Two small inserts or one medium one?

[chrismalloy]

First question from a newbie...

A local Regency dealer is having a sale on the Regency I1100, which is their small insert. The cost of two I1100's is about the same as one I2400 (plus an additional $1000 for install/parts for the second I1100). I am trying to decide if I should by two I1100's, or just one I2400.

My home is a two-story bi-level house. I attached a picture of my house dimensions to this post. Each level is about 1750 sq ft, for a total of 3500 sq ft. The attic and walls are well-insulated and I have triple-pane windows. There are two large fireplaces in the center of the house (one on each level, directly on top of each other). Each fireplace has its own dedicated chimney. On the lower level, I just need to heat the 300 square-foot room with the fireplace (it's my kids' playroom). The other rooms on the lower level don't need to be fully heated (work room, laundry room, garage).

If I buy the single I2400,
1. Should I put it in the lower level or upper level? The upper level has the bedrooms, LR, DR, so I definitely want to keep it warm.
2. If I install the I2400 on the lower level, how much heat can I expect to radiate up through the floor to the upper level?

If I buy two I1100's,
1. Will I be spending my entire day loading one of the fireboxes?
2. Will the room on the upper level with the fireplace be too hot (because the room below it would also have an insert)?
3. Is this overkill?

Ideally I'd like to heat most of my house with wood (I live in the woods, so the cost of fuel isn't an issue), but realistically I expect I'll still need to fire up my NG boiler this year (or use a space heater in the far end of the house) to supplement the heat from the wood insert(s). I know the installation of two inserts (plus parts) would cost me about $1000 more up front, but in the long run I'm wondering if I'll get better heat on the second floor and save money by having two units.

As I'm typing this, I'm wondering if I should just get one I2400 and put it on the upper level since that's the most important area to keep warm. Then I could get a space heater for the play room in the lower level. Hmmmm. Any advice would be most appreciated!

 

[snowtime]

I would go with the large firebox in the main living area. The 2 small stove idea would mean more issues with overnight burns much more effort tending fire and higher total costs. Also if you need to put in a liner for 1 stove vs 2.

 

[the_dude]

The 1.4 cu ft firebox on the I1200 would scare me. It will be difficult to get decent burn times with that small fof a firebox. I think having two trying to heat the square footage you want to would be a battle.

I would start with the larger stove upstairs. I would even consider putting in the I3100 upstairs if you can fit it. The I2300 only has a 2.3 cu ft firebox, which is not all that big. Again, you may struggle to get overnight burns. The I3100 has a 2.9 cu ft firebox, which I don't think would be over powering with the square footage you have upstairs.

You can always add a small insert down the road as the budget and time permit. I think the I1200 would likely be about perfect for you downstairs.

 

[Todd]

If you had to burn the two small stoves your whole day would consist of running back and forth every couple hours filling the stoves. Go bigger!

 

[begreen]

The house is large. I'd put a small insert in the basement FP for when you want to use that room and an insert of 2.5-3 cu ft capacity in the main floor FP.

Or, depending on the heating system setup, maybe consider a woodfired boiler/furnace add on?

 

[Dustin]

I have the same issue your talking about, when I moved in the stoves were already here. Here is what I found.


Downstairs, I have a very very VERY large Kodiak "smoke dragon style" wood stove. This is the old style with the knobs on front for heat control. The firebox is HUGE.

Anyway, last winter I tried using just that stove, thinking the heat would go upstairs and heat the rest of the house. My house is a 70's style spit level. Well, I was wrong. All that heat downstairs, stay downstairs. Even if I use fans. And to even get it warm up here, the downstairs has to be so hot you can hardly stand to be in there.

I stopped using that stove, I only use it when I spend time down there, my wife calls it the "man cave" the stove only gets used when I'm watching a movie, or TV. If I don't feel like it a space heater works good. The downstairs has three rooms.


Upstairs is the Kitchen, formal living room, and up a small flight of stairs for that is three bedrooms and a master bathroom.

I put a wood stove insert on this level. It's a pretty small insert, it can only take 15 inch long logs. But it heats the living room so hot you can't stand it, heats the upstairs hot, and the kitchen.

My advice to you is put the stove in the main level. If you want to spend time downstairs use a space heater. When it gets nice and warm in the main level I can get some heat downstairs as well, I just turn on the ceiling fan at the top of the stairs..

Hope this helps!

 

[chrismalloy]

Thanks for all your great advice. Question for BeGreen: I've never heard of a woodfired boiler add-on. Sounds like something I should look into. Any suggestions on where to start (brand, type, etc.)? Thanks again, chris

 

[begreen]

HS Tarm, Eko are a couple popular brands, though I'm not an expert on them. It would be best to ask those that own and run them. Step over to the boiler room forum on Hearth.com for a lot more information. There are lots of users there that can go over the pros and cons of a boiler system. The gasification units burn quite cleanly and with a good storage system, they heat well without a lot of work.

 

[chrismalloy]

Thanks again for all your advice. This is increditbly helpful. You have convinced me to get just one insert, but I'm leaning toward a large unit, either the Regency I3100 or the Osburn 2400. Both have good reviews on this site. My last question is:

Should I install it on the lower or upper level? Since the large unit will crank out so much more heat than the small/medium units, can I count on the heat rising up to the upper level if I install it on the lower level? I'm worried that the upper level will be too hot if I install the insert on the upper level. Thanks again!

 

[begreen]

Put the heat where the main activity is. It will not drive you out of the upstairs rooms if placed there. It will only put out a lot of heat if it is filled with wood and given a lot of air. You control both the size of the fire and the amount of air it gets. The main advantage of the larger firebox is longer burn time. If it would fit in the fireplace, I'd be putting a 3 cu ft insert in.

(Note that I have a 3 cu ft stove in a 2000 sq ft house in a milder climate. We are not driven out of the room or house by overheating.)