Wondering what size woodstove would be appropriate for our old farmhouse

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which woodstove would work best in our house?

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BeGreen said:
If I am understanding correctly, the flue outlet is 35" on center from the floor, correct? The Rangeley is 27" on center to the floor. The Isle Royale is the same. You would need to create a solid, rigid, non-combustible platform to raise the stove about 7.5"" for this to work.

Or you could get a Wonderwood circulator to replace the Ashley. It still will be lower. https://www.usstove.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=310&product_id=506

The flue is 27.5 inches on center from the floor. It is 35 inches on center away from the window and other possible combustible materials.
 
I'd stay away from the Leyden. It's a good looking stove but like other down draft stoves they have a refactory package in the back that has been known not to last very long and expensive to replace.

I'd look into these 2 stoves, Jotul Rangeley, Hearthstone Bennington. They would make the rear flue connection and have both convective and radiant heat with blower options.
 
Some random thoughts . . .

You've come to the right place to explore the various options that you and your husband have . . . folks here tend to really think things out and think of ways that would work for each individual.

Some key points worth repeating: Pine is fine (to burn . . . as long as it is seasoned) . . . seasoned wood = better burning with more heat, easier ignition and less creosote -- burning unseasoned wood is like putting gasoline in your car and adding a few gallons of water . . . using a fan blowing towards the woodstove works very well as it sets up a "current" of air with the cooler air at the floor level being pushed towards the woodstove which heats the cool air -- the heated air rises and flows out to fill the vacant area left by the cooler air which was blown towards the stove -- crazy, but it works very well to move the heat throughout the whole house.

Ash pan . . . don't believe all the nay-sayers . . . I like my ash pan and find it quite useful. I don't know if it is a "must have", but then again to each their own . . . I might not think a stove should look good whereas another person might think that is very important . . . or a person might think having a larger viewing window is more important than a longer burn time . . . different features for different creatures . . . if you or your husband think an ash pan is important, so be it. As others have said though, you can still remove ash without the fire dying out completely.

Serious time here . . . you're running a farm . . . so you and your husband are most likely quite busy . . . however, you really need to make time to at least check your chimney . . . and most folks should clean it at least once a year. I would hate to see anyone's life-long dreams go up in smoke because they couldn't take out a half hour or pay $100 or so to hire a chimney sweep to check and clean the chimney. Me . . . I actually go overboard and check and clean my chimney every month during burning season since it is easy for me and I can do it from the ground . . . but most folks would be good checking it at the start and mid-way through the burning season. This is a major concern . . . I know time may be in short supply and you may have a bazillion things to do . . . but this truly is one of those things you need to be serious about if you heat with wood.

Clean chimneys . . . a lot depends on the wood you burn. Garbage in, garbage out . . . at least until it gets to the chimney at which point the lower temps brought on by burning unseasoned or semi-seasoned wood cause creosote to form on the chimney walls. Besides burning unseasoned wood and running the woodstove too cool (probably not a problem based on your description of a glowing red stove pipe) burning with a new EPA stove with either a cat or secondary burner will help reduce creosote deposits . . . but only if you burn at the right temps and burn good wood.

Tricky, not owning the house outright . . . but as others have said you can work with what you've got . . . you just may need to build a hearth or fiddle around a bit to make the connections work. Speaking of the hearth, don't forget to take this into consideration . . . some stoves only require ember protection while other stoves may require a pretty thick hearth to meet the insulation value underneath the stove . . . and don't worry about the weight of the hearth . . . the weight of the stove should be a lot more than the hearth would weigh . . . but if the weight on the floor is an issue it would behoove you to beef up the floor underneath with some jack posts perhaps.
 
dairymaid said:
BeGreen said:
If I am understanding correctly, the flue outlet is 35" on center from the floor, correct? The Rangeley is 27" on center to the floor. The Isle Royale is the same. You would need to create a solid, rigid, non-combustible platform to raise the stove about 7.5"" for this to work.

Or you could get a Wonderwood circulator to replace the Ashley. It still will be lower. https://www.usstove.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=310&product_id=506

The flue is 27.5 inches on center from the floor. It is 35 inches on center away from the window and other possible combustible materials.

OK, that's much better. That height should work ok for either stove's flue outlet. Do you have a Jotul dealer in the area?
 
You say the farm house is drafty but that the walls were insulated and window replaced 10-ish years ago. But is there insulation in the attic?

We moved into a farmhouse a year ago with solid brick walls (R-value of 2.8 roughly) and new replacement windows. We froze. Then we discovered that there was zero insulation in the attic! About $1,200 to have someone come out and blow 6-8" insulation under the attic floorboards. It helped a great deal. Heating only with a Fireview downstairs, the upstairs stayed about 5 deg warmer. You'd be amazed at how much warmer 63 deg feels compared to 58 deg!

My next project is to insulate and air-block the basement ceiling. The downstairs floors are really cold and I think it's due to cold air seeping through from the unheated basement. There are just log beams in the basement of varying widths so I'm not quite certain how to do it. Spray foam would be awesome but really expensive.
 
If cash is your issue, the Englander is the best solution.

Too many times a lot of money is spent on a "look" of a
certain stove, where a more generic version would have been
just fine. It sounds like to me your stove will be more of an
"appliance" than a "fixture". I know, I made that mistake in the
past. Spent a lot of money on a fancy cast-iron appearance, but got
poor performance. A cheap steel stove ended up replacing it, and it
worked just fine. Also, as other have stated, ash trays are a liability.
We also burn 24/7, and ash trays were a hinderance. Now we just take
a scoop out here & there, when needed (actually less mess).

Also, were you aware that US Stoves sells the "Wonderwood".
It is pretty much a re-make on the old Ashley (probably just as
inefficient).
 
Rob,
Their wall thimble is 27" center from the floor so a top venting stove won't work. Moving the thimble looks like a pain. Kind a dumb how manufactures of steel stove don't have rear venting stoves anymore. There's only one that I know of and the OP may want to look into it.

http://www.buckstove.com/wood/model261.html
 
BrowningBAR said:
Backwoods Savage said:
BrowningBAR said:
The thing is, if they have been kept warm by a 4 cu ft smoke dragon in a 1400 sq ft home, a Fireview isn't going to cut it. The original poster readily admits the house is "somewhat drafty".

Farmhouse + "somewhat drafty" + 4 cu ft smoke dragon = at least a 3 cu ft EPA stove.

No idea why they need rear venting, but if they can get around it, the Englander 30NC, Blaze King, Quadra-fire 5700, Harmon TL300, or the Lopi Liberty is my recommendation. Otherwise, the Isle Royal or the Equinox.

I have my doubts the Leyden, Oakwood, Heritage, or the Bennington would properly heat that place.

Also, making the ash drawer part of your "must haves" is a poor choice in my opinion. Make sure the stove will heat your place properly first. Ash pans are completely over-rated. Of the five stoves I have used (Vigilant, Heritage, Intrepid, Encore, Fireview) 3 had ash pans, two did not. Of the three that have had ash pans, only the Encore seemed worth it. And even then I wouldn't make it a reason for purchasing.


BrowningBAR, perhaps you have not followed our experience? Old house, not somewhat drafty, but drafty and we had that same stove. Fast forward, Fireview uses half the wood and house stays warmer.


How old was the house? Where is your stove located? What type of floor plan?

I'm betting their house is a lot more drafty than yours is. I'm betting their house is very much like a traditional farm house that is long with a floor plan that is not open. I'll also bet the window next to the stove is single pane with a storm window.

This is not a knock against the Fireview. This is more of an understanding of old stone farm houses.


Browning, I apologize for missing what you posted in the above quote. I have no idea why you seem to have the idea that only you know what a house is like as you've posted like this before. I will assure you that I do know, perhaps better than you, just what the old farmhouses are like because we've lived in more than one. One we did some remodeling in and what we found for insulation was occasionally there were some old newspapers stuck in some crack. And yes, I have compared our house with the old farm house many times.....because it's like an old farmhouse, or was until we remodeled it this summer.
 
Let's stay focused on the OP's issues, shall we? Rick
 
Todd said:
Rob,
Their wall thimble is 27" center from the floor so a top venting stove won't work. Moving the thimble looks like a pain. Kind a dumb how manufactures of steel stove don't have rear venting stoves anymore. There's only one that I know of and the OP may want to look into it.

http://www.buckstove.com/wood/model261.html

OK, fine.

This is where the Cast-Iron camp often has the advantage
over the Steel stoves. Quite a few cast irons have a selection
between top or rear exit (especially the Jotuls).
 
Rob From Wisconsin said:
Todd said:
Rob,
Their wall thimble is 27" center from the floor so a top venting stove won't work. Moving the thimble looks like a pain. Kind a dumb how manufactures of steel stove don't have rear venting stoves anymore. There's only one that I know of and the OP may want to look into it.

http://www.buckstove.com/wood/model261.html

OK, fine.

This is where the Cast-Iron camp often has the advantage
over the Steel stoves. Quite a few cast irons have a selection
between top or rear exit (especially the Jotuls).

There are a couple "hybrid" stoves on the market now with steel fireboxes and a cast iron "shell" of sorts. Why choose when you can have both? I know the Jotul Rangeley and the Pacific Energy Alderlea stoves are designed this way. Just looking at the photos, I don't think the Alderlea stoves (T4, T5, and T6) can rear vent like the Rangeley or other Jotuls can. Question is, is the Rangeley enough stove to fulfill their needs? The height is right as is the config.
 
I have really appreciated everyone's imput thus far. It has given us a lot to thiink on. I appreciate that everyone has a different opinion about the ash drawer, which I didn't expect, but it takes all kinds to make the world go round. Having said that, there isn't much point in discussing it, because my husband has tended stoves with the ash drawer and without it and he prefers the ash drawer.

So far in our research of stoves and not having a chance to go and look at any yet (hopefully in two days), my husband favors the Leyden, because he really likes the idea of that top loading feature. The Ashely was a side loader and his dad has a front loader and a side loader and the idea of not having to struggle situating the wood while in a squatting position sounds appealing to him. I am not sure the Leyden will be big enough for the house.

I saw a Jotul F 600 that someone is selling privately in our area. It was only used one burning season, and although I don't relish the thought of not knowing exactly what I might be getting, it looks tempting. I am almost wondering if the Jotul F 600 would be too big for the house and roast us out. Just something we have pondered. Some others that I have been looking at more seriously as well are: the Jotul Rangler, The Quadra Fire Isle Royal--I like the firebox size and the heat efficiancy, though the price is creeping up there, the Harman Oakwood (though the price is creeping up a little high on that one as well). I haven't found prices for the Bennington or the Jotuls, but the Jotuls probably impress me the most so far with their heat efficiancy. Vermont Castings scares me with the negative ratings it has been getting as of late and were it that they were making recorded and noted steps towards improvement, I don't think I am willing to consider them. I like the idea of the catalytic stoves, and the Fireview impresses me some, but I am concerned the firebox is too small. I forget where I read it, but remember someone saying that the size of the firebox and the burn efficiancy are two big indicators of what kind of heat you will get out of a stove, and that makes sense to me. I know that the soapstove throws in an extra "x" factor that blurrs that line of thought a little bit. I have no interest in going back to something like the Ashley. Stoves have made a lot of improvements since then, and I would like to get the most use out of each piece of wood and not send as many emissions out the chimney if I can. I would like to keep moving forward and not do the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
So that is where we are at so far.
 
Todd said:
Rob,
Their wall thimble is 27" center from the floor so a top venting stove won't work. Moving the thimble looks like a pain. Kind a dumb how manufactures of steel stove don't have rear venting stoves anymore. There's only one that I know of and the OP may want to look into it.

http://www.buckstove.com/wood/model261.html

That is a pretty neat little stove. I just looked at it. Have you heard anything about the quality of the Buck Stove brands?
 
dairymaid said:
Todd said:
Rob,
Their wall thimble is 27" center from the floor so a top venting stove won't work. Moving the thimble looks like a pain. Kind a dumb how manufactures of steel stove don't have rear venting stoves anymore. There's only one that I know of and the OP may want to look into it.

http://www.buckstove.com/wood/model261.html

That is a pretty neat little stove. I just looked at it. Have you heard anything about the quality of the Buck Stove brands?


Good stoves based on the reviews around here. I've never read a negative thing about them on theses boards.
 
dairymaid said:
Todd said:
Rob,
Their wall thimble is 27" center from the floor so a top venting stove won't work. Moving the thimble looks like a pain. Kind a dumb how manufactures of steel stove don't have rear venting stoves anymore. There's only one that I know of and the OP may want to look into it.

http://www.buckstove.com/wood/model261.html

That is a pretty neat little stove. I just looked at it. Have you heard anything about the quality of the Buck Stove brands?

Nope, Buck makes a good solid stove too. The 261 is not a top loader, but it should do the job and is likely less expensive.
 
BeGreen said:
The Jotul Rangeley is top loading, convective, non-catalytic and has an ashpan. It is sized right for your application. Putting a strongly radiant stove in a smaller room could be uncomfortable. The F600 and Isle Royale radiate a lot of heat when they are going.

Here's some recent install posts:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/77584/
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/77636/


You might be right about the convection vs radiant. Too bad she can't top vent as she'd have a lot more options available. I'm still concerned that a mid-size stove like the Rangeley or Bennington might be too small.
 
The Rangeley is supposed to be medium-large at about 2.5 cu ft no?
 
dairymaid said:
Todd said:
Rob,
Their wall thimble is 27" center from the floor so a top venting stove won't work. Moving the thimble looks like a pain. Kind a dumb how manufactures of steel stove don't have rear venting stoves anymore. There's only one that I know of and the OP may want to look into it.

http://www.buckstove.com/wood/model261.html

That is a pretty neat little stove. I just looked at it. Have you heard anything about the quality of the Buck Stove brands?

I've never seen one but have heard they are well built and great heaters. I think it would also be a few hundred less than a cast iron stove.
 
BeGreen said:
The Rangeley is supposed to be medium-large at about 2.5 cu ft no?


Based on the way Jotul described it, I thought the stove was a bit smaller than the Oslo. And I don't think the Oslo has a 2.5 cu. ft fire box. Maybe I'm wrong.
 
It depends on how high it's filled. If loaded to the 10" level it holds 2.3 cu ft. But we all like to push it once in a while so I was letting it rise to 2.5 cu ft assuming that some splits are higher. If loaded to the gills <not recommended> it has a theoretical limit of 3.2 cu ft.

jrcurto posted the firebox dimensions here:

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/64251/P44/#766646
 
dairymaid said:
I have really appreciated everyone's imput thus far. It has given us a lot to thiink on. I appreciate that everyone has a different opinion about the ash drawer, which I didn't expect, but it takes all kinds to make the world go round. Having said that, there isn't much point in discussing it, because my husband has tended stoves with the ash drawer and without it and he prefers the ash drawer.

So far in our research of stoves and not having a chance to go and look at any yet (hopefully in two days), my husband favors the Leyden, because he really likes the idea of that top loading feature. The Ashely was a side loader and his dad has a front loader and a side loader and the idea of not having to struggle situating the wood while in a squatting position sounds appealing to him. I am not sure the Leyden will be big enough for the house.

I saw a Jotul F 600 that someone is selling privately in our area. It was only used one burning season, and although I don't relish the thought of not knowing exactly what I might be getting, it looks tempting. I am almost wondering if the Jotul F 600 would be too big for the house and roast us out. Just something we have pondered. Some others that I have been looking at more seriously as well are: the Jotul Rangler, The Quadra Fire Isle Royal--I like the firebox size and the heat efficiancy, though the price is creeping up there, the Harman Oakwood (though the price is creeping up a little high on that one as well). I haven't found prices for the Bennington or the Jotuls, but the Jotuls probably impress me the most so far with their heat efficiancy. Vermont Castings scares me with the negative ratings it has been getting as of late and were it that they were making recorded and noted steps towards improvement, I don't think I am willing to consider them. I like the idea of the catalytic stoves, and the Fireview impresses me some, but I am concerned the firebox is too small. I forget where I read it, but remember someone saying that the size of the firebox and the burn efficiancy are two big indicators of what kind of heat you will get out of a stove, and that makes sense to me. I know that the soapstove throws in an extra "x" factor that blurrs that line of thought a little bit. I have no interest in going back to something like the Ashley. Stoves have made a lot of improvements since then, and I would like to get the most use out of each piece of wood and not send as many emissions out the chimney if I can. I would like to keep moving forward and not do the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
So that is where we are at so far.

Dairymaid, the Leyden is the stove we would have purchased if we had not bought the Fireview. I know they had a problem for a while but I believe that has been taken care of and you would not go wrong with it. Your husband indeed would love that top loader after tending the Ashley as that always seemed almost clumsy for loading when we had it. I have more than one scar from burns received thanks to that stove.

Good luck to you however you decide to go.
 
dairymaid said:
Rich L said:
Forget the Fireview.It won't heat your spot.I returned mine and I'm also trying to sell the Classic model after using it one season.They were too small and my area doesn't get down to -10 to -15 degrees.The Mansfield would help but you won't be able to put in a pipe damper with your set up.With your long chimney you must have a great draft.You need to be able to slow it down so your burn will last longer.Too bad you couldn't re-run your chimney and run the pipe higher to the inside.That way I'd say find a way to get the Equinox or the Blaze King King.You wouldn't be getting up at night to re-fill the stove though the Equinox would do better with a pipe damper whereas the King wouldn't need one.They both would need 8" pipe.If you have a super draft I don't think any stove would burn long without the damper other than a Blaze King.

You definitely have a point there about the draft. Sometimes last year it was a bit too good and our stove pipe began to glow. This definitely gives me something to think about. Thank you. How do you like your Lopi? My husband really likes the look of the Leyden, and the price, but I am not sure if it is big enough for the house.

Well your uncontrollable draft needs to be dealt with.These new stoves
all except the Blaze Kings can only be shut down but so much and not enough to deal with very strong drafts.A pipe damper will give some control however my pipe damper for my Liberty won't shut it down enough for me to extend the burn like I'd like to.I'm thinking about covering up the intake somewhat with heat tape to see if I can cut down the air.The Liberty gives off plenty heat for my drafty home I just need to slow down the burn.I think the Leyden will be too small for your home and it would be hell to find that out when it's 10 below.The liberty will heat your place however unless the burn can be slowed you'll probably get about 7 hours of good heat.
 
BrowningBAR said:
BeGreen said:
The Rangeley is supposed to be medium-large at about 2.5 cu ft no?


Based on the way Jotul described it, I thought the stove was a bit smaller than the Oslo. And I don't think the Oslo has a 2.5 cu. ft fire box. Maybe I'm wrong.

The Rangeley has a much larger firebox than the Oslo. Saw them both side by side on the showroom floor.
 
dairymaid said:
I have really appreciated everyone's imput thus far. It has given us a lot to thiink on. I appreciate that everyone has a different opinion about the ash drawer, which I didn't expect, but it takes all kinds to make the world go round. Having said that, there isn't much point in discussing it, because my husband has tended stoves with the ash drawer and without it and he prefers the ash drawer. Only going to say this one more time: the Jotul Oslo that I have has a wicked functional ash pan if this is truly important for your husband. Burning 24/7 I dump it about two times a week . . . it works well.

So far in our research of stoves and not having a chance to go and look at any yet (hopefully in two days), my husband favors the Leyden, because he really likes the idea of that top loading feature. The Ashely was a side loader and his dad has a front loader and a side loader and the idea of not having to struggle situating the wood while in a squatting position sounds appealing to him. I am not sure the Leyden will be big enough for the house. If he likes the idea of a top loader, maybe he should look at the Jotul Rangley.

I saw a Jotul F 600 that someone is selling privately in our area. It was only used one burning season, and although I don't relish the thought of not knowing exactly what I might be getting, it looks tempting. I am almost wondering if the Jotul F 600 would be too big for the house and roast us out. Just something we have pondered. If the price was right and the condition was good I would give that a serious consideration -- my own feeling is that it is better to be a little too big than too small as you can always build smaller fires in a larger firebox vs. trying to stuff more wood into a smaller firebox already filled to capacity or overfiring a smaller stove to keep warm . . . especially if the house is a drafty farmhouse. Some others that I have been looking at more seriously as well are: the Jotul Rangler, The Quadra Fire Isle Royal--I like the firebox size and the heat efficiancy, though the price is creeping up there, the Harman Oakwood (though the price is creeping up a little high on that one as well). I haven't found prices for the Bennington or the Jotuls (Jotuls are not a budget line stove -- but you get what you pay for with good looks and near bullet-proof performance year in and year out), but the Jotuls probably impress me the most so far with their heat efficiancy. (Don't go by just the ratings -- many of the companies put their own spin on efficiency and the ratings). Vermont Castings scares me with the negative ratings it has been getting as of late and were it that they were making recorded and noted steps towards improvement, I don't think I am willing to consider them. I like the idea of the catalytic stoves, and the Fireview impresses me some, but I am concerned the firebox is too small. I forget where I read it, but remember someone saying that the size of the firebox and the burn efficiancy are two big indicators of what kind of heat you will get out of a stove, and that makes sense to me. I know that the soapstove throws in an extra "x" factor that blurrs that line of thought a little bit. I have no interest in going back to something like the Ashley. Stoves have made a lot of improvements since then, and I would like to get the most use out of each piece of wood and not send as many emissions out the chimney if I can. I don't blame you -- the whole burning better for the environment is nice . . . for me the deciding factor to go with an EPA stove was to burn less wood to save time and money . . . and work . . . the benefit of going all night long is also a nice perk. I would like to keep moving forward and not do the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
So that is where we are at so far.
 
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