2100sqft stove suggestions

[MichiganMan]

Just built a 2100sqft ranch in Michigan. Super insulated. R-42 walls r-70 ceiling. Stove to be located at end of house(not ideal) in 750sqft room with 13ft celings. Large hallway leads to rest of house. Fans in every room for movement.
I’m unsure of how to size the stove. I like the longer heat life of a soapstone so have been looking at hearthstone and woodstock.
Any suggestions for which model?
Some have said to buy a larger stove and burn small fires. True?

 

[begreen]

Cast iron jacketed stoves have a similar heat life and will provide more choices.

What is the primary heating system rating?

 

[MichiganMan]

Cast iron jacketed stoves have a similar heat life.

What is the primary heating system rating?

The primary heating system is electric heat. My unprofessional calculations put it between 45-50,000btu

 

[Ashful]

I like the longer heat life of a soapstone so have been looking at hearthstone and woodstock.

Some good stoves from both these companies, but don't believe for a minute that soapstone really has any enormous advantage, it's over-hyped marketing BS.

That said, Woodstock is one of the best companies in the business, in terms of product quality, technology, and customer support. You will not find many complaints about them, on this forum or anywhere. If you like the look of their stoves there's no reason to not go that direction.

 

[begreen]

It won't take a lot of stove to heat the living room though the heat will try to stratify at the peak of the high ceiling. Ceiling fans can help circulate that heat, though typically ranch houses have colder bedrooms at the end of the hallway. A medium-sized stove should heat the place with that good insulation. What is the goal with the wood stove, heating 24/7 or mostly nights and weekend and as a supplement?

 

[MichiganMan]

The goal of the stove is 24/7 heat. Don’t mind the bedrooms being a little cooler and have the baseboard as backup.

Thank you for the advice on soapstone.

 

[Highbeam]

I’ve owned a modern hearthstone soapstone stove and the “heat life” was at best no benefit and more often a negative thing. Took forever to heat up!

2100 sf in Michigan with 13’ ceilings. You really can’t go too big. Woodstock is a great company and all of their stoves are small to medium cat stoves. From their lineup I would choose between the two largest, the IS or the PH.

 

[SpaceBus]

If I had a larger house there would probably be a Woodstock stove here, probably a PH.

 

[Ashful]

From their lineup I would choose between the two largest, the IS or the PH.

For the OP, who may not be following:

IS = Ideal Steel
PH = Progress Hybrid

Woodstock makes catalytic stoves, and cat stoves can usually turn down way lower than non-cats. This allows you to use a bigger stove than you’d usually be able to install, if you were buying a non-cat, and get longer burn times between reloads. If your intent is to heat 24/7, and you don’t mind dropping $160 - $190 on a new cat every third year, this is a great way to go.

Note Woodstock has had some availability issues on some of their combustors, so the standard advice here is to not wait until the day you need a replacement to order your new catalytic combustor. Order it after your first year, or even with the stove, and just have it waiting on the shelf for the day you need it.

On the flip side, if you’re not set on soapstone, there are many other recommendations we can discuss.

 

[MichiganMan]

Thanks for all the feedback thus far.
I would appreciate discussing any and all other options you think would work.

 

[begreen]

Is the stove room open to the kitchen and dining area too or is that down the hallway? If you can post a sketch of the floorplan that would help. Also, is there a basement?

As tightly insulated as the house is you may not need a lot of heat except during the coldest part of winter. If the area the stove is heating is primarily is just 750 sq ft then a large stove may not be needed, even in cold Michigan. Consider some cast-iron jacketed stoves too. In a cat there is the BK Ashford 30. In non-cat there is the Quadrafire Explorer series, Enviro Boston, Pacific Energy Alderlea series, and the Jotuls F45-F50-F55.

You'll need to be running the ceiling fans in the stove room to move heat from the ceiling peak. If there are two they can be run with one in reverse to create a convection loop in the room. And regardless of stove choice, all will need fully-seasoned wood to operate well.

 

[MichiganMan]

There is no basement. The stove will be in the same room as the kitchen and dining.
We have been working on our wood supply since last year. Our area has been ravaged by ash bore so wood is plentiful.
I have heard of these other brands but am not well versed. I will look into them. Thank you.

 

[begreen]

Looks like a 2 cu ft stove will suffice. Heat is not going to get down that narrow hallway very well. That's why I asked about the basement. I was thinking of a ducted system to pull cooler air from the far end of the house and blow it into the stove room.

 

[SpaceBus]

What insulation technique did you use to get such high R values?

 

[MichiganMan]

I dense packed cellulose in the walls with a thermal break. Just piled up loose fill cellulose in attic. Preferred using recycled material and liked the price compared to other methods.

 

[Tennessee.Pilgrim]

Not sure the type of heat system you have, but my air intake will be in my main room, with my stove. This will allow me to turn on the fan alone and circulate the stove heat into the back rooms.

 

[Tennessee.Pilgrim]

A lot of what I’ve read says that well insulated homes should use an outside air adapter.

 

[MichiganMan]

Thanks tennessee pilgrim. Air movement will be something to figure out. I did not install a central heating system because the heat loss is so little. Ceiling fans in every room will hopefully get some heat moving. Might have to get creative if that doesn’t work!
I have read the need for an outside adapter as well. Have that planned to go in.

 

[begreen]

Not sure the type of heat system you have, but my air intake will be in my main room, with my stove. This will allow me to turn on the fan alone and circulate the stove heat into the back rooms.

You might consider the opposite. Pull cooler air from the back rooms and blow it into the stove room. It's easier to push cooler air. Warm air from the stove room will replace the displaced air from the cool back rooms.