cat and non-cat questions

[Sconnie Burner]

Which type will stay at its peak temperature longer?
I'm located in wisconsin and looking to heat roughly 2800-3000 square feet of well insulated to be built, new construction, exclusively with wood. The layout is fairly open with the stove in the finished basement directly inline with the U-shaped centeraly located staircase.Just looked at the Regency F5100 online and it looks massive! Will it be overkill? Or with it being a cat and able to dial it back, is it a better option than a tube stove? Just looking for some pointers. I'm not hung up on burn times, but more of a consistent output of heat to avoid the temp spikes I see in the stove area set up I currently have. I know it takes an 8" flue so if thats the case it makes it hard to downsize.

 

[BrotherBart]

 

[Sconnie Burner]

I should add I'm not looking for a debate but rather those who are heating similar sized areas and how they find their setups working.
I also look at a tube stove and see a faster burn down allowing a reload sooner and keeping temps in the house up. So I'm torn as to which direction to go. Also trying to avoid the dreaded buyers remorse!

 

[Hogwildz]

You're going to need the largest stove you can find to heat that place.

 

[Woody Stover]

In a well-insulated place, the tube stove 'pulse-and-glide,' as begreen puts it, should work fine...the house itself will level out the temp over time, like a cat would do. But I'm a cat guy myself, with my poorly insulated home. Still, a cat won't maintain a high output for more than several hrs, then temps will slowly fall. With a bigger box, obviously you have more wood to gas and output won't drop off as fast...

 

[Highbeam]

As Hogz says, whichever you get it will need to be the biggest you can find. Even the big BK king (biggest out there) is only rated for 2500 SF max.

Do you really think you'll be able to heat 100% with a single woodstove? If that is your intent I would buy nothing other than a BK king, next would be two stoves or a wood furnace.

 

[Sconnie Burner]

Im going to have a bid open stairway for good heat migration to the bedroom area. Ive been toying with the idea of 2 stoves but not sure I want the work. Unless they were both cats that could burn on low for 12+ hrs. 2 ideal steels would be awesome!

 

[kennyp2339]

Which type will stay at its peak temperature longer?
I'm located in wisconsin and looking to heat roughly 2800-3000 square feet of well insulated to be built, new construction, exclusively with wood. The layout is fairly open with the stove in the finished basement directly inline with the U-shaped centeraly located staircase.Just looked at the Regency F5100 online and it looks massive! Will it be overkill? Or with it being a cat and able to dial it back, is it a better option than a tube stove? Just looking for some pointers. I'm not hung up on burn times, but more of a consistent output of heat to avoid the temp spikes I see in the stove area set up I currently have. I know it takes an 8" flue so if thats the case it makes it hard to downsize.

Blaze king king model or the largest soap stone / ideal steel in the cat area, I own a blaze king princess and I can def say it is what its cracked up to be, I really haven't heard anything bad about the soaps stones / ideal stoves, I have read a couple negative reviews on the new regency's, research carefully, and stock up on wood. Also it may be more economical (long run) to install (2) stoves in different area's of the house.

 

[bobdog2o02]

You might want to reconsider your "one big stove" idea and do two medium stoves. Two cat stoves at different loading cycles would probably cook you out if desired.

 

[begreen]

Pretty much covered in the other thread already.
www.hearth.com/talk/threads/options-for-2800-3000-sq-ft-of-heating.140460/

Give us the heat loss spec for the new building and we can be of greater accuracy. What will be the size and fuel of the primary heating system?

 

[Sconnie Burner]

Thanks for the input guys. I forgot to check out my other post for more responses! Im totally green to this install stuff. Currently renting a house that already has a stove (quad 3100) and got the operating dialed in. Now I want to build my own home and heat with wood for that cozy warmth. The more I think about it the 2 stove method might be better. Smaller fire boxes and less wood for the same more comfortable amount of heat On each level, instead of being cooked out of the basement to keep the upstairs warm. I will probably add 1 stove in basement for supplemental heat until I can afford another for the upstairs in the future.

 

[Wood Duck]

In your original post you asked what type of stove would stay at its peak temperature longest. I'd instead focus on what is more consistent and longer burning at a steady temperature, even if that temperature isn't the peak.

I don't mean to get picky about the way you asked the question, just want to clarify the question and point out that any stove running at its maximum temperature will be more prone to peaks and valleys, and not burn as long as a stove cruising at mid-range.

So what type of stove will burn most consistently at steady temp? I guess a cat stove, but I have never used a cat stove, just a non-cat.

 

[branchburner]

The other big cat besides BK is the 4.4 cu ft Buck.

 

[DougA]

I thought the general consensus is that cat stoves need dry wood and nothing else - non-cat prefer dry wood but will handle wood with more moisture and assorted other junk that people shouldn't burn but do.

I would look at cu ft capacity before cat vs non-cat. A soapstone stove will provide much more consistent heat because the stone acts as mass to collect the heat and give it off more uniformly. That answers one of your questions.

If you put a big stove like the Equinox I have (or any other big stove) in your basement, you probably will cook out the basement with not as much heat as you might want going to the main floor, even with the open staircase as you describe. All the stoves will have the same problem, regardless of cat/non-cat.

 

[begreen]

The other big cat besides BK is the 4.4 cu ft Buck.

And Kuma Sequoia @ 3.6 cu ft
http://kumastoves.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=25

 

[Ashful]

As one who is actually running (or was, until last week!) two large cat stoves, I will warn you that running two stoves at opposite ends of the house is about 4x more work than running one. Putting aside the enormous wood usage (think 8+ cords per year), you will spend a lot of time running from one end of the house to the other at breakfast and dinner, getting both stoves loaded, going, and dialed down. This is where a BK may be ideal, as you could run them on 24 hour cycles, and just deal with one at breakfast and the other at dinner, rather than loading two stoves 2 - 3 times per day.

That said, 2800 - 3000 sq.ft. is NOT a large house. I don't see why it cannot be covered with a single stove. We're not talking 10,000 sq.ft. here, guys.

Cat vs. non-cat? I haven't seen many cat stove owners here saying they wish they bought a non-cat, but see comments to the opposite very regularly.

 

[bobdog2o02]

Cat vs. non-cat? I haven't seen many cat stove owners here saying they wish they bought a non-cat, but see comments to the opposite very regularly.

Well said.

 

[jeff_t]

Says the guy with 10,000 sq ft.

For the original question, my BK will top out around 650 if I push it. I have seen 700 once or twice. What it does well is burn at 500-550 for quite a few hours, often 8-10. After that it will drop off, need a little more air, and then pull the coals up and burn them up. I try to keep a 12 hour schedule going into the winter.

Keep in this is cold weather burning. The temperature over the cat doesn't tell the whole story. I can see 600 over the cat with a dark firebox, and not overheat the house in milder weather. At 550 with fairly vigorous flames, the stove puts off a lot more heat, and often the temp on the front of the stove is higher than on top.

Wood Duck has the right idea.

 

[bholler]

That said, 2800 - 3000 sq.ft. is NOT a large house

I am sorry but 3000 sq ft is a large house not huge but absolutely large. But if designed properly and built well you could probably heat it with one stove. You asked about the 5100 we have installed 2 and both customers are very happy and yes they are huge.

 

[Osagebndr]

I like my summit a lot and it'll cruise for a few hours at 550-600 and keep our place very warm(2600sqft.) .i do have the occasional issue but very satisfied. If I had my drothers I'd have bought the BK King tho

 

[Sconnie Burner]

I just hate to commit to an 8" flue for do to price and limited stove options. Its all just info gathering at this point so I have some knowledge when I head out to look at woodstove this fall!

 

[Tenn Dave]

Im going to have a bid open stairway for good heat migration to the bedroom area. Ive been toying with the idea of 2 stoves but not sure I want the work. Unless they were both cats that could burn on low for 12+ hrs. 2 ideal steels would be awesome!

With a house that large, I would seriously look at the 2 stove option. Then when you don't need to heat the whole house, you could just shut one of the stoves down. Also with 2 stoves I believe you would find it easier to get more even heat distribution.

 

[begreen]

The size and effectiveness of the stove will depend on stove location, floorplan, and most importantly - the quality of insulation and sealing done to the building. If there is a good thermal break with good wall and ceiling insulation a well placed single stove may handle the load well. Figure out the insulation details and heat loss and the rest will be easier to determine.

 

[Hogwildz]

The bigger consideration here, is if you're building your own house, I see a few main factors to consider:
1. Build it tight, and well insulated. This is not an area to consider skimping on, and will pay back more than anything else.
Seriously consider spray foam insulation, for the benefit of excellent air sealing and excellent insulating properties.
The extra cost is one I would consider over anything else, IF I had the coin to spend.

2. Plan the layout of the house to be as open as possible.
I love the layout of my place, fairly open on first floor, the second story is 1/4 loft & 1/4 open from living room to second story ceiling, the other half is two bedrooms with a bath in between.
You want an open layout, and one that promotes a good convection loop of air.
I can actually feel the air slightly at the bottom of my steps to the second story, which is a huge loop from the living room to the stairs, up to, and across loft the loft and back to the living room.
Many don't like cathedral ceilings, but I love mine. Just need to get it tight, as the prior owner skimped on insulation & air sealing.
If you have a tall ceiling in a great room, a ceiling fan is a great consideration also.
I am thinking of installing a second one in the loft ceiling also. I think this ceiling with a fan, circulates air better than a standard 8' ceiling.

3. Centrally locate the stove and flue, keeping as much of the flue inside inside the conditioned space.
If you build with these things in mind, you prolly could heat the whole house with a large stove.
Or if you got bookoo bucks to burn, build a masonry heater into in the center of the house.
Keep the roof pitch walkable if possible, makes for easier chimney inspection up top & cleaning.

Another consideration is same layout, with a coal burning furnace in the basement, and you could even install a large wood stove as above if wanted.
Coal could be a bit too hot in the shoulder seasons depending on what you buy for a furnace. The wood stove would do well there, and when the frigid crap hits, then fire both up.
These are the things I would consider if building my own place.
One final note. You may want to consider if you really need a house that size. The smaller the house, the easier to heat. You don't have to go super tiny, but something in the 2000sf -2500sf range is plenty of house.

 

[Quentin2]

View attachment 152734

Is it weird that I want popcorn now?