Considering a stove install in an 1860's farmhouse

[Summer40]

Hi all! I'm new to the wood stove world and appreciate all the advice I can gather! We're in an old new england farmouse, and hoping to finally use the kitchen flu hookup from what I believe is the original kitchen cook stove. There is a brick panel with flu access (currently behind some hanging art). The previous owners had a pellet stove there but without the correct chimney liner. We're considering either updating the liner and hooking up the pellet stove again, or swapping out for a wood burning stove. I love the idea of a wood stove but in that case I am unsure where to start, there seem to be so many factors! It wouldn't be our only heat source but would be supplementing to hopefully get our oil use down significantly. We would want something with low clearances to get as close to the wall as possible as it is in a main area of the house, and is rather close to our kitchen seating, about 6 ft. I'm also wondering if there are good options that wouldn't need us to build a hearth over the tile, but could just use a non-combustible pad? Do you think this space is too tight for a wood stove, and we should stick with pellets? I definitely feel like I don't even know what I don't know right now. Thank you for any pointers!

 

[begreen]

Yes, it looks like a woodstove could work there. Look at the Jotul F45 and Pacific Energy T5.

Is the floor ceramic tile? If so, that will suffice for stoves the require an ember protection only hearth.

It looks like with a little fan assistance, adjacent rooms could also be heated by the stove. A sketch of the flooplan would help determine that.

 

[peakbagger]

My standard caveat is do you have a couple of cords or split seasoned firewood in the barn/backyard? Right now there is an incredible demand for wood heating given the current and expected high costs of natural gas or heating oil,. Selection will be tight and prices high. Unless there is a wood supplier that has a kiln (very rare) the wood being sold right now is going to be green and unseasoned. Odds are in Mass it will be oak which takes 2 years cut, split and stacked properly to dry to the point that modern stoves will burn it. Many dealers will claim they are selling dry wood but the odds are slim to none currently. Therefore at least for this winter, concentrate on getting enough pellets on hand to run the winter and hold off on a stove until spring.

 

[Seanbear]

I agree. It thats ceramic tile or stone, whatever, its fine for the sparks , ect. You will have to get info from the others on here, as Im a newbie too, lo....2nd year of wood only. In PA its expensive big time. I paid 5.79 last time. Who knows what it will be next time. I know it get cold where you are too, real winter COLD As for where to start, you are on the right track being on this site. A LOT of info for newbies like me. Research as much you can, about the stove you want. Read reviews, ask on here, ect. Youre options are based on are you want to heat, ease of use, the hard part in my book will finding a GOOD installer....I have heard horror ( Halloween ) stories about get the shaft. Any ways, very nice house, and I LOVE that its so old. My house was built in 1886.

 

[Summer40]

Thank you for the advice! That seems sensible to wait until next year for the wood stove and source some wood in the meantime. Very noob question, but would the chimney liner for the pellet stove also be what we need for the eventual wood stove? It is cermaic tile on the floor, and we do actually have the floor plan! The stove area in the kitchen is where this will be.

 

[begreen]

The chimney would need a new, 6" liner for the wood stove unless it has a properly sized, code-legal, clay liner in excellent condition. Pellet stoves typically take a 3 or 4" liner rated at a lower temperature.
It looks like a wood stove would primarily heat the kitchen eating area. It would need assistance to heat the living room. The sunroom would also need assistance, but with all windows, it probably would remain several degrees cooler. A fan set low on or close to the floor, blowing cooler air into the kitchen from these rooms will assist in convecting heat into them.

 

[Max W]

Yes, it looks like a woodstove could work there. Look at the Jotul F45 and Pacific Energy T5.

Is the floor ceramic tile? If so, that will suffice for stoves the require an ember protection only hearth.

At first glance it seems that the Jotul f45 would require only the ember protection by requiring one of the following.

1) AnyUL/ULCTypeI,TypeII,orWarnockHerseyListedhearth board.
2) Any non-combustible material

Except it also says under a separate section “Alternate floor protection“ :
See 7.5 Appendix on page 24 for the procedure to determine alternate floor protection materials that meet the thermal requirements for this stove.

A formula for determining r value is shown with an example that lists r value as being above the”specified” .893. This is confusing to me. I’ve been thinking at least a stoveboard would be required. If it is only a non combustsble material that is required, for me could change the orientation of a f45 install by allowing a flatter surface for the 16 inches in front of the stove in a long but narrow room. It could eliminate two 45deg elbows and likely the expense of all new pipe

 

[begreen]

Yes, sometimes they put in too much info. The initial statement says to choose option 1 or 2. Option 2 is ember protection only - any non-combustible material.

Read the section 4.2 under Alternate Floor Protection. It says:

The floor protector specified may include some form of thermal designation such as R-value

In other words, not mandatory, but if you choose a premade product, it should have at least Type I spec.

 

[Max W]

Thank you for clarifying that!

 

[Summer40]

The chimney would need a new, 6" liner for the wood stove unless it has a properly sized, code-legal, clay liner in excellent condition. Pellet stoves typically take a 3 or 4" liner rated at a lower temperature.
It looks like a wood stove would primarily heat the kitchen eating area. It would need assistance to heat the living room. The sunroom would also need assistance, but with all windows, it probably would remain several degrees cooler. A fan set low on or close to the floor, blowing cooler air into the kitchen from these rooms will assist in convecting heat into them.

Thank you for clarifying! It seems like then if they each need a different liner and we want wood eventually that will be the direction we head. I think a couple strategicially placed fans will be part of the plan.

 

[begreen]

It's a round about way of saying that a continuous, non-combustible hearth pad is required. It can be ember-protection only. A type I or type 2 hearth pad of proper size is ok. The R-value stuff is more boilerplate info. It's distracting and extraneous in this context. For other stoves it may not be.

 

[VintageGal]

If there's a waiting list for the stove you want, get on it now because they might not have it next year. I would get the stove now even if I were to burn the sawdust logs for my first winter.✌️