Hello -
Wood stove newbie here - I've learned a lot from reading this forum, but before I make such a big financial commitment and purchase a new stove, I want to submit my thought processes to the wisdom of the court.
I'm placing a wood stove in an existing fireplace, which will heat a +/- 450-sf living room currently under renovation. I am particularly attracted to both the Rais Q-Tee 2 and the Scan 1010, both of which would fit within the existing hearth and seem both attractive and efficient secondary heaters (house has a heat pump as a primary heating source). I have a recently inspected, tall chimney, so the space would seem to be ideal for wood heat.
My questions are thus: I'm going to attempt to install the stove myself, and within my state, code specifies a fresh-air intake for any "factory-built fireplace," but everything I've read suggests that this would be a negligible benefit, and my house isn't particularly air-tight - built in 1954. Any strong opinions on installing an fresh-air intake? Would I be compromising the effectiveness of my stove or, worse, my safety by forgoing one?
From what I can tell, both stoves enjoy strong reputations, but there aren't many reviews of either posted, and I would appreciate forum input on long-term quality and customer satisfaction. More specifically, Rais stoves seem to have a definitive presence in the US market, but I'm concerned that I wouldn't be able to obtain parts and expertise support from Scan. I've sent a few emails to the general Jotul inbox, but nothing has been returned thus far - and I don't want to buy a stove which doesn't have much company backing. Anyone have a Scan and been able to obtain parts and service without too much trouble?
Sorry for the overlong first post, but I appreciate in advance any help you can provide. Without the forum's help, I certainly wouldn't have had the confidence to buy and install - would probably still be stuck with a garbage heat pump.
Wood stove newbie here - I've learned a lot from reading this forum, but before I make such a big financial commitment and purchase a new stove, I want to submit my thought processes to the wisdom of the court.
I'm placing a wood stove in an existing fireplace, which will heat a +/- 450-sf living room currently under renovation. I am particularly attracted to both the Rais Q-Tee 2 and the Scan 1010, both of which would fit within the existing hearth and seem both attractive and efficient secondary heaters (house has a heat pump as a primary heating source). I have a recently inspected, tall chimney, so the space would seem to be ideal for wood heat.
My questions are thus: I'm going to attempt to install the stove myself, and within my state, code specifies a fresh-air intake for any "factory-built fireplace," but everything I've read suggests that this would be a negligible benefit, and my house isn't particularly air-tight - built in 1954. Any strong opinions on installing an fresh-air intake? Would I be compromising the effectiveness of my stove or, worse, my safety by forgoing one?
From what I can tell, both stoves enjoy strong reputations, but there aren't many reviews of either posted, and I would appreciate forum input on long-term quality and customer satisfaction. More specifically, Rais stoves seem to have a definitive presence in the US market, but I'm concerned that I wouldn't be able to obtain parts and expertise support from Scan. I've sent a few emails to the general Jotul inbox, but nothing has been returned thus far - and I don't want to buy a stove which doesn't have much company backing. Anyone have a Scan and been able to obtain parts and service without too much trouble?
Sorry for the overlong first post, but I appreciate in advance any help you can provide. Without the forum's help, I certainly wouldn't have had the confidence to buy and install - would probably still be stuck with a garbage heat pump.
