Yup I think the woodstove I got is too big

SOme of you may have seen my posts on the VC Defient I scored for cheap then rebuilt. Well I was a little worried it may be too many BTUs for our 28x54 ranch. Well I think I was right. We have had a VERY mild early Winter & this thing is using more wood than the old beat up Encore used in 10 degree & lower weather & is making the house 75 to 80 degrees even on low heat output. It's kind of a bummer because I widened my hearth for this stove & I love the stove but I think it is just plain too big. I can sell it & make money off it though. Look like I'll be looking for another ENcore or something similar is size.

Can you keep the flames under control or no?

Well you know how it works with woodstove,...if I let it die down & not keep it full & throttle it down enough it won't overheat the house but then my flue temps are way too low. With my old stove ti was always running nice high flue temps just to keep the house warm to the chimney never creosoted/sooted up.

You really don't need high flue temps with epa stoves..but check your flue anyway.
You have burn tubes right?

No burn tubes just a "maze" that the flue gases go through & reburn when you switch it over.

You're going to need a bigger house! Add on!

-Speak

Small splits and fewer of them for shorter, hot fires. Wait till you need the full power of the stove. I'd keep it and experiment with different burning techniques - at least for a full season and perhaps two seasons. Cheers!

If your stove is catalytic you can turn it way down and let it burn nice and slow, dont worry about your flue temps.

Yeah been trying to resist the temptation to add more wood when it gets burned down to like two logs left. I'm gonna play with it for this year. It just kind of makes sense, if this is the largest stove VC makes & I have a relitivly small house with a lot of insulation, good doors & windows, etc. then it is most likely too big for my house.

Hey Bill! Long time no see, hope things are well for ya.

Interested to hear how this works out for you, I have a smaller house and nearly bought a stove that I now know would have been too small. Thankfully the sales person talked me into the bigger one I have. But I've wondered now and then the usual "what ifs" like what if I got that bigger insert. Would I get a better overnight burn or would I use too much wood and run us all out of the overheated house?

Well you would be the a one of the "one percent" who complain about a stove too large. Experiment with smaller loads, possibly don't obsess with comparing the flue temps with a previous unit, oh, and wait for winter, december 21st is just a couple days away....

I agree with madison. Wait until the middle of January and make your decision. The Defiant is a HUGE stove. Just try smaller/shorter fires when it's not too cold out.

I like the add on to the house advice..lol.

People have mentioned smaller fires, with which I agree. You can burn small fires with the damper open, yes, a lot of heat going up the chimney, but it may make it a little more bearable during the warmer shoulder season. My father has the Defiant in his house and on those evenings when we just wanted to take the chill out of the air that is how we ran it. Just be certain not to overload that thing with the damper open as it will take off heatwise.

You can experiment with load frequency, load size, split size, and type of wood. These really are the variables we can control to manage heat output in an oversized stove.

-SF

pfffft. ;-)

Yea, just another of the hidden expenses associated with heating with wood. You know, chain saw, splitter, truck, bigger house.. ;-)

Once again, great advice. Short, sweet and to the point. Never knew how much a line of consonants could communicate so much.

Tough problem to have. Stove too big! Hum..... Don't fill it and less heat comes from it. Burn good fuel and no problems with chimney. Save dollars by keeping what you have.

I have seen people put an extra layer of fire bricks in the fire box to reduce the internal capacity. Might be something to consider trying if you find a problem with little fires in a big box.

Thanks for all the great advice guys. I've talked to my wife & we have infact decided to just add onto the house. So after Christmas we are going to be starting on a 30x50 addition that with hold my collection of rare antique toilet plungers.

Just kiding haha... yeah gonna try it for this season. I may try the fire brick idea that sounds good & will help hold the heat when the fire dies down.

Ding..ding..ding..we have a winner..lol.

I'm quite curious about this and have read a few past threads on the topic. But How does one add the firebrick? To the bottom only? Sides only? or bottom and sides? I would like to try this, particularly in the shoulder season.

I would guess any and all of the above...I just know people have done it with good results.
They tell me it helps hold the heat in the wee hours also.

Wild Bill . . . nothing much to add . . . other than to say that this has been an usually warm Fall with only a few notable days of very cold weather . . . I would definitely run this stove all winter long before giving up on it . . . and as mentioned you can try adding the firebrick if things still are too warm.