New member. So many questions. What stove??????

[Fishbum]

Hello everyone.

I will try and keep this brief but I don't know what I don't know. We are building a new house in central PA. 1400 ish sq ft contemporary shed roof style. Open floor plan on one floor. In our current home we have a pellet stove but I have always wanted a wood stove. The lot is wooded with oak and I think ash so fuel will be free. We will also have a heat pump. My order of importance is

1. Safety ( Stove run away. Not sure why it happens.)
2. 10 to 12 hr burn capabilities.
3. Looks.
4. I would like to be able to put cast iron skillet top.
Stoves that interest me.

Woodstock ideal steel hybrid.
Quadra fire discovery 3
MF fire Nova
Osborn matrix
Blaze king Boxer and Chinook
Drolet deco


I know this is quite the range of stoves but I'm sure you can see the pattern. Price is not in the equation. Safest stove is my big concern. Don't really wants a blower and I'm unsure about a cat.


Please teach me everything

Ty in advance!

 

[kborndale]

Get your wood cut and split now, doesn't matter what stove you get, oak will take 2-3 years of drying before it's useable and ash will take 1-2 years. If you don't use fully dry wood no modern stove will work well.

 

[Eman85]

Seem hung up on safety, it's a fire in a metal box inside your house. Anything past that is convenience and features. Most problems are human error, either installer or operator sometimes both.
Heating with wood is hard dirty business, you can be neater but it's still dirty wood coming in your house and dirty ashes being carried out and then what to do with the ashes. To heat effectively you need good species seasoned wood, you can buy the species but most times you need to season it yourself. Wood needs storage areas and seasoning takes years.

 

[Fishbum]

Seem hung up on safety, it's a fire in a metal box inside your house. Anything past that is convenience and features. Most problems are human error, either installer or operator sometimes both.
Heating with wood is hard dirty business, you can be neater but it's still dirty wood coming in your house and dirty ashes being carried out and then what to do with the ashes. To heat effectively you need good species seasoned wood, you can buy the species but most times you need to season it yourself. Wood needs storage areas and seasoning takes years.

Yep I understand and totally accept all those facts.. I'm just trying to learn what kind of human errors can cause major problems. I have some Dead Fall that I'm hoping to get cut and split and see what salvageable for next year but outside of that I will start splitting wood and come up with proper storage moving forward and just have to accept that I have to buy next year's wood.

 

[begreen]

That's a wide range of stove sizes and technology. The first thing to do is to reset expectations. A new 1400 sq ft, tight home is not going to need a big stove like the Ideal Steel. Depending on the insulation level, ceiling height, and amount of windows, it may only need a stove half this size. Based on the description I wouldn't go larger than 2 cu ft. Better yet, get the heat loss calc done now. You'll need it anyway for the primary heating system design. That will provide a guideline for the wood stove sizing. My guess is that a 2 cu ft Blaze King or the same sized Kuma will do all that you need. In non-cats, I would consider a PE Alderlea T5 or Super27 HD.

The Quad and the MF Nova are more or less fixed burn rate stoves. I wouldn't recommend them if the goal is 24/7 heating.

 

[Fishbum]

That's a wide range of stove sizes and technology. The first thing to do is to reset expectations. A new 1400 sq ft, tight home is not going to need a big stove like the Ideal Steel. Depending on the insulation level, ceiling height, and amount of windows, it may only need a stove half this size. Based on the description I wouldn't go larger than 2 cu ft. Better yet, get the heat loss calc done now. You'll need them anyway for the primary heating system design. That will provide a guideline for the wood stove sizing. My guess is that a 2 cu ft Blaze King or the same sized Kuma will do all that you need. In non-cats, I would consider a PE Alderlea T5 or Super27 HD.

The Quad and the MF Nova are more or less fixed burn rate stoves. I wouldn't recommend them if the goal is 24/7 heating.

Awesome thank you

 

[kborndale]

Yep I understand and totally accept all those facts.. I'm just trying to learn what kind of human errors can cause major problems. I have some Dead Fall that I'm hoping to get cut and split and see what salvageable for next year but outside of that I will start splitting wood and come up with proper storage moving forward and just have to accept that I have to buy next year's wood.

There in is a problem, buying wood that is ready to burn is not something you can easily do. Every dealer out there claims that their wood is ready to burn, but very few of them are being truthful. Any standing dead ash that you can get split and stacked before the summer will be better than wood you buy. Expect any wood you buy to need a year to dry before you can use it.

 

[BIGChrisNH]

Any of those stoves look to be quality units so I wouldn't really worry about safety. Any high quality stove is going to be safe as long as it's run properly. A 10-12 hour burn is tough, it depends what is meant by burn. I have an Englander NC30 which is a 3.3 cubic foot firebox and that has no problem with overnight burns (9pm to 7am or so). However, by overnight burn I mean plenty of hot coals in the morning to re-start a fire with, there's no flames or anything.

 

[Fishbum]

Any of those stoves look to be quality units so I wouldn't really worry about safety. Any high quality stove is going to be safe as long as it's run properly. A 10-12 hour burn is tough, it depends what is meant by burn. I have an Englander NC30 which is a 3.3 cubic foot firebox and that has no problem with overnight burns (9pm to 7am or so). However, by overnight burn I mean plenty of hot coals in the morning to re-start a fire with, there's no flames or anything.

Yes I should have specified that is what I meant. Hot coals and some heat still coming off.

 

[begreen]

Yes I should have specified that is what I meant. Hot coals and some heat still coming off.

Any of the stoves recommended should do that with decent firewood and proper operation.

 

[Fishbum]

A lot of those look very traditional however.. aesthetically

 

[begreen]

There are many factors besides looks that go into a good 24/7 burner. My poor aunt used to say as she looked over the vast hillside vista of central NY - You can't eat the view.

The BK Chinook or a PE Neo 2.5 are a compromise.

 

[Fishbum]

There are many factors besides looks that go into a good 24/7 burner. My poor aunt used to say as she looked over the vast hillside vista of central NY - You can't eat the view.

The BK Chinook or a PE Neo 2.5 are a compromise.

PE.... Pacific energy?

 

[Eman85]

As others posted any manufactured stove with any type of rating is safe if used and installed properly. Or as safe as a wood fire in a box in your house can be.
Human error?, thinking you're smarter than the stove or the instructions. cheat on the clearances to combustibles, install improperly, neglect maintenance, burn unsuitable wood and other products, on and on. Every day people are inventing new and improved human errors. It's fire, man has been trying to tame it since he discovered it.
If you want pretty look at Vermont Castings.

 

[Fishbum]

PE.... Pacific energy?

Never mind I found it asked and answered

 

[begreen]

PE.... Pacific energy?

Yes. Again, determine the amount of heat that will be needed before selecting the stove size, if a non-cat. This is less of an issue with the thermostatically regulated BK stove.
What will the primary heating system be?

 

[Fishbum]

Yes. Again, determine the amount of heat that will be needed before selecting the stove size, if a non-cat. This is less of an issue with the thermostatically regulated BK stove.
What will the primary heating system be?

I was hoping for the primary heating system to be wood with a heat pump for times when it's just too warm to fire up the stove

 

[begreen]

OK, I thought that might be the case. The bank will want it sized to handle the load in case of illness or a desire to go on vacation, etc.

 

[Fishbum]

OK, I thought that might be the case. The bank will want it sized to handle the load in case of illness or a desire to go on vacation, etc.

Good to know

 

[Crab]

You didn't mention the chimney. Please to not skimp on it's construction. Monitor the installation very carefully. Straight up is the best but if it must 90 into a thimble be sure to install the thimble at least 3' above a "normal" stove height. I have a masonry interior chimney and 90 into it. The thimble is only 20 or so inches above my stove. It's low height above a stove total ruled out buying a BK. I have 23' foot of chimney height minus the deduction for a 90 and a tee. It is insulated SS heavy flex inside the masonry chimney. . My F45 Jotul drafts well, I was told a BK would not.

 

[Fishbum]

You didn't mention the chimney. Please to not skimp on it's construction. Monitor the installation very carefully. Straight up is the best but if it must 90 into a thimble be sure to install the thimble at least 3' above a "normal" stove height. I have a masonry interior chimney and 90 into it. The thimble is only 20 or so inches above my stove. It's low height above a stove total ruled out buying a BK. I have 23' foot of chimney height minus the deduction for a 90 and a tee. It is insulated SS heavy flex inside the masonry chimney. . My F45 Jotul drafts well, I was told a BK would not.

Because we are building a contemporary home it will just be the stove wherever it's final position is and then a straight flue right up through the room and out the roof

 

[Fishbum]

There are many factors besides looks that go into a good 24/7 burner. My poor aunt used to say as she looked over the vast hillside vista of central NY - You can't eat the view.

The BK Chinook or a PE Neo 2.5 are a compromise.

I have really started to focus in on the Chinook and the neo they're not my two favorite looking stoves however they're close to the ones I really like and also have some better burn times and a few more features. I spoke to Woodstock and the ideal is just going to be way too big as you guys pointed out.

 

[Fishbum]

Does anyone have any thoughts on the supreme Novo 24

So random question but can fire bricks out of a stove be replaced by soapstone bricks?

Or is this a big mistake

 

[bholler]

So random question but can fire bricks out of a stove be replaced by soapstone bricks?

Or is this a big mistake

Why would you want that?

 

[Fishbum]

I was just curious