2nd Company out to home says do not get wood burner but gas or propane instead

[Slocochef]

Thought I was going to buy a wood stove but this new company said no way….room is too small, hearth pad would be large, furniture in the way bla blah blah. The original local store guy said none of that and is ready to get to work…..then the next guy 2h away says no. I have no natural gas to home….(but it can be had for $1200 by the 2020 estimate to run from road to house). Propane would be a 120gal tank laying on ground next to house….sounds unsightly….I am just disgusted and disappointed. Does the first guy just want a sale? He has been here before in 2020 and said wood stoves wood be messy and inadvisable….but now he owns stove store and says go for it. Other guy in biz 40 years says gas or propane to a little freestanding stove is best……Never saw this coming….you helped me nail down all my questions for a wood burner so thank you soso sooooo much…. Now am stymied which way to go….ready to just skip the whole mess! It’s just for emergent use in outages or a Christmas Eve fire….thx for listening!

 

[begreen]

Help us see what they are seeing. How large is the house? How large is the room the stove will be in? How open is that room to the rest of the house. A basic floorplan sketch is welcome. We never did get specifics in the other thread.

Not a DIY homeowner - should I forego getting a wood stove?

Preparing to buy some brand of wood stove for my house…..and in reading a plethora of posts it seems with any stove issues you have to view inside chimneys, stove pipes, inner stove workings and DIY investigating to problem solve…then DIY fix the problem. Being honest I don’t feel I can do much...

www.hearth.com

 

[stoveliker]

People that change their opinion/advice after having different interests should be looked at with suspicion.

I maintain that for emergency use and christmas fire, a gas stove is a good solution.

 

[begreen]

People that change their opinion/advice after having different interests should be looked at with suspicion.

I maintain that for emergency use and christmas fire, a gas stove is a good solution.

Yes, and $1200 to get it to the house is a bargain.

 

[Slocochef]

Help us see what they are seeing. How large is the house? How large is the room the stove will be in? How open is that room to the rest of the house. A basic floorplan sketch is welcome. We never did get specifics in the other thread.

Not a DIY homeowner - should I forego getting a wood stove?

Preparing to buy some brand of wood stove for my house…..and in reading a plethora of posts it seems with any stove issues you have to view inside chimneys, stove pipes, inner stove workings and DIY investigating to problem solve…then DIY fix the problem. Being honest I don’t feel I can do much...

www.hearth.com

As I sit in the Lazyboy this is my view……straight ahead fake fireplace, to the left window to back, to the right window to front of house, behind me dining area and door to kitchen, beyond that 2 small bedrooms and a bath……this one room seems about 13 wide and twice that long….. The guy said a 35,000 BTU gas unit would be enough to heat this area even without elec blower on a freestanding gas stove

 

[Slocochef]

People that change their opinion/advice after having different interests should be looked at with suspicion.

I maintain that for emergency use and christmas fire, a gas stove is a good solution.

Any opinion on small propane 120 tank vs running gas to the house from the street….or maybe now I am in the wrong forum area as this discussion goes on! I do remember the gas stove suggestion….thanks then…and now! Yes he may not have remembered what he told me in 2020___said wood stove too messy and a bit too it to work it for my room….also said my chimney should not be used but it was not leaking around it on roof….now he owns the biz and agreed to put a stove in here and emails or calls me about my decision..which I haven’t made yet….

 

[stoveliker]

I have no technical opinion on tank vs line. My gut hates a bomb near my home, so I'd always choose the gas line. But surely someone will point out that is technically nonsense. (After all tank installations should comply with regulations as well.)

I had heat pump plus nat gas line emergency heat (heat pump didn't work below 40 F) in TN. Gas pressure never disappeared.

 

[moresnow]

Any opinion on small propane 120 tank vs running gas to the house from the street….or maybe now I am in the wrong forum area as this discussion goes on! I do remember the gas stove suggestion….thanks then…and now! Yes he may not have remembered what he told me in 2020___said wood stove too messy and a bit too it to work it for my room….also said my chimney should not be used but it was not leaking around it on roof….now he owns the biz and agreed to put a stove in here and emails or calls me about my decision..which I haven’t made yet….

Guessing your electric furnace is ducted forced air?
If so, I would consider having the gas line installed and perhaps replace the electric primary furnace down the road with a gas unit. (Here locally a gas furnace is much cheaper to operate than an electric furnace). Worth researching.
Then you have your gas supply for the new freestanding gas stove as well.
Just a thought.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I have had a wood stove in a 200 sq ft room. It was a small stove. It was fine.

That said, you do have a lot of furniture in there, and white carpet. It could be really crowded in there.

It looks like your floor is tile? Many stoves only require a non combustible surface to set the stove on. Keep the area around the stove that is required clear and you’ll be clear as far as regulations go. Maybe you can mock up a general stove sized box and set it in the area to see if it’d match your aesthetic preferences.

 

[ericm979]

Propane tanks need to be 10ft from the house per code. A 120 gallon tank probably needs to go on footers of some kind. Where I am tanks have to go on a slab but that is due to earthquake code. Tanks also need to be protected from being accidentally driven into but the actual requirements will vary depending on who is doing the inspection. If it's next to a place where cars can go you may need bollards. In any case it's unlikely to be just plopped on the ground and that means it may have an installation cost.

You can either buy a tank outright or rent it. Tank rental comes with a contract to buy propane from a given company. They usually will try to make sure you do not run out between deliveries, either by estimating your use or putting a sensor on the tank. No other company will fill your rental tank. When you own the tank you can have anyone fill it but they put you last on their list below their rental customers. It's easy to get tanks filled in the summer when demand (and propane price) is low but can be harder to get a fill in the winter.

If I had natural gas available I would totally do that. All you do is pay an install fee, a monthly fee for the connection and for the gas you use.

 

[begreen]

As I sit in the Lazyboy this is my view……straight ahead fake fireplace, to the left window to back, to the right window to front of house, behind me dining area and door to kitchen, beyond that 2 small bedrooms and a bath……this one room seems about 13 wide and twice that long….. The guy said a 35,000 BTU gas unit would be enough to heat this area even without elec blower on a freestanding gas stove

Questions still unanswered - How large is the house? Is the intent just to heat this room or the whole house?
Based on responses so far, I'd bring in the natural gas line and replace the electric fireplace with a gas one.

 

[Newbie78]

I would go with wood. Failing that, I would go with propane.

even tho natural gas is more reliable than electricity, it is fallible. Ours went down due to line breaks twice two autumns ago. It occured due to dissimilar plastic pipe welding failures. These events reafirmed our decision to go wood. As it turns out,in the dead of winter we are saving about $400.00 a month on the gas bill. Our winters are long, so about 2000 dollars a year. Significant, but the best part is self-sufficiency. A propane tank would give off-the-grid fuel and the security that goes with that.

anyway, do what YOU want to do. Most, or many, vendors are more interested in making a sale and taking your money than genuinely considering YOUR priorities and situation.

 

[Slocochef]

Propane tanks need to be 10ft from the house per code. A 120 gallon tank probably needs to go on footers of some kind. Where I am tanks have to go on a slab but that is due to earthquake code. Tanks also need to be protected from being accidentally driven into but the actual requirements will vary depending on who is doing the inspection. If it's next to a place where cars can go you may need bollards. In any case it's unlikely to be just plopped on the ground and that means it may have an installation cost.

You can either buy a tank outright or rent it. Tank rental comes with a contract to buy propane from a given company. They usually will try to make sure you do not run out between deliveries, either by estimating your use or putting a sensor on the tank. No other company will fill your rental tank. When you own the tank you can have anyone fill it but they put you last on their list below their rental customers. It's easy to get tanks filled in the summer when demand (and propane price) is low but can be harder to get a fill in the winter.

If I had natural gas available I would totally do that. All you do is pay an install fee, a monthly fee for the connection and for the gas you use.

Thx! I will call gas co on Monday for looking at install to house….propane just doesn’t feel right for this city property to me…..but I was pushed to seriously consider! Appreciate the information…it’s helpful

 

[Slocochef]

I would go with wood. Failing that, I would go with propane.

even tho natural gas is more reliable than electricity, it is fallible. Ours went down due to line breaks twice two autumns ago. It occured due to dissimilar plastic pipe welding failures. These events reafirmed our decision to go wood. As it turns out,in the dead of winter we are saving about $400.00 a month on the gas bill. Our winters are long, so about 2000 dollars a year. Significant, but the best part is self-sufficiency. A propane tank would give off-the-grid fuel and the security that goes with that.

anyway, do what YOU want to do. Most, or many, vendors are more interested in making a sale and taking your money than genuinely considering YOUR priorities and situation.

Thank you….all good points to consider! Oddly I kinda like not having gas or propane anything here….yet know electric only house does need a backup….I could get gas and a generac but that’s a big upheaval to me….I am older and want simplicity….. Just have to mull this all over…..my gut says get a small wood stove and be done with it…. Furniture can be moved or sold or gifted…I don’t get attached to it….had Christmas visitors so needed places for them to sit….but may need to rethink due to a stove

 

[Slocochef]

Questions still unanswered - How large is the house? Is the intent just to heat this room or the whole house?
Based on responses so far, I'd bring in the natural gas line and replace the electric fireplace with a gas one.

Above ground level 1200 sq ft….one bedroom in an attic like small room under roof peak with stairs and door to close off stairwell. The elec fireplace is just a fake…never used. Intent is to keep warm in power out in winter. For me and any neighbors with small kids or elderly who are stuck in storm with no power (heat)……was told a small stove could do that just fine. Ambiance fires I foresee to be just in cold weather holidays… If it heats this room that would be fine…..but would guess it would heat broader Area as well ….in an emergency

 

[Slocochef]

I have had a wood stove in a 200 sq ft room. It was a small stove. It was fine.

That said, you do have a lot of furniture in there, and white carpet. It could be really crowded in there.

It looks like your floor is tile? Many stoves only require a non combustible surface to set the stove on. Keep the area around the stove that is required clear and you’ll be clear as far as regulations go. Maybe you can mock up a general stove sized box and set it in the area to see if it’d match your aesthetic preferences.

Thx for your kindness…yes family came at New Years and we are all tall folks so bigger supportive seating was how that LR happened….just haphazard sale…its only 2 chairs a loveseat and couch but big furniture in a small space! Want to get window treatments done as the curtains were just there when I bought the place….. so good idea with mapping out floor area with a box….or sometimes I have fabric throws I can toss down arranged to the size I’d need…. I would consider a small stove and even pulling furniture back as needed…nothing is that heavy….and I simply don’t want to freeze in a snowed in house!

 

[Slocochef]

Guessing your electric furnace is ducted forced air?
If so, I would consider having the gas line installed and perhaps replace the electric primary furnace down the road with a gas unit. (Here locally a gas furnace is much cheaper to operate than an electric furnace). Worth researching.
Then you have your gas supply for the new freestanding gas stove as well.
Just a thought.

Yes exactly…..ducted forced air and AC unit - I had that train of thought as well….but have not looked at cost comparisons here…..gas line would give more options down the road…very true….appliances, furnace, water heater etc…..could be changed out….not cheaply perhaps but as an option nice to have! Thx so much….

 

[vatmark]

I don't like a gas fire. It doesn't feel the same and doesn't look nice like a wood fire. Just my opinion. Had gas fireplaces in 2 houses and hardly ever used them. It was just so blah.

We have a 500 gallon propane tank that we own. It is buried under ground. It is for our propane range and tankless water heater. With owning it we can go shop around the different propane suppliers. As far as having it refilled they will not refill until you are down below 25%. Soon as we hit 25% we call them to deliver and then that can take weeks before they get out here. I don't worry about the tank exploding. With any kind of fuel there is always a risk of something happening. Electrical fires, houses exploding due to natural gas etc etc.

Now I don't know where things stand now or what is going to happen in the future but there's lots of talk about banning gas stoves. Who knows if that will lead to banning of other gas items. May be something to consider. Although who knows they may ban wood burning appliances as well at some point.

 

[Slocochef]

Yes…. So true about kitchens anyway…_the idea to go induction or electric ranges especially in CA I think as gas r/t health concerns somehow….lotsa $ put into these modern wood burners to keep emissions better by designers….. I read wood heats differently by heating all elements in a room better…not just the air…. Should maybe put a wood burner in after all? I don’t even have to use it but to have the stove and wood ready to go is a comfort..… and it feels more real and organic so to speak….

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Wood heating has a definite learning curve. It’s not a skill I’d expect somebody to pick up the first time they light their stove. It takes time to learn it. A power outage is not that time. If you put in a wood stove, prepare to learn it before you have to use it.

 

[stoveliker]

….I am older and want simplicity…

This screams natural gas line and gas stove...

Are you in shape to move 16*4*4 ft of wood, 5 years from now?
Get wheelbarrows full to the house, carry arms full of splits inside?

I admit a wood fire looks nicer. But you (and your neighbors) will stay warm with a nat gas fireplace. Also takes waaaay less space in that small room.

 

[Eman85]

There's a lot going on here! You want a back-up heat source in the event of losing electricity, which makes sense and I agree with. You sound like you have no wood burning experience and are mature, was that diplomatic enough? Your home looks very neat and clean with light colors and it doesn't look like direct access to that room from outside. Burning wood is messy, that's for starters and the wood has to be carried in and can be heavy and the ashes carried out which can be messy. Also you have to store and season wood, move it close to the house then carry it in. So you'll need a wood storage are for a quantity and then usually a small rack near the home or in the garage. You'll need to secure a source of wood in advance as you'll need seasoned wood.
All of that said is it worth it for a backup heat and a fire for holidays?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Wood heat also doesn’t turn off when the room reaches a set temperature. Once you light that stove, it’s going to run until all the fuel is burnt. This can leave you opening windows to reduce the temps inside.

 

[Slocochef]

There's a lot going on here! You want a back-up heat source in the event of losing electricity, which makes sense and I agree with. You sound like you have no wood burning experience and are mature, was that diplomatic enough? Your home looks very neat and clean with light colors and it doesn't look like direct access to that room from outside. Burning wood is messy, that's for starters and the wood has to be carried in and can be heavy and the ashes carried out which can be messy. Also you have to store and season wood, move it close to the house then carry it in. So you'll need a wood storage are for a quantity and then usually a small rack near the home or in the garage. You'll need to secure a source of wood in advance as you'll need seasoned wood.
All of that said is it worth it for a backup heat and a fire for holidays?

Hi…..thx for your thoughts! Actually lived off grid for about 4 years full time in a cabin with a small wood burner in the UP……had people cut, split and stack wood for me though on my porch…..this was late 1990’s….it was easy and uncomplicated. Have a wood guy here in town willing to bring truckload at a time to put up near the house….dry ash. Told him just wanted 2-3 weeks worth for emergency and occasional fires at the house…though will buy 1 cord - not thinking to warm by woodheat all winter as I did years ago….. Guess there’s plenty to think about….as I do want something small in place so I can quit spending time on this figuring it out…. Everything is worth it to me to not get plunged in an Icy cold home for possible days…..that I cannot escape due to snow drifting waiting for the linemen to get to everybody…. You are right there is a lot to consider….. or……get that gas line to the house and a generac or similar & forget the whole stove idea altogether…. But there are neighbors and town people and wood people to help ….wood guy said he’d be happy to stack in a huge coat closet or a rack in dining room or both….and at the back of the house….

 

[Slocochef]

Wood heat also doesn’t turn off when the room reaches a set temperature. Once you light that stove, it’s going to run until all the fuel is burnt. This can leave you opening windows to reduce the temps inside.

Yes indeed! Lotsa windows in this room that can open…..but yes that’s why I think a small stove would work fine….many dyson fans, here…..overhead fans in BR’s….couch in LR is a sleeper to be closer to stove if needed…..I will figure it out by learning more this coming week. The wood stove guy who said go gas said he is sending me a quote and took pics outside…even tho I haven’t seen his freestanding gas stoves….he’s 2 hrs away!