What type of stove is right for my situation?

[sheeshshe]

We are building a house and we really wanted a masonry heater, but it may be out of budget. Here are the things that I really liked about the concept: less dust, burns at a high temp/less creosote, can burn any type of wood/pine etc, only have to burn 1-2 times per day, not hot to the touch, attractive to look at.

Now, if I decide to go with a regular wood stove instead, what type of stove would be good for someone like me who liked the things mentioned above? OR... is there another system altogether that would be a better fit?

I've read that anyone can burn pine in any woodstove, somewhere on here... but everyone in my area says they've tried it and it didn't work. Apparently the type of pine we have here in Maine, is not suitable? All I know is, the land we are building on has been logged and really there are not as many hardwood left, but a lot of pine left. We are working on a homestead type of set up and I would like to be able to harvest the wood from our property to use in our house for burning. We do not plan on purchasing wood for burning.

Thank you for helping me sort this all out.

 

[bholler]

Yes you can burn pine in any wood stove as long as it is dry like any other wood. And it actually dries faster than hardwoods so that is a plus. The down side it that there are fewer btus per piece of wood than with hardwoods. If you are going to be using soft wood mainly and want clean burns and long burn times I would say go with a cat stove.

 

[begreen]

If you are building new plan well for the woodstove. For best heating is should be located centrally on the main floor of the house with a straight up chimney. Open floor plans with consistent ceiling height are easier to heat. If the house is being constructed to very cold climate standards then it may need less stove than you would think. Get the heat loss calculations done asap. They need to be done for the primary heating system anyway, so get them done early. That will help determine the stove size.

 

[firefighterjake]

We are building a house and we really wanted a masonry heater, but it may be out of budget. Here are the things that I really liked about the concept: less dust (this one can be tough for any stove -- my wife notices a lot more dust in the winter when we burn but it may be due more to me bringing in wood with the associated dirt and dust as well as cleaning the ash out of the stove, etc. vs. a function of the stove), burns at a high temp/less creosote (just about any EPA rated stove -- whether with a cat or secondary burner can meet this requirement for clean burning), can burn any type of wood/pine etc (again . . . any stove can do this as long as the wood is well seasoned), only have to burn 1-2 times per day (ah . . . now you're most likely wanting to look at a stove with a cat such as Blaze Kings or Woodstocks), not hot to the touch (well, all stoves get hot, but folks with soapstone say they are less hot than say cast iron or steel), attractive to look at (beauty is in the eye of the beholder . . . some folks love the simple lines of a steel box while others like their stoves to be more ornate.) Many woodstoves can do some of the things you listed . . . but for the one woodstove to do most of them I would say you would want to look at a Woodstock soapstone stove -- either a hybrid or one with a cat.

Now, if I decide to go with a regular wood stove instead, what type of stove would be good for someone like me who liked the things mentioned above? OR... is there another system altogether that would be a better fit? (A lot will also depend on the size of your home and how well insulated you plan to make it -- hint: spend the money on insulation and buttoning things up as much as possible as this pays long range dividends. In some cases, especially large homes, a wood boiler or furnace may be an alternative to a woodstove.)

I've read that anyone can burn pine in any woodstove, somewhere on here... but everyone in my area says they've tried it and it didn't work. Apparently the type of pine we have here in Maine, is not suitable? Yeah . . . the folks you talked to are idiots. I've been burning just about every type of wood species here in Maine -- hemlock, fir, spruce, cedar, Scotch pine, white pine and the usual hardwood species and the truth is . . . with a modern wood stove you can burn any wood in it (well natural wood -- and discounting petrified wood -- IF it is well seasoned. The flip side is you will tend to get hot, quick fires and may have to load the stove a little more often. All I know is, the land we are building on has been logged and really there are not as many hardwood left, but a lot of pine left. We are working on a homestead type of set up and I would like to be able to harvest the wood from our property to use in our house for burning. We do not plan on purchasing wood for burning.

Thank you for helping me sort this all out.

 

[Lake Girl]

Not sure what the budget will tolerate but my sister's home has double walls ... may be a more efficient use of dollars by heat loss prevention.

 

[Smoked]

I kind of agree with the cat stove idea if you want to get long burns out of pine. If it is going to be a decent sized home, build it around a Woodstock Progress Hybrid. I like my hearthstones but doubt I could get good overnight heat with pine. Down here with plenty of oak, I might build my retirement home around a Hearthstone Equinox. But the WSPH is sort of the dream stove for me too!