This site has convinced me to finally install a wood stove, thank you for providing so much insight. After spending countless hours researching I am leaning toward purchasing the Englander 50-TVL17 (40,000BTU). It will be a through the wall installation on the first floor of a double brick 2 story townhouse with natural gas heat as a backup. Both floors are only 400 sq foot each with most of time my spent on the first floor. I'll be firing it up at about 3 o'clock each day after work and I'm usually in bed by 10. Can anyone give me any thoughts on 1) How much warmer will the first floor be as opposed to the second floor? 2) Will the first floor get ridiculously warm? (I'm fine with it, better then freezing) 3) Is it a good idea to fill the firebox before going to bed and adjust to a low burn? 4) Any idea given the size of house and hours stove will be in use any idea of how many cords of wood I'll use from approximatly Oct 15-March 15 in northeast climate, keepinjg the house in the 70's degree range? Last, is it worth to install a chase around the exterior double wall pipe? I can't wait to stop paying the extortionist gas company, thanks for all the info.
2 story townhouse
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Greetings. Hard to say how well the heat will distribute throughout the house without knowing a bit more about the floorplan. If it's relatively open and the upstairs stairway enters into the heated area below, then there is a good chance of getting fairly even heating. If not, sometimes simple fans can do a good job of distributing the heat. You don't need to chase the exterior flue, but it does make it look better and will help keep it a bit warmer. Be sure to have a cleaning access panel for the bottom tee if you do decide to put a chase around it.
This is a new stove on the market. It's great that you are trying it out. Knowing the designer and following its testing, we have good hopes for it being a winner. I like its clean design. Corie says it really does a good job of projecting the heat with a nice fire view. He designed it to be quite efficient, perhaps he will chime in here about what it is like to run the stove. If not, PM Corie.
Modern stoves really want dry wood to burn properly. At this point it's hard to say how much wood you'll use, but I would have at least 2 cords on hand. The trick is going to be getting nicely seasoned wood at this time. Be fussy and maybe go on the woodshed section of these forums for advice on buying. It is not untypical for some woodsellers to tell you the wood is seasoned when it has had less than a year of drying, so be careful in your purchase. See if you can get references and expect to pay a bit more for an honest, dry cord of wood. Also be sure you are buying full cords (4'x4'x8') and not face cords.
This is a new stove on the market. It's great that you are trying it out. Knowing the designer and following its testing, we have good hopes for it being a winner. I like its clean design. Corie says it really does a good job of projecting the heat with a nice fire view. He designed it to be quite efficient, perhaps he will chime in here about what it is like to run the stove. If not, PM Corie.
Modern stoves really want dry wood to burn properly. At this point it's hard to say how much wood you'll use, but I would have at least 2 cords on hand. The trick is going to be getting nicely seasoned wood at this time. Be fussy and maybe go on the woodshed section of these forums for advice on buying. It is not untypical for some woodsellers to tell you the wood is seasoned when it has had less than a year of drying, so be careful in your purchase. See if you can get references and expect to pay a bit more for an honest, dry cord of wood. Also be sure you are buying full cords (4'x4'x8') and not face cords.
Thank you BeGreen. Here's another question. I do have access to plenty of downed hardwoods that I use for my campfires. If I cut any moss growing on the truncks, can this be used if I cut and cover it for then 3 months? I have one oak I've been burning for 3 yrs now.
Can't say for sure without actually seeing and testing the wood. Wood on the ground is usually too damp. Best thing to do is invest in a moisture meter and test some splits of the oak. You want it to be under 20% moisture. In lieu of a moisture meter, take a split and resplit it. Then press the freshly exposed surface to your cheek. If it feels cool and damp, the wood is probably too damp. Also, if you take two splits and bang them together, listen for the sound. If it goes thunk, it's probably wet. If it has a nice tone to it, much like wooden claves, then it is likely dry enough.
If the wood is partially dried then stacking and covering should help it to continue to dry for burning later in the season. Stack the splits on pallets or sleepers to avoid ground contact. Good air circulation helps drying. If you cover the stacks, leave the sides open and stack it so that the prevailing wind can blow freely through the stacks.
If the wood is partially dried then stacking and covering should help it to continue to dry for burning later in the season. Stack the splits on pallets or sleepers to avoid ground contact. Good air circulation helps drying. If you cover the stacks, leave the sides open and stack it so that the prevailing wind can blow freely through the stacks.
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