Determine proper wood stove sizing for a space?

[kborndale]

Sizing is dependent on so many factors it would be impossible to have a authoritve guide for it, what would produce an adequate amount of heat in Kentucky is completely different than what it would be in Minnesota. Air sealing/ insulation of the house, amount of windows in the stove room, how much solar radiation the house gets, etc,etc,etc.

 

[Highbeam]

Do you think the stove dealer would buy back the stove from you at a reduced price since it is no longer new?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Could you move the stove to a larger room like a family room? You may end up liking it!

 

[begreen]

Thank you, everyone. A Vermont Castings dealer determined the Aspen C3 (35,200BTU) would work in my 103.5 square foot space if I built small fires and cracked a window. I trusted him and bought the stove and they installed it. Before I used it, I was told by a friend the stove was way oversized for the space. I called Vermont Castings and the lady on the phone confirmed it. They would not assist me in getting it removed. (This dealer is still in business.) I called The National Fireplace Institute and the Chimney Safety Institute of America. They also confirmed it was way over sized, a safety hazard that could cause oxygen depletion, and warned me not to use it. Neither organization would give me anything in writing. (This dealer is still certified.) The dealer insisted it was fine. He is suing me for not paying off the balance of a stove I haven't used. I need AUTHORITATIVE documentation on sizing to win this in court. No one has been able to tell me where this is. I have researched this to death. I had government inspectors come out and these people are clueless. IRC 1401.3 looks to me to apply to wood stoves. An inspector thinks it doesn't.

That is a sales pitch not based on real world usage or EPA testing data.
FWIW, it looks like the new F602v3 has a much lower minimum output but we don't have user data on that stove so far.

 

[Nordicbynature]

Unfortunately, there is no Kentucky code. They use IRC. Chapter 14 addresses heating and cooling equipment. M1401.3 says equipment and appliances shall be sized according to Manual J or S. Section M1414 covers fireplace stoves. And yet, this dealer claims a government inspector told him that to apply M1401.3 to this situation is "a misapplication of code." That seems wrong to me.

A Google search of "Does Manual J cover wood stoves?" says it does.

I didn't see anything in NFPA 211 that prohibited a wood stove in a bedroom.

How do you know for sure that there is no authoritative information on sizing? I agree that seems to be the case. But where do all these BTU calculators come up with their figures? There must be a physics/math formula somewhere.

Should I try to get another wood stove dealer or an HVAC dealer as a witness? I must have a witness that this is sized wrong.

Here's the crazy thing. I replaced my 54 year old gas furnace five years ago. It was 60% efficiency. Many of the quotes I got were for the same size input BTUs. But these stoves were 80-95% efficient. (So they were trying to sell me furnaces that were way oversized.) GreenBuildingAdvisor said to get a Manual J. The local utility should have been able to refer me to one, but no one there had ever heard of Manual J. I called numerous HVAC companies and they didn't do them. I finally found one that came out and did it, but they didn't do a blower test. I called someone at the ACCA. He said they didn't do it right. He said it's a problem in the whole industry. But nobody seems to be doing anything about it.

Super sorry to read your story.

If you are still looking for a possible solution. This wood stove is designed for small spaces. It outputs about 3.800 BTUs (1,12kW) and accumulates for up to 18 hours. It is counterflow design. 50mm to combustibles.

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[begreen]

Super sorry to read your story.

If you are still looking for a possible solution. This wood stove is designed for small spaces. It outputs about 3.800 BTUs (1,12kW) and accumulates for up to 18 hours. It is counterflow design. 50mm to combustibles.

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Is it sold in the US?

 

[stovelark]

Sorry to hear of your situation. Don't really understand why a reputable dealer would not take the unit back. If this stove was installed, was a permit pulled and if so, did the install get approved by your local Building Official? Is/are he/she/they any recourse for you? Seems like someone local there could help with this. Good luck.