Need advice

[Pmalo379]

Hi guys. I’m new to the site although I’ve read many reviews and posts prior to this. I’m a relatively new homeowner. I own a 1000 sq ft ranch currently using electric heat. Obviously it’s very inefficient an expensive so ive been looking for an alternate form of heating. I’ve got another 1000 sq ft of open basement (2000sq ft total heating) that would be great to throw a stove in. Brcause there is no form of heat in the basement the floors upstairs are really cold and occasionally the foundation in the basement frosts up.  My wife if trying to convince me to buy a pellet stove bit I’ve been looking at a jotul Oslo. She’s concerned about the smell of a stove. I think a wood stove would give off more radiant heat to keep the foundation from frosting up. Im thinking a qood stove would be cheaper to tun too. Any suggestions or feedback??? Thanks

 

[Dix]

Hi guys. I’m new to the site although I’ve read many reviews and posts prior to this. I’m a relatively new homeowner. I own a 1000 sq ft ranch currently using electric heat. Obviously it’s very inefficient an expensive so ive been looking for an alternate form of heating. I’ve got another 1000 sq ft of open basement (2000sq ft total heating) that would be great to throw a stove in. Brcause there is no form of heat in the basement the floors upstairs are really cold and occasionally the foundation in the basement frosts up.  My wife if trying to convince me to buy a pellet stove bit I’ve been looking at a jotul Oslo. She’s concerned about the smell of a stove. I think a wood stove would give off more radiant heat to keep the foundation from frosting up. Im thinking a qood stove would be cheaper to tun too. Any suggestions or feedback??? Thanks

Evening, PM, welcome to the forums!! You'e come to a great place for info.


Usualy, a basement install isn't the best for a wood stove. Is there any air flow from the basement to the upper level?


Maybe with a wood stove upstairs, an electric space heater in the basement?

Just throwing some ideas out there.

I think a house layout would be a big help here. I always say that, but it always helps ;-)

 

[fredarm]

Gotta insulate the basement walls or they'll soak up a lot of the heat from the stove down there.

 

[daryl]

I would start with insulating the downstairs walls.Then add a woodstove in the basement so you don't waste all those BTU's from your woodstove.
Fredarm must type faster then me +1

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

Hi guys. I’m new to the site although I’ve read many reviews and posts prior to this. I’m a relatively new homeowner. I own a 1000 sq ft ranch currently using electric heat. Obviously it’s very inefficient an expensive so ive been looking for an alternate form of heating. I’ve got another 1000 sq ft of open basement (2000sq ft total heating) that would be great to throw a stove in. Brcause there is no form of heat in the basement the floors upstairs are really cold and occasionally the foundation in the basement frosts up.  My wife if trying to convince me to buy a pellet stove bit I’ve been looking at a jotul Oslo. She’s concerned about the smell of a stove. I think a wood stove would give off more radiant heat to keep the foundation from frosting up. Im thinking a qood stove would be cheaper to tun too. Any suggestions or feedback??? Thanks

Welcome to the forum, lots of good stuff here to learn about. You came to the right place.
As far as your interest in an alternative form of heat, lots of questions to ask before making quite an investment (of time and money)
I understand your predicement, though as others have already commented poses other problems aside from electric baseboards and
a mailman with a nasty bill once a month.
The wood stove is not for everyone, it takes some time to learn the ins and outs, do's and dont's, just as anything does.
Maybe a better consideration would be a medium sized stove on the first floor unless you have plans to make the basement into living space.
The basement walls are a major issue in itself, might need to be insulated in some way before considering the stove placement downstairs.
As much heat as an Oslo can put out, the basement walls would take away. Fuel consumption and frequent trips down the stairs to the stove
would seem fruitless. Along with insulating the basement walls, consider insulating the bays of the first floor joists. I think I would look to install
on the first floor. Good luck!

 

[BrotherBart]

Yep. I can fire that stove in the basement on pretty much any day and it takes from the time I get up till noon for the stove to overcome the cold in the walls and start producing good heat in the rest of the basement. Much less send any heat up to the rest of the house.

The reason I moved my office back up into the main living area of the house. To quit wasting wood down there. That and to not have to go back and forth feeding and adjusting two stoves.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Hi guys. I’m new to the site although I’ve read many reviews and posts prior to this. I’m a relatively new homeowner. I own a 1000 sq ft ranch currently using electric heat. Obviously it’s very inefficient an expensive so ive been looking for an alternate form of heating. I’ve got another 1000 sq ft of open basement (2000sq ft total heating) that would be great to throw a stove in. Brcause there is no form of heat in the basement the floors upstairs are really cold and occasionally the foundation in the basement frosts up.  My wife if trying to convince me to buy a pellet stove bit I’ve been looking at a jotul Oslo. She’s concerned about the smell of a stove. I think a wood stove would give off more radiant heat to keep the foundation from frosting up. Im thinking a qood stove would be cheaper to tun too. Any suggestions or feedback??? Thanks

Welcome to the forum Pmalo379.

With the electric heat it is understandable you want an alternate heat supply.

A pellet stove might be okay for you and some folks like them because they say they are cleaner. Well, you certainly do not have the work with pellets like you will with regular wood heat but there are many trade-offs. I recall just a couple years ago when there was a shortage of pellets in our area and we have some relatives who burn pellets. They are also on constant lookout for cheaper pellets. Also, evidently all pellets are not created equal! They also tell me the cleaning of the stove is much more with the pellet stove. One huge drawback can be if the power goes out. With wood heat, all is well and you can even do some cooking on the stove top. Not so with a pellet stove.

And as you have been advised, wood heat in the basement just is not the best idea. However, there are several who do have stoves in the basement. As you now know, insulation is required lest all the heat just go into the walls and you get no benefit or very little. Also, do you want to be going up and down stairs to tend the stove? Do you want to be putting wood in the basement? How will this be done? Would it not be better to have the wood stove upstairs where the family is so that you can keep a better eye on it? These wood stoves are excellent but they still require input from humans and if the stove is in the basement there is much less input and if you happen to forget something, what will happen with nobody near the stove?

One more thing. If you want to heat with wood, get your fuel first! Then get the stove. The reason is you can't buy dry wood even if the wood sellers tell you it is dry. Chances are, it is not dry enough.

 

[begreen]

A wood stove is going to work best as an area heater. That's where the most warmth will be. If the stove has good draft and is properly installed, there should be no smoke smell. That would be an indication of a problem. As others have noted, a stove in an uninsulated basement is going to loose a lot of heat straight out the foundation walls. This can be 25-35% of the output of the stove depending on the foundation exposure. The net result of most basement installations is that often the basement needs to get very warm (85-90°F) in order to have a reasonable 70°F temp upstairs.

I'm curious about the choice of the Oslo. This is a very nice stove, but it seems like undersized to heat 2000 sq ft in the conditions described and a bit too fancy a stove for the application. But if the intent is to finish parts of the basement (including insulation) and have the hearth as a focal point in a basement family room or man cave, then it makes good sense. A few questions: Does the basement have outdoor access to easily bring in wood? Is the basement an open space with a large central stairway that can be left open when the stove is burning? Will the stove be located close by the stairs?

If you do end up getting a pellet stove, I strongly recommend installing it on the 1st floor and not the basement. We have a pellet forum here too where there are lots of folks that can help with the stove recommendation and fuel sources for your area.

If you end up going with a wood stove and the basement is going to stay as it is for awhile, I'd get a basic steel stove. Heed the advice about dry wood. These stoves do not throw a lot of heat out if the wood is not properly seasoned and they can be balky or smokey starting. Have a good dry wood stash or the season start could be very disappointing (and your wife will likely be saying she told ya so).

 

[Pmalo379]

Thanks guys for your prompt replies. Sounds like i better do a little more work before making a purchase. First of all, I really don't have any spot upstairs for a stove at this point. All the rooms are pretty full and the floor plan isn't the greatest. The basement is really the only spot at this point that I've got the room. Its completely open roughly 44x24 and there is an access door out the back side of the house so bringing in wood wouldn't be an issue. As for my choices of stoves I had been looking at both Jotul and Vermont Castings but I had done research on here that kind of pushed me towards Jotul. I started looking at the Oslo and Firelight because they were the two that could heat enough sq ftg. I saw a few reviews of the firelight about the two doors and how it was a pain to open them with the tool they supply. Also the salesman at the dealer I went to had a difficult time opening the doors too. That turned me towards the Oslo which I had seen many people heating bigger houses than I have. Should I overlook the door issue and go with a bigger stove? Will framing and insulating be sufficient? Is there anything else i will need to do to prepare or any other suggestions??? Thanks a lot again guys. You've been great

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

Your intesrest is still there despite the house issues. I say Go For It... Just beware of the fight your up against, not to mention the work associated with the stove.
If you are able to insulate the basement walls and install the stove in the basement I would leave the floors (1st floor) uninsulated, in hopes the stove heat will warm them.
The basement floor itself may become an issue with the cold. You may want to place some floor vents in different areas of different rooms to move some of the heat.
Lastly, I feel for you...going up and down those stairs to fill and maintain that stove.

 

[begreen]

Have to ask, why an expensive and pretty stove for the basement? I would be looking at an affordable steel stove to do the job for a basic task like this. It will cost less than half of the price of an Oslo and will do the job just as well.

How is the heat going to get upstairs?

 

[Pmalo379]

Eventually I will end up finishing the basement and make a nice hearth for the stove but I'm just looking for an efficient stove to hopefully keep me warm through this winter. Last year was pretty unbearable. I plan on cutting some vents into the floors to let the heat upstairs. Aside from removing the existing insulation in the upstairs floors, is there anything I could do to allow more heat to move upwards?

 

[begreen]

That makes sense. If you are buying the Oslo for eventual use in a nice setup, that's good too. It's a good heater and very nice looking. But until the walls get insulated, I suspect it is going to be working its butt off.

Still need to understand where the stove and stairs are located to know more about how heat will circulate. A 1st floor plan would help.

 

[DanCorcoran]

I've had woodstove and pellet. If you can get wood, I'd go with that. The pellet stoves (I had 3 different ones in all) were a pain to clean and could be finicky. If you do go with pellet, I'd strongly recommend one that starts and stops, rather than one that burns all the time at varying heat levels.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

Dan, good looking out. Tough time of year to get wood that is fully dry and if it is you will most likely pay for it. Some kind of power vent, or air circulator would work there too.
I have an inline vent in a 1st to 2nd floor ceiling that I use to move warm air upstairs for the overnight hours. Others here have mentioned that I use the air circulator on my
hot air system to move the warm air around the house too. Just some ideas...

 

[Pmalo379]

sorry the diagram took so long. tons of things on my mind.
----------x--------outside door---
l stove l
l l
lstairs l
l l
l l
l l
--------------------------------------
front of house

The dashes and lines didnt line up like I typed originally.I know its a poor diagram, but you can get the just of it. Once again, its totally open in terms of the floor plan. Stairs are located about 15 feet away from the potential location of the stove. Near the stove to the left there are the washer and dryer along with the electric water heater. Not sure how far I should keep appliances away from the stove...Also the stove is located relatively close under the bedroom and bathroom where the majority of the time is spent. Should I consider getting the firelight due to the issues I'm facing and just deal with the drawback of the doors?? Thanks again

 

[begreen]

It's going to be a challenge at best. The heating is going to be biased toward the left side with the stairs and stove located there. But the basement should be cozier.

 

[fredarm]

My thought would be to get a big steel stove like an Englander NC-30 and see how it works down there. They are a big black box, but throw a lot of heat and you can dress them up with gold trim or even paint them a different color. If it doesn't work too well having the stove in the basement, well you haven't spent as much money on it. If it does and you eventually decide to finish the basement, you could go for the Jotul then and sell the Englander. Keep the door from the basement to the upstairs open and heat will find its way upstairs. Watch out cutting vents in the floor--they can be a fire hazard.

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts . . .

As mentioned the basement is not the best choice for most woodstove installations . . . but if you insist on going that route I would echo the thoughts about insulating the walls first and putting in a plain Jane steel monster of a stove.

Smell . . . your wife most likely has been in a home or met folks where they had poor drafting stoves . . . and the smoke lingered on their clothes and in their home. I can assure you that no one where I work would know how I heat my home since a properly drafting and run stove will not result in the smell of smoke in your home . . . in fact the only smell I get from my woodstove is the potpourri I have simmering in the steamer on top of the stove. If I want to smell smoke I have to go outside . . . and even then I may not smell it if the wind and weather conditions are not "right." Of course you may get some smell from the break-in process as the oils on the metal are burned off and the paint cures.

VC vs. Jotul . . . I don't blame you here . . . to me there are still too many unanswered questions with the "new"VC . . . however I would have suggested going with the Firelight still . . . I think the Oslo will be under-powered based only on your square footage . . . and then putting it in a basement . . . that will reduce its effectiveness even more . . . these stoves are great . . . but given the size and suggested placement I really think you would be happier with the Firelight in time . . . the Oslo may be under-powered for what you are looking at. Perhaps it is time to check out some other stove manufacturers if you really do not like the Firelight.

Placement . . . I mentioned it and others mentioned it . . . but is there truly no place to put the stove upstairs where you will get the most enjoyment . . . many folks think of woodstoves at first simple, inexpensive ways to heat their home . . . many do not realize that in fact a woodstove in a living space is actually a unique focal point . . . a treat for the senses . . . the dancing flames (which will cause you to turn off the TV on some evenings and watch the fire instead), the smell of potpourri, the crackling and snapping of the wood . . . it is almost a shame to put the stove in a basement. In my own case I had to move some furniture around and even took down a non-load bearing wall -- lost a few feet in my den, but gained a little more space in the living room where the stove is located.

Pellets vs. wood . . . there are a lot of threads with pros- and cons- to both . . . I honestly think there is a place for both . . . however for me I went with the woodstove for its accessibility (both in terms of being able to buy a woodstove immediately and having to wait several months for a pelletstove due to the high demand three years ago . . . and for my access to the wood on the family land vs. having to buy pellets), no need to have a battery hook up or generator to keep the stove running in a power loss and for the visual/auditory/olfactory stimulation. That said, the "set it and forget it" features and less mess of a pelletstove can be attractive to many folks as well.