Buy a secong King ultra stove or spray foam everywhere?

[Squisher]

Buying the same stove will at least keep all my splits the same size.

I don't think you'd want as big of a stove now that it's been brought up. But the BK's are renowned for low output capabilities sooo? For me the 2nd stove/insert upstairs can push things over the top real fast if I'm not careful and smart about it, but these are two hot running stoves.

I'd be worried that you couldn't idle two of the big BK's without cooking yourself out at times and you'd be stuck with either just running the basement like you are now or being easily overheated.

I agree a smaller stove would make sense as bholler pointed out. It would be cool to have a king and a princess if you like that look. I like plain looking stoves myself too. A black box that gets hot.

 

[therdlesstravld]

Could you not figure a way to move the hot downstairs air more directly into the colder areas of your house? I have a vent through my first floor (stove is in the basement). This setup works amazingly for me to get the hot air to a hard to reach part of my house. From their it disperses well. The only room in my house that is cold is our master which is also the only room we haven't insulated.

For some perspective I redid my entire second story (two levels above my wood stove) and insulated the crap out of it. It's infinitely more comfortable up there than it is in my master which is on my first floor and directly next to the stairs that the heat comes up. Keeping that heat you generate inside the house and eliminating cold air infiltration is going to give you much more comfort.

N.B. - I know that a through the floor penetration COULD be a massive fire safety issue. A fire could move quickly from one floor to the next. That being said make your own decisions!

 

[bholler]

I like plain looking stoves myself too. A black box that gets hot.

I have nothing against plain looking black box stoves but I really cant stand the look of the king and princess. They go against so many really basic design principles. But bk does have some other stoves that look absolutely fantastic and perform as well as their classic stoves.

 

[lsucet]

How about this scenario i pay all this money for the spray foam and my upstairs Is still cold.

This is something i am afraid of happening and then I gotta buy a stove on top of it.

It is hard to tell, with foam you making the house tight and creating better heat retention and can be possible that the existing stove handle things better the way you like it. But it is not a for sure, though it will help. To what degree? Hard to tell.

Now, with other stove you should reach you goals of being warmer for sure but at what cost. remember, almost double all the work, bla bla bla, etc etc. It is up to you but is hard to guarantee anything without the living experience and make final adjustments . it can be an expensive trial and error, I know, trust me.

 

[Squisher]

Obviously insulation is more efficient. But do not underestimate the comfort of having the brute force of two wood stoves burning when the mercury dips.

I've heated from a basement stove pretty much my whole life and now with the insert upstairs I'm really enjoying the extra capacity and options it gives me.

 

[Niko]

I don't think you'd want as big of a stove now that it's been brought up. But the BK's are renowned for low output capabilities sooo? For me the 2nd stove/insert upstairs can push things over the top real fast if I'm not careful and smart about it, but these are two hot running stoves.

I'd be worried that you couldn't idle two of the big BK's without cooking yourself out at times and you'd be stuck with either just running the basement like you are now or being easily overheated.

I agree a smaller stove would make sense as bholler pointed out. It would be cool to have a king and a princess if you like that look. I like plain looking stoves myself too. A black box that gets hot.

I wouldn't run the second stove all the time only when it gets real cold. I'm not gonna cut my wood smaller or should it so it could fit a smaller princess to fit both stoves.

 

[Niko]

It is hard to tell, with foam you making the house tight and creating better heat retention and can be possible that the existing stove handle things better the way you like it. But it is not a for sure, though it will help. To what degree? Hard to tell.

Now, with other stove you should reach you goals of being warmer for sure but at what cost. remember, almost double all the work, bla bla bla, etc etc. It is up to you but is hard to guarantee anything without the living experience and make final adjustments . it can be an expensive trial and error, I know, trust me.

trying ot minimize the trial and error as much as possible.

 

[Squisher]

The princess takes smaller wood. That would be a pita if you're running like 22" splits or something in the king.

 

[Niko]

There is no way any insulation pro will give you a guarantee like that. I am sure increasing the insulation will make it easier to maintain heat in the house but there is no way for us to know to what extent.

I understand the scenario but don't expect someone to shell out 8,000 dollars and that's just for the product when I priced it out at like tigerfoam. The insulation companies want like 18,000 bucks! For the attic and walls. Not gonna dish out that much money with out something on paper guarantee me my temps will be better then before. im not trying to knock on it, just saying that whats the point of putting all this money and then I need a stove in the end.

 

[Squisher]

How could the foam installer guarantee that? A good home energy auditor or someone used to doing heat loss calcs would be a better one to ask that question.

Yes, moving cold air is easier. That may make this a simple question of assisting convection and raising the existing stove output. We would need floor plan sketches to see if something looks possible.

Before even remotely considering shelling out that kind of money I'd take this advise and take advantage of this offer. Get some floor plan drawings up here and see if someone comes up with something that works. And get a home energy audit by a professional. That's a lot of money you're looking at laying down. These are the ways to cover your bases.

 

[begreen]

The princess takes smaller wood. That would be a pita if you're running like 22" splits or something in the king.

Yes, but the King is going to need an 8" flue which will add to the stove costs. If this secondary stove is only used for 4 weeks of the year then it is a pricey investment.

The insulation companies want like 18,000 bucks! For the attic and walls.

What about getting a few more quotes and get them just for the building up the attic insulation? That's where most of the heat loss will be.

 

[Niko]

Before even remotely considering shelling out that kind of money I'd take this advise and take advantage of this offer. Get some floor plan drawings up here and see if someone comes up with something that works. And get a home energy audit by a professional. That's a lot of money you're looking at laying down. These are the ways to cover your bases.

I will draw a diagram for you guys just don't make fun of it that's all.

never thought of the home energy audit, is that done threw the local gas and electic company?

 

[begreen]

https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/Residents-and-Homeowners

 

[therdlesstravld]

No but you don't understand no one is going to give you any type of guarantee because... they can't. I'm sure some engineering type might try to to calculate Btu output of the stoves and your projected btu loss based on your home insulation but be realistic, those are numbers. Use your common sense, if your house is poorly insulated then spray foaming the entire thing will be the best bang for your buck. If the house is well insulated with even r-13 in the walls (newer not 100 years old and deteriorating) and if you've moderately air sealed then spray foam won't be worth it.

 

[Babaganoosh]

I did vote for insulating but I've got a question.

How long are you planning on living in your current house?

If you move you could take a stove with you. Can't take the insulation with you though.

 

[begreen]

Good question. A prospective home buyer may be turned off by seeing two big stoves. That can be a red-flag to some.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

How about this scenario i pay all this money for the spray foam and my upstairs Is still cold.

This is something i am afraid of happening and then I gotta buy a stove on top of it.

Yes, that is a risk. Is there some middle ground on the insulation where you don't go whole hog, but just knock out the worst of it with foam, and go with cellulose where you can, to get the commitment well below the $18k quote, and see where that gets you? If you aren't satisfied with that, maybe there'll be enough left for the stove? I continue to be amazed at how expensive closed cell foam is. I plan to do something like I described, just using foam in strategic areas, like the sill and infiltrations, and cellulose in the attic and walls.

I also like the idea of putting a strategic register or two to move some heat upstairs, I think there is some sort of special register that shuts automatically in the event of a fire to negate the risk.

 

[Niko]

I did vote for insulating but I've got a question.

How long are you planning on living in your current house?

If you move you could take a stove with you. Can't take the insulation with you though.

lol unless I hit the lottery the rest of our lives.

 

[Niko]

Good question. A prospective home buyer may be turned off by seeing two big stoves. That can be a red-flag to some.

yea I can see for some but their is baseboard heat threw the whole house so its not like im heating a shed or a unfinished room.

 

[Niko]

 

[bholler]

yea I can see for some but their is baseboard heat threw the whole house so its not like im heating a shed or a unfinished room.

No but if they see 2 big stoves many people wil think it is really hard to heat. I know I would.

 

[Niko]

so if these drawings suck sorry I can make better ones another time I just did it now. the stairs are in the middle of the house and our one long flight vs 2 smaller sections like in most houses. the main stove is downstairs in the large living room. the stairs come right up to the kitchen on the second floor. the coldest parts of the house are the master bedroom and the bedroom right next to it upstairs.

 

[Niko]

Yes, that is a risk. Is there some middle ground on the insulation where you don't go whole hog, but just knock out the worst of it with foam, and go with cellulose where you can, to get the commitment well below the $18k quote, and see where that gets you? If you aren't satisfied with that, maybe there'll be enough left for the stove? I continue to be amazed at how expensive closed cell foam is. I plan to do something like I described, just using foam in strategic areas, like the sill and infiltrations, and cellulose in the attic and walls.

I also like the idea of putting a strategic register or two to move some heat upstairs, I think there is some sort of special register that shuts automatically in the event of a fire to negate the risk.

I tried registers with inline fan I put in them. multiple scenarios I ran and I posted results on this forum. in the end I saw lil improvement, stove had to cranked to see a big improvement and im not willing to sacrifice not being able to be downstairs cause im trying to hear the upstairs

 

[Niko]

No but if they see 2 big stoves many people wil think it is really hard to heat. I know I would.

you could say the same for just one. my house hd 2 woodstove when I bought it, both of them upstairs, one a insert and the other in the dining room.

 

[bholler]

you could say the same for just one.

Why would you say that? Yes in some areas any wood stove can be a detriment. But I dont see why seeing one stove would say to anyone that the house is hard to heat. Regardless unless you are planning on leaving any time soon I would not let that enter into your decision.