Hello. We've searched the threads but are still wondering if a Jotul Greenville will be adequate for whole home heating our house or if the next size up would be best (F55). It's a 2-story cape, approx. 1350-1450 square feet. 1990's but still pretty drafty Maine house. Will an F55 be too much or is the practice you can always build a smaller fire in a larger stove, but not a larger fire in a smaller stove the mantra to follow? The chimney is center-located masonry, insulated and with a steel liner. Approximately 20 feet. The stove is located on the living room side and the house is somewhat separated in the middle by the stairway and a partial wall. Heat does get over to the other side of the house but does take a bit. It is a two-story house. We'd like longer burn times and to use this as the main heat source, though we will have efficient and updated heat pumps for some heat use down to a certain temp (so more for lighter shoulder season use; we'd like to switch to the stove when it gets cold enough). Have been leaning toward F55 if F45 isn't adequate. Will have double-walled stove pipe to chimney (about 2 feet or so before elbow). Looking to purchase one of these new Jøtuls and replace what came with the house (old Harmon Oakwood-ornery beast...please no comments on the Oakwood. We hate it. It's beautiful, but we want it gone.) Thanks!
F45 or F55 for heating 1350-1450 +/- sq. ft house
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The F45 has a 2.4 cu ft firebox which I believe is larger than your current stove and really not that much smaller than the F55. I think it would be more than adequate.
My first thought is that if you are living in a valley in Piscataquis county go for the F55 and the F45 should be fine down by the coast. My second is that if “heat pumps” is referring to mini splits you may find that again depending where you live, you may end up using that or those more than you think. How you may use your stove in conjunction with the heat pump is a consideration. Also is your living room large enough to comfortably handle the btus of the F55?
I live in the upper part of mid coast Maine. Our house is similar in size to yours but in winter we only try to heat the very well insulated main floor, described in a recent post Minisplits and wood. Seeing that one or more mini splits are part of your plan I’ll share how we use ours in conjunction with our small stove. Our mini split is has become our main source heat with the 1.1 cu ft cookstove picking up the slack. At - 10 the stove alone will heat the downstairs, just barely and with lots of attention. With our older stove I can continue to add wood as needed and keep the output constant. (We’re retired) We looked at getting something that didn’t have to work so hard and could heat the upstairs as well. I shopped and fell in like with the the F45 Greenville and came close to switching. That was before I could see that it would be too much stove even with its radiant softening outer casting for our long narrow kitchen / dinning room particularly with the kitchen table very close by.
I’ve burned wood for a lot of reasons that included I either had access to my own or because it was less expensive than oil. I am finding that where I live now, the climate and the cost of wood it is about as cheap to run our mini split. I am running it pretty steadily adding heat as needed with the cookstove. Other than a few times we did not start burning wood until December. We like the house warm, like 72. If the minisplit or minisplit didn’t keep up during the night, maybe it’s 68 in the AM it will take while for the heat pump to catch up. I’ll fire up the stove for a little bit. That along with the heat pump brings the temp up. When it’s going to be a cold night I’ll let the mini split continue to run but get the stove going,cook supper,run it and put in a couple of splits before bed. I stopped trying to pack the stove for the night but sometimes will add wood if I am up and there are good coals. The stove has been idle more this year. It’s been in the high 20’s to high 30’s the last few days so we haven’t needed to run it. We’ve burned 5/8 cord in the last ten weeks
I live in the upper part of mid coast Maine. Our house is similar in size to yours but in winter we only try to heat the very well insulated main floor, described in a recent post Minisplits and wood. Seeing that one or more mini splits are part of your plan I’ll share how we use ours in conjunction with our small stove. Our mini split is has become our main source heat with the 1.1 cu ft cookstove picking up the slack. At - 10 the stove alone will heat the downstairs, just barely and with lots of attention. With our older stove I can continue to add wood as needed and keep the output constant. (We’re retired) We looked at getting something that didn’t have to work so hard and could heat the upstairs as well. I shopped and fell in like with the the F45 Greenville and came close to switching. That was before I could see that it would be too much stove even with its radiant softening outer casting for our long narrow kitchen / dinning room particularly with the kitchen table very close by.
I’ve burned wood for a lot of reasons that included I either had access to my own or because it was less expensive than oil. I am finding that where I live now, the climate and the cost of wood it is about as cheap to run our mini split. I am running it pretty steadily adding heat as needed with the cookstove. Other than a few times we did not start burning wood until December. We like the house warm, like 72. If the minisplit or minisplit didn’t keep up during the night, maybe it’s 68 in the AM it will take while for the heat pump to catch up. I’ll fire up the stove for a little bit. That along with the heat pump brings the temp up. When it’s going to be a cold night I’ll let the mini split continue to run but get the stove going,cook supper,run it and put in a couple of splits before bed. I stopped trying to pack the stove for the night but sometimes will add wood if I am up and there are good coals. The stove has been idle more this year. It’s been in the high 20’s to high 30’s the last few days so we haven’t needed to run it. We’ve burned 5/8 cord in the last ten weeks
The Harmon isn't relevant. It isn't used at all (and didn't sustain a burn to heat the house). Our intention is to have a working stove when we can't use heat pumps. Or to use the stove during the heating season full time and have it as the main heat source. The fireboxes are the same cube feet for the f45 and the Harmon (2.3). We also want a longer burn time. Our house is drafty.
Thank you. This is helpful. We are not retired so we wouldn't be able to tend to the stove that often and want something with a longer burn time, to not have to load it that often. Our house is quite drafty too. We'd want this as a whole house heater (so heat the upstairs as well). We are getting rid of our oil, going with heat pumps, and a wood stove. We do use oil now because the heat pumps haven't been installed yet. I didn't mention that because it isn't the focus of my question, which is on which stove size would work best. I'm hoping someone can address the difference in stoves, particularly someone who has an f55 in a similar sized house.
I'm still wondering about stove size for our house. Let me ask this question: how small is too small for an F55? I know there are other factors (this house isn't old but it's not insulated well). But if someone with a 1350-1450 sw. ft. house wanted that as their main heat source, would that be too much? This is central Maine and power outages are frequent. The stove would be in the living room, which is a larger room than others. First floor (not basement). There is a partially walled stairway dividing the first floor going to the upstairs. It's a cape. Ceilings aren't that high (just under 8ft) and second floor doesn't have subfloor. Masonry chimney central in house. Insulated metal liner. Stove would have double-walled pipe with a 90° elbow into chimney (20 ft). Anyone use an F55 and feel it's too much or use an f45 and feel it's too little? We'd want longer burn times so we can set it and forget it until it needs refueling. (We are also considering a PE T5, or would like to know how it compares.) We currently don't have a stove in use. Our plan is to use heat pumps and stove once we rip out the old oil boiler. Thanks!
There is no true answer to your question on how small of a house is too small for the F55. Floor plan is key to moving heat. Capes are fairly well partitioned. Doorways stop heat movement . My cape is slightly larger than yours and the 45 would be cooking me out of my house. The 45 is not a small stove. You keep mentioning that your house is drafty. I’d work on fixing those drafts. A day with a caulk gun could make a big dent on that for the cost of 2 tubes of caulk.
The “build a small fire in a big stove” only works to a point. If your fire is too small, the firebox will not get hot enough to get secondaries going and you have a better chance at fouling the chimney.
One thing to remember is that a woodstove does not turn off like a furnace will. Once your room reaches a happy temperature it still keeps burning. Your temperature can still climb for hours. Too big of a stove and you might find yourself not able to run it until the temperature drops well below when you would want to use it. Your house will be much draftier once you open all of the windows because your stove room is 90 and the rest of the house is 85.
The “build a small fire in a big stove” only works to a point. If your fire is too small, the firebox will not get hot enough to get secondaries going and you have a better chance at fouling the chimney.
One thing to remember is that a woodstove does not turn off like a furnace will. Once your room reaches a happy temperature it still keeps burning. Your temperature can still climb for hours. Too big of a stove and you might find yourself not able to run it until the temperature drops well below when you would want to use it. Your house will be much draftier once you open all of the windows because your stove room is 90 and the rest of the house is 85.
I’m heating about 1000 sq ft log cabin with high ceilings and a loft with my F45. This winter has been mild so I mostly burn a full load 12 hour reload schedule and have plenty of coals for relight without kindling. There are times during the shoulder season where I need to crack a window up in the loft. During colder weather I load more often but at even -35 I still have plenty of power to keep this place in the mid 70’s.
Thank you. I get that. Caulk isn't the answer here, but I appreciate the suggestion (and realize a stove isn't a furnace--I have taken all those factors into consideration). Also a factor is climate where the house is located. It's cold here, tho this winter has been mild.
From what local stove shops tell me with our climate, an F55 would not be too much stove and certainly not an F45. But that's why I am on this forum, to seek other's advice and experience.
I really don't think an F45 would be too much; my question would be if it would be too little. But my question is hoping for answers from people who have an F55 (or an F45) in a home of similar size and with the purpose of whole-house heating and can share their experience. I'm hoping someone can chime in from there. Thanks.
Thank you. Sounds like your space is a lot more open than ours and also smaller, so the comparison might not be relevant. But this is good info and I appreciate it. Your feedback has been great. You've also tweaked the stove a bit (mentioned on other threads)--do you feel that's necessary? And are you still happy with that stove?
Very happy with the stove. Easy to operate, set and forget, clean glass and long burn times.
I don’t think it’s necessary to tweak the stove it ran fine as is but I’m kind of a stove geek and like to tinker. My chimney is straight up 22’ so there were times the draft was a little stronger than I like so instead of installing a pipe damper I blocked some primary and secondary air holes to make it perform more like a stove on a bit shorter chimney similar to the 15’ chimney they actually test on.
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