I apologize for the long post, but want to share details.
I currently have an old 30 year old model 27000 Buck Stove insert and want to take advantage of the tax credit before it is gone tomorrow night. We are also very limited on available funds. The masonary fireplace that the insert is in is slightly larger than an average fireplace. I am thinking of putting a free standing stove on the hearth and pushing the stove back far enough to use existing chimney. I thought about another insert, but there is too much heat lost when the power is off. With the free standing stove, it can sit out farther and radiate the heat. I know I will have to install a blocking plate to stop the excess air flow.
My house is a 2 story with approximately 3500 square feet. Of this, the lower level is about 2000 sq ft and was built in the late 1800's. We have removed exterior wall sheeting and added insulation, but there is very little under the house due to the amount of crawl space. The upstairs is about 1500 sq ft that we built on about 10 yrs ago. The upstairs walls all have R-19 and use 2x6 framing. Insulation up there isn't an issue as it is above average. The downstairs area is drafty when the stove is going because of the inability to get heat to the other side of the house. I am attaching a drawing of the house so you can further understand.
I am having problems deciding on what size to go with. I was considering a Magnolia 2015 stove because they are EPA approved and on sale right now. According to the manufacturer's specs, Heating Capacity 1600 - 2400
BTU Range 47,626 - -112,877 . From what I can find, my old Buck Stove is rated around 30,000 BTU. On a day where the temps stay above freezing, it supplies enough heat for the front area of the house. When the temps get around 20-30, the old house starts getting hard to heat. When it is below 20, you almost need to spray gas into the stove to get enough heat. The Buck Stove is at the far end of a 16 x 28 living room and because of the layout of the house, it is hard to get heat to circulate to other rooms. All the ductwork is under the house and insulation gone from it so we are in the process of running new ductwork in area between ceiling of ground level and floor of upstairs. We are unable to use the forced air furnace fan to circulate heat from the room now due to the ductwork being so cold, it actually cools the rooms instead of heating. We currently only build a fire during the day due to being unable to heat bedrooms on other end of house. Would like to burn 24/7 when new ductwork is completed. The electric furnace from the night hours is about to kill my billfold.
I need advice on whether this would be a good selection for a stove. I have never dealt with the new epa's so not sure how much you can vary the heat output. I want to be able to add more wood on colder days but cut back on warmer ones, but don't want to get it so hot we will roast. I do have plans on being done with ductwork in next 2 weeks so I can use that to distribute heat to other areas. The wood I am burning is probably around 20% mc so there shouldn't be a problem in it's quality. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA.
I currently have an old 30 year old model 27000 Buck Stove insert and want to take advantage of the tax credit before it is gone tomorrow night. We are also very limited on available funds. The masonary fireplace that the insert is in is slightly larger than an average fireplace. I am thinking of putting a free standing stove on the hearth and pushing the stove back far enough to use existing chimney. I thought about another insert, but there is too much heat lost when the power is off. With the free standing stove, it can sit out farther and radiate the heat. I know I will have to install a blocking plate to stop the excess air flow.
My house is a 2 story with approximately 3500 square feet. Of this, the lower level is about 2000 sq ft and was built in the late 1800's. We have removed exterior wall sheeting and added insulation, but there is very little under the house due to the amount of crawl space. The upstairs is about 1500 sq ft that we built on about 10 yrs ago. The upstairs walls all have R-19 and use 2x6 framing. Insulation up there isn't an issue as it is above average. The downstairs area is drafty when the stove is going because of the inability to get heat to the other side of the house. I am attaching a drawing of the house so you can further understand.
I am having problems deciding on what size to go with. I was considering a Magnolia 2015 stove because they are EPA approved and on sale right now. According to the manufacturer's specs, Heating Capacity 1600 - 2400
BTU Range 47,626 - -112,877 . From what I can find, my old Buck Stove is rated around 30,000 BTU. On a day where the temps stay above freezing, it supplies enough heat for the front area of the house. When the temps get around 20-30, the old house starts getting hard to heat. When it is below 20, you almost need to spray gas into the stove to get enough heat. The Buck Stove is at the far end of a 16 x 28 living room and because of the layout of the house, it is hard to get heat to circulate to other rooms. All the ductwork is under the house and insulation gone from it so we are in the process of running new ductwork in area between ceiling of ground level and floor of upstairs. We are unable to use the forced air furnace fan to circulate heat from the room now due to the ductwork being so cold, it actually cools the rooms instead of heating. We currently only build a fire during the day due to being unable to heat bedrooms on other end of house. Would like to burn 24/7 when new ductwork is completed. The electric furnace from the night hours is about to kill my billfold.
I need advice on whether this would be a good selection for a stove. I have never dealt with the new epa's so not sure how much you can vary the heat output. I want to be able to add more wood on colder days but cut back on warmer ones, but don't want to get it so hot we will roast. I do have plans on being done with ductwork in next 2 weeks so I can use that to distribute heat to other areas. The wood I am burning is probably around 20% mc so there shouldn't be a problem in it's quality. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA.
