thoughts on heating 1150 square foot home (basement and ground floor)

[lethal dose]

hey, folks... been lurking for ages. great forum, here. as the title says... i have an 1150 square foot home which includes an unfinished basement. i was just about sold on heating the upstairs alone with a breckwell pellet stove when something came my way for "free"... hey, if it's free it's for me. so... this is what i have: it's a united states stove company aps 1100. made in china, but hey... if it's free it's for me, remember? anyhow... my floor layout is beyond simple: upstairs is two rooms... the kitchen and livingroom are one room then there's a bedroom and, for the sake of simplicity, they are about the same size with a wall between the two. the basement is the exact same size divided into two rooms. very simple. my thought was that this thing, even though small in size, would probably burn me out of house and home should i put it upstairs, so i opted for the basement. i knocked a window out in my basement, framed it in with 2x4, covered each side in plywood, went through it with 9" of triple wall duraplus, capped both sides and now i'm going to go up with 15' of the triple wall duraplus. being an active member of a firearms forum known for it's intolerance for people buying then asking, i feel kind of silly... but... IT WAS FREE. house isn't very drafty but the windows are getting old and i know i won't get an exact answer because there is an actual science to heating and airloss but, do you guys think this thing can handle my area covered including my upstairs? if not, what are some suggestions for getting that heat to the upper level? thanks!

 

[afptl]

Some friends of ours have a similar situation. THey have about a 1300 sq feet house with a full basement. They got either cheap or free one of those stoves like a hot blast that is made to hook up to duct work. Except they never did. They just leave the door open at the top of the steps.

In your case, basement was not a bad move. Heat rises and the wood can be stored dry in the basement ready for use. I don't blame you for taking it for free. You can use it for now, and if something better comes along you will already have the chimney in so you can swap them out. Think of it as temporary ownership until better comes along. In the meantime, Praise the Lord for the stove! I would use a box fan to blow air at the stove to help move it around. I have heard of people cutting in floor register vents in the ceiling of the basement to let the hot air upstairs. Congrats on the new stove!

 

[lethal dose]

thanks, friend! the wife's from grayson, ky. yeah, i hope it works out... i'm just a little worried it won't put out the heat needed, but... i may be surprised. yes... praise the lord because i am heating my dinky little home with propane and a furnace from the 1950's. november temps were probably averaging in the 30's and 40's and i used about $300-$400 worth of propane in that time, so, i shut the furnace off and ran two electric space heaters and just got an electric bill for $293. i've had it... hahaha.

 

[afptl]

If the stove is too small, at least you have the chimney up. Then you can start the Craigslist hunt for a bigger one. the clearances are such a big deal in a small home. Ours is 1300 sq feet plus a basement. We have a wood furnace in the basement but it is too big. It's either 62 or 78 in here. Just bought a new to us Vermont castings intrepid. Hope it isn't too small as well. We are venting it up through the fireplace or actually going to do a reline. I figure if it is too small, I'll try to find a different stove and save that for the garage we want to build.

been up grayson way before--isn't there a nice state park with really clear water in a lake there?

 

[HotCoals]

Get some good seasoned hardwood...I bet it will do a good job.
You could always spend a lot of time in the basement...put a lazy boy right near it and a laptop and you're good to go!..lol.

I did find this amusing.

it’s a united states stove company aps 1100. made in china

 

[afptl]

if you are from eastern ohio if the stove doesn't work out take it to the Southern Ohio Poultry swap flea market in Lucasville, OH. We have been there twice and about everything sells there! Just price it right! I sold a surge milker bucket there last year! Who would have thought!

I really think it will probably work. Just not sure if it will hold a fire overnight. At least you can cook on the top of it if the power goes out. Or use it as a slow cooker on top and save a little electric. Sounds like your propane bill and electric bill are way out of control! got to do something or you will have to give up eating to pay bills like that! last year, my 2 boys (ages 13 & 15) took it as a personal challenge to not turn the propane on the entire heating season! We Did it! Only used about 200-300 gallons propane for the year for cooking and drying clothes. Have 6 people here, so I was happy with that.

 

[lethal dose]

...I did find this amusing.

it’s a united states stove company aps 1100. made in china

just wanted to express my dissatisfaction for things made in china! haha... didn't wanna get flamed.

 

[firefighterjake]

I wouldn't give a person a hard time for their stove . . . especially being free.

Now about that installation through the window . . . not sure that this is the right way . . . or safe way . . . sounds as though you didn't use a wall pass-through device . . . of course I could be wrong . . . I have been wrong many, many times.

Also, you will hear different opinions about a stove being in the basement . . . some folks do so and have good luck . . . others struggle with the draft. If I were me . . . and I am me . . . at least today . . . I would want the woodstove in the area where I spend most of the time so I can see the stove and fire (if it has a "glass" front) . . . I would also get the benefit of more heat in the actual living area . . . then again I would also want to size the stove to the space.

That said . . . when something is free it's kind of hard to pass up . . . of course should you decide to keep heating with wood in the next year or so you might want to "trade up" by getting a stove sized to your spacing needs (well size it for your space and then go one size up) and move it to your living area.

 

[lethal dose]

No worries, I used a wall pass through kit. Came as a whole kit.

 

[firefighterjake]

No worries, I used a wall pass through kit. Came as a whole kit.

Ahhh . . . letting out a big sigh of relief. I feel much better.