Opinions on two stove install 1st floor & 2nd.

[Tiny]

Hello all, thanks for the read. Closing on an old Masonic hall ( 1872) Wondering if stove pipe lengths are going to be a problem with drafts? 1st flood is 12ft ceiling, 2nd is 18 ft. Then the is an attic. Both pipes will be straight up. Woodstock stoves, Ideal Steel on bottom, Progressive hybrid on top. House has siding with minimal insulation. Attic need it and has none as of yet. I'm guessing alot of wood. So is this going to work and heat this place to a livable temp??
Thoughts and knowledge appreciated.

 

[stoveliker]

I highly doubt you'll be able to heat to livable temps without insulation in the walls. And if you start adding internal walls, it'd get even harder.

Sizing a stove for one big room is different from what you need for a smaller room (and hallway to other rooms).

Draft should not be a problem, and if so you can add a flue damper.

 

[fabsroman]

I don't see why the stove pipe length would be an issue with drafting. I had a wood burning furnace in the basement at my old house that had a chimney over 30 feet in length. It drafted just fine. Granted, I had a damper to adjust the draft to exactly what the manufacturer called for and a manometer to measure the draft every so often. I always thought that the longer the chimney, the better the draft would be once the chimney was warmed up. Heck, I am looking at putting a woodstove in the basement of my current house, which is 3 stories. So, the chimney will be over 20 feet long for the basement stove, which as of right now will be a Woodstock Ideal Steel Hybrid.

On another note, I really like the open space in that house/hall.

 

[Tiny]

I don't see why the stove pipe length would be an issue with drafting. I had a wood burning furnace in the basement at my old house that had a chimney over 30 feet in length. It drafted just fine. Granted, I had a damper to adjust the draft to exactly what the manufacturer called for and a manometer to measure the draft every so often. I always thought that the longer the chimney, the better the draft would be once the chimney was warmed up. Heck, I am looking at putting a woodstove in the basement of my current house, which is 3 stories. So, the chimney will be over 20 feet long for the basement stove, which as of right now will be a Woodstock Ideal Steel Hybrid.

On another note, I really like the open space in that house/hall.

Good deal, thank you for your reply.

 

[Tiny]

I highly doubt you'll be able to heat to livable temps without insulation in the walls. And if you start adding internal walls, it'd get even harder.

Sizing a stove for one big room is different from what you need for a smaller room (and hallway to other rooms).

Draft should not be a problem, and if so you can add a flue damper.

Hope to reside the place down the road. Hope we can get livable heat. Especially at the cost of stoves and install.
Thanks for reply

 

[stoveliker]

Then I suggest to seriously look into insulating the place properly. Wood is a lot of work. Loosing wood heat (or any) to the great outdoors just gives you more work.

If you want to buy a stove for the eventual living lay-out, it's best to provide a sketch, noting that stoves are space heaters, and heating a full home can be done but the parameters need to be suitable for that.

If that is a long way off, I suggest to buy a larger stove on the used market. Make sure you have a proper chimney set up (safety...), spend money on that (won't be wasted) and buy a cheaper stove for now, upgrading to a more suitable stove for the situation down the road later.

 

[all night moe]

I've looked at many old farmhouses before buying the one we're calling home now.
It was east to see how they used to heat these places with evidence of old chimney stove pipe pass thru in floors and ceilings. Basically, every room had a small stove in them. Except bathrooms and sometimes the kitchen only had it's wood cook stove. Sometimes both.

You are definitely going to need insulation for it to be ''livable." You could live without it but would not be comfortable. I'm going to assume there is no basement and it's all crawl space. This will practically make it unbearable, especially uninsulated.

Celing fans above the stoves will help with this, and will be beneficial even with insulated crawl space.

 

[begreen]

Plan on installing a key damper on the stove pipe for the first-floor stove. The second-floor stove may not need one.

You may be all right with the heating. How many sq ft per floor? What is going to get old quickly is transporting all that wood up the stairs, multiple times a day.

What is the current heating system (if any)? Have you considered a good wood furnace like a Kuuma?

 

[stoveliker]

Not or minimal insulation in Maine, and eventual rooms build in "you may be ok with heating" - I highly doubt that.

 

[Tiny]

Then I suggest to seriously look into insulating the place properly. Wood is a lot of work. Loosing wood heat (or any) to the great outdoors just gives you more work.

If you want to buy a stove for the eventual living lay-out, it's best to provide a sketch, noting that stoves are space heaters, and heating a full home can be done but the parameters need to be suitable for that.

If that is a long way off, I suggest to buy a larger stove on the used market. Make sure you have a proper chimney set up (safety...), spend money on that (won't be wasted) and buy a cheaper stove for now, upgrading to a more suitable stove for the situation down the road later.

Believe my only way to insulate would be under the siding on exterior ( it has now but not tight nor of good value). Stoves are rated 2200sqft so 1st floor would be rated fare with there math at 2500sqft x 12ft ceilings, however..... Like you said poor wall insulation. Bones are excellent, so worth it. One step at a time. It does have new oil furnace from basement to first floor, forced air. Don't know if we can afford that but good back up if we need it. Second floor is a doozy at 1500sqft at 18ft ceilings.

 

[stoveliker]

Yes, but those ratings don't mean much, in particular when the home is not insulated. The one thing you have going for you is that these are single rooms. Stoves are space heaters, and that's what you have.

However, to heat that space (in this insulation state), you need BTUs. Then when you make the stove room smaller (bldg in other rooms), you'll be cooked out of the room easily. Hence my suggestion to buy cheap, used, big now. And later something suitable for the new configuration (preferably with better insulation). Because the two scenarios seem to be quite incompatible to me.

 

[Tiny]

Plan on installing a key damper on the stove pipe for the first-floor stove. The second-floor stove may not need one.

You may be all right with the heating. How many sq ft per floor? What is going to get old quickly is transporting all that wood up the stairs, multiple times a day.

What is the current heating system (if any)? Have you considered a good wood furnace like a Kuuma?

House does have a oil forced air heater to first floor. Yep the stairway is going to be fun hauling wood up lol. Never looked at a wood furnace, I will. Was hoping first floor would eventually help with the second floor heat if both stoves are going. First thing is we will insulate the attic. Correct if wrong but think thats a good first step. We do have a basement but no outside access.

 

[Tiny]

Yes, but those ratings don't mean much, in particular when the home is not insulated. The one thing you have going for you is that these are single rooms. Stoves are space heaters, and that's what you have.

However, to heat that space (in this insulation state), you need BTUs. Then when you make the stove room smaller (bldg in other rooms), you'll be cooked out of the room easily. Hence my suggestion to buy cheap, used, big now. And later something suitable for the new configuration (preferably with better insulation). Because the two scenarios seem to be quite incompatible to me.

Got it, wasn't planning on dividing the rooms at all but leaving as is. In that configuration do you think once insulated better it will work?

 

[begreen]

I would look at the Kuuma and Drolet Heat Commander furnaces before deciding. If necessary, a chute arrangement could be put in either through a basement wall or from the first floor to make wood transport much easier.

What is the output BTU of the oil furnace? What sq ftg per floor?

 

[Tiny]

I've looked at many old farmhouses before buying the one we're calling home now.
It was east to see how they used to heat these places with evidence of old chimney stove pipe pass thru in floors and ceilings. Basically, every room had a small stove in them. Except bathrooms and sometimes the kitchen only had it's wood cook stove. Sometimes both.

You are definitely going to need insulation for it to be ''livable." You could live without it but would not be comfortable. I'm going to assume there is no basement and it's all crawl space. This will practically make it unbearable, especially uninsulated.

Celing fans above the stoves will help with this, and will be beneficial even with insulated crawl space.

Does have a tall basement, well 7 feet anyway. Thanks

 

[stoveliker]

Yes. Good for space heaters.

When you insulate the attic, first air seal all the seams and fixtures poking through. Pain to do that after adding insulation.

Polyurethane foam at all seams (header boards and drywall), and non-flammable caulk at lighting (ceiling fan) fixtures. Don't want to have air leaking into your attic, and insulation is not a good air stop.

 

[Tiny]

I would look at the Kuuma and Drolet Heat Commander furnaces before deciding. If necessary, a chute arrangement could be put in either through a basement wall or from the first floor to make wood transport much easier.

What is the output BTU of the oil furnace? What sq ftg per floor?

Don't know BTU of furnace 1500sqft per floor. 1st 12ceilings, 2nd 18ft ceilings

 

[Tiny]

Yes. Good for space heaters.

When you insulate the attic, first air seal all the seams and fixtures poking through. Pain to do that after adding insulation.

Polyurethane foam at all seams (header boards and drywall), and non-flammable caulk at lighting (ceiling fan) fixtures. Don't want to have air leaking into your attic, and insulation is not a good air stop.

Great , thank you!! Laith and plaster

 

[begreen]

Will this be for personal use? If so, would an option be to just use the 1st floor in the winter?

 

[stoveliker]

Hm. Then you may only have to look at the fixtures. Not sure how they do this where the outside walls meet the ceiling. Maybe it's all plastered over and airtight already.

With such high ceilings you will want multiple ceiling fans per floor.to push the heat down.

 

[Tiny]

Will this be for personal use? If so, would an option be to just use the 1st floor in the winter?

It is, and that just might have to be. Or at least till we get funds to put proper insulation on outside with new metal siding.

 

[Tiny]

Hm. Then you may only have to look at the fixtures. Not sure how they do this where the outside walls meet the ceiling. Maybe it's all plastered over and airtight already.

With such high ceilings you will want multiple ceiling fans per floor.to push the heat down.

Considering two 6footers hanging four feet down.