Baby or Mama Bear?

[Billwardii]

I am having some work done on the 24' tall or so chimney that has the 8" clay liners on my old farmhouse. Currently my rather drafty house (approx 1,200 sq ft but I cut it down to 750 sq ft heated in the winter) is heated solely with a wondercoal stove in the 1 insulated back bedroom and that just doesn't cut it. I've started renovating and thought it was a good time to upgrade to a better stove. Fishers are very common here (though rarely for sale and high when they are) and my mother's house is heated with a Papa Bear with a jacket and ducted up into the house from the basement. Square foot wise it looks like the Baby is what I need and I just jumped on 1, but it looks a little small and I'm concerned about it holding a fire all night and again all day when I'm gone to work. I think a Mama would be best but would love to hear from others.
Thanks.

 

[coaly]

Baby Bear puts out enough heat, with the right size chimney, but you may be kindling a fire every morning. Burns are shorter, but you're not in an area that requires that much heat unless you're at high altitude. If you're connecting to the chimney with 8 inch flue, you're going to be burning harder and the wood isn't going to last as long making things worse. You should definitely have 6 inch insulated liner with Baby.
Mama Bear would benefit greatly with a 6 inch liner, but if you have to connect to 8, it will work and go through more wood. You may be too warm at times, but you will have a pile of coals in the morning to kick it off much easier.
Are your normal overnight temps below freezing most of the time, and is some of the heated area not insulated?
The ratings for these were for 8 foot ceiling and common 2 X 4 walls with R-11.
What is the coldest expected temperature? Close call. I don't like starting fires from scratch all the time and would lean towards Mama Bear.
Actually Goldilocks or Teddy may be perfect if one comes up for sale. (if a stove with top outlet works for you) They would require 6 inch as well.

I'm not sure why the Wondecoal doesn't work for you. Are you burning Anthacite coal? Barometric damper with the same size flue as stove outlet? If you're connecting to an 8 inch flue, that's the problem and it will continue to be a problem for any of the stoves mentioned.

 

[Billwardii]

Thanks for the quick reply and great info. I talked to my chimney guy this weekend and I was wrong, I do have a 6" flue, though it's not insulated. I think the Mama is the way to go. My elevation is around 2,500'. This fall has been very warm but the temp usually drops below freezing overnight through the winter. We had a extra cold spell last year where it dipped to -16 with 0-6 degrees for the high for about a week. That took a lot of wood as there isn't much insulation in my old house - yet.

I probably shouldn't knock the wondercoal. My grandmother believed in burning stoves hot (she liked to leave the ash pan door open) and we found it for her second handed as a backup unit. Both of us burn wood in it as well.

I haven't seen a 'Goldilocks or Teddy for sale but I'm on the hunt now for one of those or a good Mama.

Thanks Coaly I really appreciate the help.

 

[coaly]

At that altitude and those temps, yes a Mama Bear.
You want to get into the habit of removing a little ash in the front behind intakes where it is burned down the most every morning. You should have plenty of coals and charcoal in the back to rake forward to build the new fire on. That way you never need to leave it burn out to empty ash.
When you spin the intakes open on the single door stoves, they will roar more like an oil burner and heat up quicker than the double door Goldilocks or Teddy. They have a much larger cook top too.

 

[Billwardii]

Thanks I'm on the hunt of a good Mama Bear or Goldilocks now. I'll take your advice on removing a little ash every morning as well which is an excellent idea.

 

[coaly]

If you can have a hole through floor under pedestal, the Goldilocks can get air from outside. That eliminates drafts from intake air leaking into house as it moves toward stove for combustion and exhausted up chimney. That makes the efficiency difference using outdoor air with that model. It has the square foot heating capacity you need, (along with close clearance and is UL approved) but the burning characteristics of the Mama are still better.

 

[Billwardii]

Wow, that's great to know. Thanks! Back to craigslist.......