My final question!

[RnG17]

Well since I joined roughly a week or so ago, I have gotten all the answers I've wanted and then some! Everyone on here is really led me in the right direction and has been really helpful.

Here is my question. I'm looking for people in a similar situation as me. I have a 1500sq ft. home. wood stove will be in the finished basement, and will be heating the two floors above it. I'm not looking on how to heat my home, but what stove to heat with! I was and currently am looking at the Drolet line of stoves, but will and always have kept my options open, I'd like to purchase one sometime in October so from now till then I can do some serious research. I have looked at so many manufactures out there and have read a billion reviews and I think my head is about to explode, plus my wife thinks I have a girlfriend online because this is all I do anymore is research wood stoves on the computer!

I just want opinions on who has what and who likes what in a similar situation as me. At this point I'd rather not spend $2000 on a stove, but I really don't want to burn for 3 weeks and wish I had gotten something else either.

Anyone out there with 1500sq ft. and love there stove please help


Thank you! And I'm sure this won't be my final question!

 

[RnG17]

Imagine this another question . . .

I know a common mistake in wood burning is ppl over sizing their wood burner and then they heat themselves out of their homes. Should I look for something around the 1800-2000sq ft range or keep looking for a stove that does a max of 1500. The more I read the more I learn but it seems too that the 1.5 cu. ft. fire box might be small and some ppl seem to dislike that.

 

[mario veda]

Rng17 ....Man are we both in the same boat Lol.Will have to keep an eye on this post.

 

[begreen]

First off, have you read these articles?
Start with this one:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewannounce/13750_2/
Then follow with this one:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/choosing_a_wood_stove
and this one:
http://www.woodheat.org/technology/woodstoves.htm

No cheating, read all three. They should answer almost all of your questions. There are a limited number of people online and for most the best stove is going to be the one they burn in. Both of you have received some good advice. It's going to be up to you to decide what will work best, but start with a fresh mind and real assessment of your house. One guidance for the correct size of the stove is how much wood or fuel you have used in the past.

Mario, you can very easily expect at least a 25% reduction in wood consumption. But if you have been able to rock the 3 cu ft beast regularly in the winter with full loads of wood for a 1254 sq ft house, it means either the wood is not dry and robbing heat, the stove is a joke or the house is a leaky sieve. So our advice is going to be of limited value without that assessment. We need to know more about current burning and why this big stove is underperforming.

RnG17, although determined to do so, trying to heat 3 floors from the basement is often folly. The stove is a space heater. In order to have the upstairs comfortable, the basement frequently has to be kept at 85 or higher. And if the basement space is not insulated, it's not uncommon for a third of the heating energy to be sucked right out the basement walls leading to disappointing wood consumption. Can it be done in some houses? Yes, when there is a combination of stove location, insulation, large open stairway located near the stove, etc. and a willingness to have a hot basment. But more often than not, it is only marginally ok. One thing you might consider instead is a small wood furnace and have it ducted to supply the multiple floors.

After reading the articles, please feel free to ask more questions. But provide enough information about the house and how it heats now or is intended to heat well.

 

[fossil]

Imagine this another question . . .

I know a common mistake in wood burning is ppl over sizing their wood burner and then they heat themselves out of their homes. Should I look for something around the 1800-2000sq ft range or keep looking for a stove that does a max of 1500. The more I read the more I learn but it seems too that the 1.5 cu. ft. fire box might be small and some ppl seem to dislike that.

Actually, I'd have to guess that the more common mistake is under-sizing...but it's just a guess, I have no data to back that up. Rick

 

[RnG17]

Thanks Fossil and sorry for these kind of post, oops! I read the first link, and still need to attend to the other two. Very much appreciated!

 

[mario veda]

Not trying to confuse you but I edited my post from original because after rereading your post i saw you wanted input from folks that already had stoves in similar sqft to your situation and in my post i dont have one (wdst) yet but am looking and had similar question so the answer from bgreen to me was to the first post before edit. Confused yet LOL. Mario

 

[laynes69]

How big is your house? In the other site I took it as you had a 1500sq ft home which was the basement and a first floor. If you have mulitple floors above the basement, then a woodfurnace would distribute the heat better.

 

[JotulOwner]

I have a 1500SF dormered cape (750SF per floor). My Jotul Castine is located in the rear portion of the first floor in a room that occupies about half of the first floor. The ceilings are 8FT with average doorway openings between rooms. I couldn't have a larger stove in this house. It would just get too hot in the room with the stove in it. The heat makes it to the second level in my home, but the temps drop significantly moving room to room away from the stove. If I had large open spaces with high ceilings on one floor, it probably would be much different. Of course, average temps and how well insulated and air tight your home is also has to be taken into consideration. My home is well insulated and relatively air tight.

 

[RnG17]

I cannot do a wood furnace due to how the finished basement is laid out. I would have to install the duct of the wood furnace into the end of my existing duct work which then would be very lazy as it reaches the supply plenum of my heatpump at the other end of the basement. If I could install the wood furnace right aside of my heatpump that is exactly the route I would take, but being an HVAC technician I know exactly how that install will pan out, not very well. So by doing some duck work modification and now making my basement my central return instead of my "high/low" returns on the wall in each room, the central return will now pull all the heat from the basement to heat the rest of the home. With the stairs being within 10ft of the stove and the door off its hinges this will help heat rise as well. I feel very confident in heating my home this way, since I've helped others do the exact same thing with great success. Those articles were a great read thanks again Begreen! I guess what I was after all along was cu. ft. size. And now with that answer pretty much being answered for me in those articles I feel very confident in purchasing my stove now.

I was under the assumption that a larger fire box wasn't a good idea for my home, but if I am looking to burn 24/7 I need at least 2.0 to 3.0 for substantial burn times. The entire house is insulated very well with 6" exterior walls and a very well insulated attic. The house holds heat well.

I thought I've read all that I could but I find out each day there is more and more to read!

Thanks everyone!

 

[FireAnt]

1500sq ft ranch here. I have a Summers heat NC-13 hearth mounted. Love it!