Basic questions that aren't even in the Newbie sticky.

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Mounded 8' pickup bed is 1/2 cord, most houses if heated by wood will go through 3 cords or more a year. Thats one reason why people push a modern insert or wood stove so much, it cuts down on the amount of wood needed (and thus labor).

I guess the width and length of the pile was never addressed.
I was thinking of taking an old full or queen size bed frame and welding 7-10 ft tall uprights at each corner, then using another bed frame at the top... Basically make a rectangular cage frame and stacking wood inside it.

Good to know what a "cord" is and how many cords I'll need. I think I can stash several cords of wood on my property.
I figured I'd need a pickup truck full of wood per day.
Strategic stacking. Or only get wood that drys at the same rate as all the other wood. If wood is your primary source of heat you will go through a decent amount of wood so you will likely have more then one 7' tall stack.

If your existing furnace there keeps the house warm enough then it is quite likely that a well placed stove can handle almost all of your yearly heating load.

That boiler is abandoned. I have no clue if it ever kept this house warm or not.
It was replaced with a 4.5 Ton Heat Pump, which absolutely blows... And not in the good way.

Also, placement is not an option. I can't move the existing masonry fireplace... It's on the opposite side of the house from the bedrooms. Hence the idea of hooking it to my abandoned hydronic system.

Is a free standing stove or an insert even an option for you? Even an old smoke monster is light-years ahead of your open fireplace as far as heating goes.

Free Standing is only an option if I can use my existing chimney.

I suppose I could fill the fireplace with concrete and put the free standing stove in front of it, then drill into the area above the fireplace where a mantel would go.


You can't do this. I only responded to your thread because you mentioned an insert in your OP.
Do you understand how a blast furnace works? It is not an exaggeration that you will burn your house down.

No fireplace is designed or constructed to withstand the heat of an artificial blast!. The clearances to wood are far insufficient, nevermind the mortor strength,
to say nothing of the integrity of the bricks themselves. Even firebrick are sold in different temperature ratings.

You must forget you ever had this thought.

Duly noted. No forced feeding of the fire.

I was taking ideas from oil burners I've seen...

And my ability to melt beer bottles almost instantly in a campfire...
 
placement is not an option. I can't move the existing masonry fireplace... It's on the opposite side of the house from the bedrooms. Hence the idea of hooking it to my abandoned hydronic system.

Actually, a freestanding / passive wood stove is likely a good option, here. Many woodburners have their stove at the opposite end of the house from their bedrooms, even if by design, as many folks prefer their bedroom to be cooler than the living room.
 
Is this purely for heat purposes? Not ambiance or the look of a fireplace/stove? How about a wood burning furnace in the basement?


Also, placement is not an option. I can't move the existing masonry fireplace... It's on the opposite side of the house from the bedrooms. Hence the idea of hooking it to my abandoned hydronic system.

A free standing stove does not need a masonry chimney... Thats what insulated double/triple wall chimney pipe is for. There might be a better place in your house to more evenly heat it and using a free standing stove plus an insulated chimney pipe would allow you to put it just about anywhere. It goes through the roof similar to the way a plumbing vent does (except with added clearance).

I figured I'd need a pickup truck full of wood per day.

Probably not. I shove as much wood through mine as I can and I only go through about a mounded wheelbarrow full at the most per day.

Good to know what a "cord" is and how many cords I'll need. I think I can stash several cords of wood on my property.

A cord is 128 ft/3. Or a 4' x 4' x 8' pile.

I made racks like in the link below, the open area to store wood is 7' tall and 12' long (overall dimensions are larger). With 18" long wood it is just under 1 cord per rack. I build two side by side as one unit and they are pretty sturdy. I have 8 of these racks in the footprint of a car parking space.
http://endofordinary.blogspot.com/2009/05/firewood-racks.html
 
Lets get all your options onto one page. Since you mentioned cost I am leaving out everything to do with hydronic as they are not cheap. For inserts/stove there are two general types, the smoke dragon and the EPA. The EPA is either a cat or secondary burn stove and will burn less wood then a smoke dragon for the same amount of heat. EPA stoves usually have a 6" flue and some of the larger ones have an 8", a liner is usually pulled down a masonry chimney when installing an EPA stove.

1. Fireplace (as it is or however you were planning on modifying it). Would likely go through so much wood you will be wishing you had just paid for the natural gas hookup and never had the fireplace idea. Plus it will likely only heat that one room.

2. Insert. You will need to find one that will fit your fireplace opening, but it has the potential to heat your whole house. Will use a lot less wood then an open fireplace. Most need a blower to get good heat from them though.

3. Stove. Can technically go anywhere in your house. Has all the benefits of an insert with the added one of not being tied to the location of your masonry chimney (if you go with a newer EPA model) and thus you can more centrally locate it. Can also use your masonry chimney if you wish. Many more options then the insert and come up for sale more often on the second hand market. Work more off convection so no blower is needed.

4. Wood burning furnace. Goes in basement, has a blower, and hooks into the HVAC duct system. Most newer ones seem to have the same 6" or 8" flue, so you will need to find a way from the basement to above the roof to use a 6" or 8" flue. They are pretty reasonably priced for what they do. But you are relying on blowing air, not convection currents.


Have floorplans and sq/ft of your house?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.