Hi wood burners, looking for some input from the more experienced
I'm considering installing the Alderlea T5/T6 into a new ~2000 sq ft house in the Lower Mainland, BC, Canada
Im still on the fence deciding exactly which model to go for though T5 or the bigger T6.
Reading the specs online it doesnt quite make sense to me the way manufacturers spec the heating capacity in sq ft - since we're heating volumes and not areas I'd expect cu ft makes much more sense. Turns out the assumption here is a standard ceiling height of 8ft and the areas are provided for ease of calculation, however this can be misleading for non standard/square living spaces, such as mine. Using a 8ft standard height the calculated heating capacity for the two models in cu ft are:
T5 => 2000 sq ft x 8ft = 16,000 cu ft
T6 => 3000 sq ft x 8ft = 24,000 cu ft
I also calculated the exact volume of my house from the info in the arch dwgs taking into account the shape of the living space and ignoring the internal walls and furniture in came up to 20,000 cu ft, which interestingly happens to be right in the middle of the two stoves heating capacities. I'd therefore conclude that the T5 would be undersized for my space by exactly the same amount as the T6 would be oversized.
In conclusion Im thinking if i get the T6 model and damp it down to 83% of it's stated capacity it would adequately heat my entire house with the help of the ceiling and furnace fans to circulate the air.
0.83333 x 24,000 = 20,000 cu ft
Does all of the above make sense to you? or am I overdoing it or missing something?
Another factor into consideration would be that I intend to primarily burn local softwood species in the stove which burn faster and hotter and therefore would be able to reach the optimum temperatures even with partial/smaller loads
It would be nice to have a bigger firebox and longer burn times with the T6, the only downside i see is potentially more frequent chimney cleanings required due to suboptimal burn rates.
Any feedback greatly appreciated - this is going to cost upwards of 10k Canadian pesos, so Im hoping to get it right the first time
Thanks in advance!
PS> forgot to mention some additional tech data in case relevant:
- wall insulation R24, 2x6 studs
- ceiling insulation R40 or R56
- heat loss as per the energy report of 25000 btu/hour, assuming inside temp 22deg celsius, outside temp -9 deg celsius
- additional heat sources: gas furnace and heat pump
- planning on mostly using the wood stove when the temps dip below 5-10deg celcius
- relatively mild climate, but very wet, temps are mostly 2-5 deg celsius for most of the winter, occasional cold periods of -10, -15 but they dont last more than a week or two per year
I'm considering installing the Alderlea T5/T6 into a new ~2000 sq ft house in the Lower Mainland, BC, Canada
Im still on the fence deciding exactly which model to go for though T5 or the bigger T6.
Reading the specs online it doesnt quite make sense to me the way manufacturers spec the heating capacity in sq ft - since we're heating volumes and not areas I'd expect cu ft makes much more sense. Turns out the assumption here is a standard ceiling height of 8ft and the areas are provided for ease of calculation, however this can be misleading for non standard/square living spaces, such as mine. Using a 8ft standard height the calculated heating capacity for the two models in cu ft are:
T5 => 2000 sq ft x 8ft = 16,000 cu ft
T6 => 3000 sq ft x 8ft = 24,000 cu ft
I also calculated the exact volume of my house from the info in the arch dwgs taking into account the shape of the living space and ignoring the internal walls and furniture in came up to 20,000 cu ft, which interestingly happens to be right in the middle of the two stoves heating capacities. I'd therefore conclude that the T5 would be undersized for my space by exactly the same amount as the T6 would be oversized.
In conclusion Im thinking if i get the T6 model and damp it down to 83% of it's stated capacity it would adequately heat my entire house with the help of the ceiling and furnace fans to circulate the air.
0.83333 x 24,000 = 20,000 cu ft
Does all of the above make sense to you? or am I overdoing it or missing something?
Another factor into consideration would be that I intend to primarily burn local softwood species in the stove which burn faster and hotter and therefore would be able to reach the optimum temperatures even with partial/smaller loads
It would be nice to have a bigger firebox and longer burn times with the T6, the only downside i see is potentially more frequent chimney cleanings required due to suboptimal burn rates.
Any feedback greatly appreciated - this is going to cost upwards of 10k Canadian pesos, so Im hoping to get it right the first time
Thanks in advance!
PS> forgot to mention some additional tech data in case relevant:
- wall insulation R24, 2x6 studs
- ceiling insulation R40 or R56
- heat loss as per the energy report of 25000 btu/hour, assuming inside temp 22deg celsius, outside temp -9 deg celsius
- additional heat sources: gas furnace and heat pump
- planning on mostly using the wood stove when the temps dip below 5-10deg celcius
- relatively mild climate, but very wet, temps are mostly 2-5 deg celsius for most of the winter, occasional cold periods of -10, -15 but they dont last more than a week or two per year
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