Another Yurt thread; new stove buyer

[woodstove22]

Such an interesting forum; first time poster and wood stove buyer here. Hoping for some thoughts and help outfitting our new 16-wall Freedom Yurt Cabin since it's getting closer to done. The four-season retreat is sited on a recreational property in West Virginia along the Maryland border. We're trying to determine the size and model and would appreciate some guidance; there seems to be no better place to ask than here!

Square footage is a bit under 400sqft with a 12' ceiling (vented dome). This room will be divided into a main living area/tiny kitchen and a bedroom with a permanent wall and door. There will be a separate attached structure of about 120sqft for bathroom and additional storage.

Yurt companies seem to say oversize, even double, the stove output by sqft as the yurts are generally not very airtight and not insulated as well as homes. Our yurt has a floor insulation kit that's R-20 and the SIP and poly iso walls and ceiling are R-9.7 and R-13.7 respectively. It's also sealed better than a fabric yurt. The windows are double pane and have a solid R-value I think. I've not been out to visit it in colder/windy weather since we've caulked the walls yet to see how drafty it is.

The wood stove is the primary heat source and we would like something that burns long for overnights, is not too fussy to fire-up for myself and my wife. The vent will be through the wall rather than the ceiling and will likely have two-45's since I've read here that may help with draft. I was looking at the following short list; any thoughts on sizing? Cat/Non-Cat? Not too price sensitive and will be professionally installed, but also checking the local FB marketplace.

Green Mountain 40 or 60 (yes, I've read the varied reviews)
Jotul F500 V3 Oslo CF
Vermont Casting Dauntless Flexburn

 

[begreen]

The best stoves IMO would be a Woodstock Fireview (cat), or in non-cats a 2-2.5 cu ft Canadian stove from Pacific Energy or SBI (Drolet, Osburn). The Alderlea T5 or the Drolet Capetown 1800 are good fits. The chimney config is going to be important because it's hard to get enough height for sufficient draft. These stoves will work ok with shorter chimneys. The stoves mentioned are going to want 15' or more straight up, which isn't possible in a yurt.

 

[woodstove22]

The best stoves IMO would be a Woodstock Fireview (cat), or in non-cats a 2-2.5 cu ft Canadian stove from Pacific Energy or SBI (Drolet, Osburn). The Alderlea T5 or the Drolet Capetown 1800 are good fits. The chimney config is going to be important because it's hard to get enough height for sufficient draft. These stoves will work ok with shorter chimneys. The stoves mentioned are going to want 15' or more straight up, which isn't possible in a yurt.

Thanks! I did see those, but while attractive the aesthetic was pretty far different from what we looking for. As for the chimney height, is it possible to just make it taller to compensate for the reduced draft due to elbows/45's and the necessity for additional draft? We were also planning on providing outside air if necessary and recommended.

 

[begreen]

If you want a simpler looking stove then the PE Super or the True North TN20 would work. I am assuming that the flue exit to the chimney thimble will use 45s with an offset instead of a 90 to give draft all the help possible. Mostly I would avoid shallow body stoves that like 15'+ chimneys.

 

[woodstove22]

+

What is a shallow body stove?

 

[begreen]

What is a shallow body stove?

A stove in which the firebox is wider than deep and has to be loaded E/W.

 

[woodstove22]

A stove in which the firebox is wider than deep and has to be loaded E/W.

Thanks for the clarification; so maybe the PE Super (deeper) over the PE Vista (wider, shallower). My wife visited one of the local shops/installers and the latter was recommended--based on size I think. They also recommended the True North TN20 though I'm not a fan of the bold branding on the door; I'd rather just enjoy the fire through the glass than their label reminding me, of, well, anything! Finally they recommended the Vermont Casting Aspen.

 

[begreen]

If this is for winter use, I can verify, go a bit oversized. Yurt insulation is not great. I don't know how well the Aspen will work on a short yurt chimney, especially in milder 40-50º weather. The Super will work on a shorter chimney and will burn well with a partial load. The TN20 is a similar design but with tubes instead of the stainles baffle system.

 

[woodstove22]

Thought I would belatedly follow up my request for information with some photos of our installation. Our Pacific Energy Vista seems to run fine and warm this place well and quickly. We didn't have a ton of time to test it this year though. I'm sad about how quickly the glass gets dirty, but am guessing we'll refine our practices to reduce it. It was mostly used by our contractor this winter and I have no idea what he was burning in it. Most of the wood on our property probably hasn't dried properly. I bought a fluegard thermometer and hopefully that may provide some information for us. In my completely inexperienced guess it's not burning hot enough or the wood is not dry enough. The recommendation on hearth.com to simply use damp newspaper with a bit of ash works amazingly well and I can't imagine needing to buy a product to improve upon it.
Where do people install their fluegard; plain sight on the front or the back to keep the plain black aesthetic? I kind of like the regular reminder mounted on the front, but can see the appeal of hiding it it. On the whole we liked our contractor and they were very responsive to a thimble water leak. Though $5K for the stove, installation and waiting most of the winter or four months for that was a hard pill to swallow. In any case I'm grateful for the help we from this community.

 

[begreen]

Thanks for the update. I'm looking forward to winter reports. Now for some cords of fully seasoned firewood stacked and ready.

This is the first time I've seen a Freedom yurt. It should be easier to heat than the traditional ones.

 

[woodstove22]

Yes, it's a hard sided Freedom Yurt as a vacation property. Our impression has been positive so far. The lot we're on was undeveloped sow well over a year in and we're just nearing the point of catching up on at least bucking and stacking the homesite and driveway trees. Much to split still. A garage and driveway expansion along with a septic field is coming so the number of trees on the ground will soon overwhelm us again. Much of the forest is younger second growth and skinny so we have not been splitting a ton.