.

What do you consider to be some of the features that you appreciate about the stoves you've used? I'm thinking in general terms, like front/top/side loading, non-cat vs. cat, secondary burn designs, finishes, and the like.

And, what are some features that have caused you to use colorful language on occasion? Any advice on what I might stay away from?

I am pretty much a novice and can use all the help you can give. Thanks in advance.

 

[jpl1nh]

Most desirable feature? Heat..

 

[Darl Bundren]

Most desirable feature? Heat..

Well, yeah, there is that...

 

[BrotherBart]

One quandary is that clean burning in a stove that will give you all night burns is going to run you out of that 450 sq. ft. within an hour of loading it.

 

[Darl Bundren]

One quandary is that clean burning in a stove that will give you all night burns is going to run you out of that 450 sq. ft. within an hour of loading it.

I sort of figured as much, but I am thinking I could heat the entire basement and some upstairs? I am leery of getting too much stove for the space. If the insulation goes as planned, not having overnight burns probably would not be too big of a deal.

 

[BrotherBart]

One thing I would do is get one of the free standing stoves with a blower that blows the air straight across the top of the stove. And then install the stove where the stove faces the stairs to the upstairs. That way the hot air heads for the stairs and then rises up the stairwell.

 

[wg_bent]

A few good suggestions so far. One thing to consider is the air supply. In that small a space you might want to find a way for outside burn air.
Let me relay a recent experience that may provide some insight as to size. I heat my 2200 sqft home with an Osburn 1800i on the first floor. We have a basement that is about 450 sqft, and extremely well insulated (about R28) On very cold nights, like when the temp goes below 10 the Osburn will not keep up the house temp. I borrowed my fathers 22,000 btu kerosene heater for some garage work a couple weeks ago, and decided to put it in the basement for some colder nights last week when the temp was near 0. My basement was 80+, and the upstairs maintained at 72 easily. BUT...it was 80+ in the basement.

So, yes, it will likely help heat your upstairs, but I only had 22,000 btu's running. My Osburn which is a rather small stove can put out a LOT more heat than that, although It doesn't achieve that consisitantly, it has peaks and valleys in the heat output profile. BUT I'm sure overall if I keep it fed, it's a lot more than 22,000. My Osburn is about as small as I could envision for overnight burns and it's firebox is a 1.8 cuft. It's freestanding counterpart and others of similar size would be a nice stove for your basement, but you may fine it loafing frequently during the day. (not such a bad thing) I wouldn't go much bigger though.

 

[FiremanBob]

Based on this year's experience with my old Russo, I'd like to have

outside air supply
EPA efficiency with or without cat
blower moving air through channels in stove body (the Russo has this, it pumps an incredible amount of heat all the way across the room)
Glass door (can't beat the ambience)

I don't know who makes that combination.

 

[Darl Bundren]

BrotherBart and Fireman Bob, the idea of the blower sounds like a good one. I could install directly across the room from the stairs and move air straight up; it would cost more for the chimney because then I'd have to go all the way to the peak of the roof. I am not sure if my wife will agree to having the chimney so visible from the street. Option two would put the chimney off the back of the house.

I am definitely going to get glass in the door. It's very relaxing to watch a fire, and seeing flames would remind my little ones (6 and 3 y.o.) that the stove is hot.

And Warren, thanks a bunch for the estimate on a suitable stove size--the guy I talked to at the stove store seemed to me to be recommending stoves that are too large for the space (50,000 BTU). He may be right, but he might also be trying to sell a more expensive stove or move what he has in stock. I do not want 80 degrees in the basement.

I hadn't thought about the blower or the outside air. What is the configuration for outside air? Is there a separate duct that draws it in or does it draw back in through the chimney like on vented gas stoves?

 

[burntime]

Self loading, splitting, hauling, and stacking would be ideal? Where is the brochure on those new summits????;~)

 

[SlyFerret]

There has been a lot of discussion on this board about trying to move heat around. I have a fireplace in the lower level of my split level home. It produces plenty of heat into that room, but I as having a heck of a time getting the heat to rise up the stairs. For the most part, the answer has usually been that it is generally easier to move the cooler more dense air. Doing this displaces the hot air to somewhere else. If you plan it right you can displace the hot air to where you want it.

BeGreen gave me a suggestion that worked well. His suggestion was to set a box fan at the top of the stairs blowing cool air down the stairway. The fan only had to be run on low. It was just enough to start the cooler air rolling down the stairs. Doing so caused the warm air to be displaced back up the stairs and i was able to get heat moved into the main level of my house.

Something else to consider, if you have the ceiling height for it in your basement would be a ceiling fan. It could make a bit difference in how comfortable the room is.

In the finished basement, if it isn't too late, definitely make sure that you insulate the walls well. If you don't the earth on the outside of the walls will suck up heat like you wouldn't believe.

-SF

 

[Darl Bundren]

BeGreen gave me a suggestion that worked well. His suggestion was to set a box fan at the top of the stairs blowing cool air down the stairway. The fan only had to be run on low. It was just enough to start the cooler air rolling down the stairs. Doing so caused the warm air to be displaced back up the stairs and i was able to get heat moved into the main level of my house.

Something else to consider, if you have the ceiling height for it in your basement would be a ceiling fan. It could make a bit difference in how comfortable the room is.

In the finished basement, if it isn't too late, definitely make sure that you insulate the walls well. If you don't the earth on the outside of the walls will suck up heat like you wouldn't believe.

-SF

That fan idea would work well with our house's layout. The added volume of the box van might be more efficient than the blower at moving the air where I want it to go--I had not thought of moving the cold air down.

I will not have the height for a ceiling fan--7'6", and I'm 6'3". I already have issues with the fan in our living room (8' ceiling).

And I am going to at least insulate the walls in the finished portion of the basement. I am planning on using 3 1/2 batting between 2x4 studs under 1/2" drywall. I may insulate the whole deal while I am fixing the place. I'll have to check the budget for that.

Thanks for helping me out.

 

[SlyFerret]

You didn't mention a moisture barrier, so I thought I'd bring it up. Make sure you install a moisture barrier between the concrete wall and your framing/insulation materials.

-SF

 

[Darl Bundren]

You didn't mention a moisture barrier, so I thought I'd bring it up. Make sure you install a moisture barrier between the concrete wall and your framing/insulation materials.

-SF

I am going to put a barrier in. Thanks again.

 

[moondoggy]

dont think anyone mentioned it, so i will
top loading! such a huge + for me
mine is a smaller stove so this makes it an extra benifit....the intrpid has a small door way.

 

[Darl Bundren]

dont think anyone mentioned it, so i will
top loading! such a huge + for me
mine is a smaller stove so this makes it an extra benifit....the intrpid has a small door way.

I think top loading would be a good feature, too--my height and knees do not make a very good combination for bending and standing. It seems like you could load more wood in that way, too. Is that right?

 

[Pine Knot]

In general terms the larger the stove the easier to get overnight burns. Balance that against room size and the ability to move heat to other parts of the house and return cooler air to "cool" the stove so to speak. A stove with a grate makes the removal of ashes quick and cleaner. Once a day, early morning for me, slide ash pan out and into a metal container outside. No shoveling, no fog of ashes, less dusting for the Lady of the house. Cat stoves seen to provide an even heat output, but at the cost of a little more manitaince.
But most important is to be sure you have a safe installation.
Enjoy!

 

[Hogwildz]

I'd personally like a stove that comes with a few blonde, brunette & redheaded women to cut, split , stack the wood, fill the stove, clean the stove & liner, and bring me a beer as needed. Of course there might be some additionals to the job description
Oh, and they have to be trade-in-able after so long a time period. UGGA BUGGA

 

[RonB]

Darl,

A large stove will give you some nice benefits but will make it uncomfortable to really use the rec room that the large stove is in. For example, I use a Quad 5700 (3.44 cf) in my finished basement (about 850sf) and heat my entire house with it (2400sf including basement). Temp in the basement peaks at about 80-82 and on the main floor it's about 72-74. So you really need to determine how much use you will be giving the room where your stove is located. If you plan to use the room as a true rec room then size it to that room and don't expect the stove to heat much of the rest of the house.

 

[moondoggy]

dont think anyone mentioned it, so i will
top loading! such a huge + for me
mine is a smaller stove so this makes it an extra benifit....the intrpid has a small door way.

I think top loading would be a good feature, too--my height and knees do not make a very good combination for bending and standing. It seems like you could load more wood in that way, too. Is that right?

without a doubt, but again keep in mind i have a small front door openings.. and this is my first stove.
further, when it's to the point of coals/reload, i open the top and use the shovel to breakup and 'shove' them forward.
(i still use my old fireplace/longer handle tools.love them but have no rake)
BUT once you light, dont open the top until a well est burn is going. recently, 1 min after lighting i picked up hearth splinters, went to toss them in and got a nice indian smoke signal into the house when i opened the top..... poof poof poof!

 

[Todd]

Have you looked into Soapstone? I think your situation would be ideal for a Woodstock Keystone or Palladian. They will easily heat that sq ft and you won't have the seering temp spikes of a steel stove. Those two stoves are Woodstocks smaller stoves with a 1.5cu ft firebox that will give you an overnight burn. I don't know of any similar sized noncat stove that can claim 10 hr burns. Check them out.

www.woodstove.com

 

[Darl Bundren]

The advice about stove size is helpful--I do not want too much stove for the room, and I will be conservative when considering the size. Tales of 80 degree rooms illustrate exactly what I do not want to experience.

The top loading is appealing, but it doesn't seem like top loading is featured on many of the smaller stoves. I may have to do without.

The advice about a bevy of lady friends to assist me with my toils sounds very appealing to me. My wife, on the other hand, probably wouldn't be as enthused. She'd probably make a counteroffer of Chippendales pretty boys around the house for general labor.

I am looking at the soapstone stoves--we have a Hearthstone dealer near here and I've looked at the Woodstock stoves and gotten their folder and DVD and all. One thing I've seen in the reviews is that the stoves take a while to heat up. A question I have, though, is how long it takes a smaller soapstone stove to produce noticeable (not necessarily optimal, full bore) heat. I doubt I'd often burn 24/7 except in the coldest days of the year (usually three or four day stretches at a time), so I'd probably be starting with a cold or near-cold stove more often than not. Is a soapstone stove that much slower to heat than a cast iron stove? Again, I'm not looking for optimal heat instantly, but would it take the chill off fairly quickly?

Whew. Lots of words there. Thanks again.

 

[daleeper]

The feature I have on my stove that I want on my next stove is thermostatic control of the intake air. I also like the steel plate my stove is made of. I will not eliminate the possibility of cast as my next stove, but prefer the steel plate. The other things I want in my next stove that I don't have on the current one is the glass in the door, and a cat combuster.

Be sure to search this forum and read all you can about basement installed stoves, as most of us that have them thought that the heat will rise to the next level with no problems, and found out that it is not quite that easy. It can be done, with proper floor layout and air circulation, but must be carefully planned, and most likely some help with fans of some type. Moving the stove to the main living area would make sense heat-wise, but if the stove were not in the basement, it would be freezing down here, and would not use the basement at all during the winter.

Good luck in your quest.

 

[Darl Bundren]

The feature I have on my stove that I want on my next stove is thermostatic control of the intake air. I also like the steel plate my stove is made of. I will not eliminate the possibility of cast as my next stove, but prefer the steel plate. The other things I want in my next stove that I don't have on the current one is the glass in the door, and a cat combuster.

Why do you like the steel plate so well? I had not considered that material, mainly for appearance reasons...

 

[daleeper]

I have no intentions of starting a cast iron/steel plate battle, but you asked why I have my preference, and so I give you my reasons. I have had two different steel plate stoves in 22 years of wood burning, on the first one, the steel door "hinge" and the latches had wear problems, and I was able to take it out to the welder, and repair the problems (can't do that on my current stove, as it is cast). IF I had ever had other problems with plate steel, I am confident in using a welder and grinder to repair the problem. I would not have the same confidence in repairing cast iron, so the part would have to be replaced. The seams in a cast iron stove have gaskets or stove cement to keep air from leaking through them. It boils down to what I am most comfortable in working with. Either material will warp, crack, and develop problems if the stove is not run properly, and door/other gaskets are not maintained properly. Search for stove problems, and you will find problems with both materials. I would rather work with steel.

Keep in mind, my priority is not for looks. Function and budget rule the priority list. If budget is not an issue, buy what looks good to you. In looking at stoves this week, I will have to say that the Morso stoves look real nice to me, but they don't have the features I want.

The feature list that I have for my future stove leaves me with few options. My list is a cat stove, with thermostatic air control, and a glass door, with a preference to plate steel. That limits me to Blaze King for the plate steel and Vermont Castings for cast iron. Whichever stove shows up at the price I am willing to pay will be the one that sits on my hearth. If budget were not an issue, I would run out and buy an Blaze King. If I find a bargain on a used VC cast stove, I'm not too proud to buy it.

Budget alone keeps me looking at the big box stores for a bargain on the Century/Englander season end closeout bargains. If I can land one for $400 new, my feature list requirements drop down to just the glass door real fast.