First post with questions.

[KBRanch]

Been looking fore a wile and finally joined.

After this winter my wife and I have decides to put in a wood stove.

Currently we have a pellet stove that maxes out at 55k BTU/HR. This winter we had times were we could not get the home out of the 50s with the stove running on max.

We have a 1700sqft 2 story home built in 1947 in the middle of a field with exposure pn 3 sides) (ie no trees or other objects blocking the wind for at least 100 feet in all directions). The down stares is perfect square dwvided into 4 rooms and a bathroom. We can get heat to circulate well. I did a BTU calc and came up with 62582 BTU needed per hour.

We have a 25ft to the thwmble masonry chimney that depending on who inspects needs, 1. To have the clay taken out and a flex liner put in @ $2900. 2. A flex liner put in @ $2200. 3. Is good to go..... just clean it and for sure replace the old cap.

We are looking at a few stoves.
Woodstock Ideal steel or Jotul Oslow.

The Woodstock is nice but 2k BTU short of our needed BTU meaning I assume we will be pushing it max all winter ans it may not keep up.

Jotul puts out 70K btu that will keep up with our projected needs but is a non cat stove something I liked for the long overnight burns.

This year I will be burning pine 3 cords css FEB-MAR and if by Jan the Cherry I CSS in Feb is ready then that too. I am currently CSS more pine, seems I have that in abundance on my land..... that and lots of cherry that is curvy twisted knotted and surrounded by pine pine pine and more pine..... not complaining it all only cost me sweat equity.

I dont know if you need more info but can you help us choose a stove. My wife would love to have a warm house and I can always go in shorts.

keep in mind i am new to wood burning and do not want to use propane at the tune of $1300 a tank times 7 fill ups in 3.5 months. pellet stove can heat house to 71 set on high when temps hit 34-30 any lower and it struggles after 26ish it works hard to keep the home in the upper 60s once the teens come around i can not get home warm until the temps get back to the 30s or crank the propane heat up$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[Mt Bob]

If the pellet stove would not keep up and it takes that much lp,you should be putting money into insulation/sealing/remodeling.If you are leaking that much heat 3 cords of pine won't be crap.But others will chime in and give perhaps better info.

 

[avsmusic1]

Can you give us more info on the layout and dimensions?

Also, my understanding is the BTU ratings you're looking at are max levels, not a constant output that you can expect with the draft turned down for an extended burn time. You load a fixed number of BTUs in the stove in the form of wood and then control the release. As a result, I would put less stock in claimed BTU ratings and focus more on firebox size (more wood=more BTUs).

Lastly, are you more interested in cast iron and steel aesthetics?

 

[KBRanch]

Ok yes sorry, we just put in R60, we had no insulation, all new windows, a new front door, some issues with leaks solved (we think) and some new duct work. This is an old farm house...

maybe i don't get the BTU calculator on this site.... it gave me something like 62500 btu per hour needed. I assumed that means that is what we need to keep the house warm. I understand that is max output of the stove... not 100% on how to choose the right sized stove though.

 

[Grisu]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Can that pellet stove give you a constant 50K BTU/hr? How much pellets did you burn last winter? A stove that will give you a continuous 60K BTU/hr will need to be large, really large. Something in the 4 cu ft firebox size range like the Hearthstone Equinox, Buck 94, BlazeKing King, Kuma Sequoia, Regency 5100. Those will all need a 8" flue. The Woodstock Ideal Steel may come the closest to those stoves with an 6" flue requirement. From your post, I guess you have a masonry chimney that you want to drop a liner down there? Is there also a fireplace? What size is the flue?

You will also need a lot of wood per winter. 5 to 6 cords hardwood, up to 10 in softwoods. Keeping the pellet stove and investing that money in sealing and insulating the house may be the better option.

 

[Mt Bob]

The big pellet stoves can be run at high output constant,so that is possible.

 

[begreen]

Welcome KB. Congratulations for improving the insulation and house sealing. Keep it up. This will pay back for the life of the house. Your heat load is going to change. If they did a good job insulating, it could be that the pellet stove will now do a fine job of heating the place. You mention new ductwork. What is the primary heating system? What is the heat output of this furnace?

 

[bobdog2o02]

Are you going to be keeping the pellet stove and have the Woodstove as a supplement or will it be a swap out?

 

[KBRanch]

Are you going to be keeping the pellet stove and have the Woodstove as a supplement or will it be a swap out?

We hate the pellet stove! That thing is loud, pellet has to be found bought and hauled..... did i mention the noise......... wwwwrrrrrrrrrrr all night long...... oh and depending on the pellet available it has to be fully shut down and cleaned 1-4 times a week.

The pellet stove is old and i want it gone.
The propane heat is going to be looked at here soon however, I want to heat with wood and only use propane ascan absolute last resort.

so to answer the question swap out.

 

[Swedishchef]

pellet has to be found bought and hauled

Unfortunately wood that is cut/split/stacked doesn't magically appear in your house I tried that and no luck

What is your price range? That is a good start before offering any stove choices...

Welcome to the forums!!

Andrew

 

[KBRanch]

Unfortunately wood that is cut/split/stacked doesn't magically appear in your house I tried that and no luck

What is your price range? That is a good start before offering any stove choices...

Welcome to the forums!!

Andrew

lol the wood is on my land (10+ acres densely wooded) and worst case if i buy it the wood gets brought to me. this winter past i drove almoat 90 min one way for pellet.

I do not mind css and bringing it to the home...

my price range is in the $2500 range however I like the Ideal Steel coming in under $2k. this is for the stove only obviosly there will be install and lining costs.

I think i am not using the BTU calculators correctly though. Obviously the insulation has changed wtc... you all are heating bigger homes with stoves that dont put out the BTU i am seeing that i need. Even using the square feet times Forty method i get 68k btu per hour...... that means those of you with homes in the 2k+ sqft range would need into the six figures in BTUs.

 

[begreen]

With the new insulation you should do OK with a stove the size of the IS. If not, the house is still leaking heat badly somewhere. There are less expensive 3 cu ft stoves on the market if that is an issue. Regardless of stove, the most important thing will be burning fully seasoned wood. Poorly seasoned wood will put out less heat. If you don't have wood already split and stacked it may be good to buy the best seasoned wood you can for this next season. In general oak and hickory are going to take at least 2 yrs to season. Ash is your best bet for this year if there is a lot on the property.

 

[KBRanch]

With the new insulation you should do OK with a stove the size of the IS. If not, the house is still leaking heat badly somewhere. There are less expensive 3 cu ft stoves on the market if that is an issue. Regardless of stove, the most important thing will be burning fully seasoned wood. Poorly seasoned wood will put out less heat. If you don't have wood already split and stacked it may be good to buy the best seasoned wood you can for this next season. In general oak and hickory are going to take at least 2 yrs to season. Ash is your best bet for this year if there is a lot on the property.

Thanks, yes if after all the work we still have issues something is very very wrong.

I have pine and cherry.

How long does Cherry take?

oh and gum trees if anyone knows an easy way to split it lol.......

 

[begreen]

I give cherry a couple years of seasoning. We just got a load of rounds that will be ready for the 2015-2016 season. Pine will be ok if split now, but it will have lower heat value than the cherry. I burn softwood in fall and spring and switch to hardwood in the winter. That is as long as I can scrounge up good hardwood.

 

[KBRanch]

I give cherry a couple years of seasoning. We just got a load of rounds that will be ready for the 2015-2016 season. Pine will be ok if split now, but it will have lower heat value than the cherry. I burn softwood in fall and spring and switch to hardwood in the winter. That is as long as I can scrounge up good hardwood.

Im starting my wood supply. I have 3 cords pine css and probably another 8 being split and stacked over the next few weeks. Im not sure were to get any good hard wood for this winter.

 

[Grisu]

Thanks, yes if after all the work we still have issues something is very very wrong.

I have pine and cherry.

How long does Cherry take?

oh and gum trees if anyone knows an easy way to split it lol.......

The pine is probably your best bet for drying it over just one summer. Make single rows in a sunny and windy spot raised from the ground (with pallets, lumber, or saplings) and top cover it as pine likes to take up the rain. Maybe ask around if you can buy somewhere 2 cords of ash for overnight burns. Will still be much cheaper than propane.

Where do you want to install it? Are you looking for a hearth-mounted stove that can be rear-vented through a fireplace? Would an insert be an option? Is the masonry chimney at an exterior or interior wall?

 

[bobdog2o02]

Im starting my wood supply. I have 3 cords pine css and probably another 8 being split and stacked over the next few weeks. Im not sure were to get any good hard wood for this winter.

4x4x8 cords right, not face cords.

 

[KBRanch]

4x4x8 cords right, not face cords.

yes, my neighbor has me stacking single row in a pasture on saplings. direct sun covered on only the top. i have been splitting small 3-5 inches. im counting a cord as 4x4x8.

 

[begreen]

I would add in some larger 7-8" splits to the pine mix. Small splits are good for filling in gaps between larger splits and as kindling. Pine burns quickly so 3" can be kindling size in a large stove.

 

[KBRanch]

The pine is probably your best bet for drying it over just one summer. Make single rows in a sunny and windy spot raised from the ground (with pallets, lumber, or saplings) and top cover it as pine likes to take up the rain. Maybe ask around if you can buy somewhere 2 cords of ash for overnight burns. Will still be much cheaper than propane.

Where do you want to install it? Are you looking for a hearth-mounted stove that can be rear-vented through a fireplace? Would an insert be an option? Is the masonry chimney at an exterior or interior wall?

We have an interior chmney that has a 6" thimble so top venting would be ideal. No option for an insert at all.

 

[begreen]

How tall will the flue be from stove top to flue cap?

 

[Rickb]

Im starting my wood supply. I have 3 cords pine css and probably another 8 being split and stacked over the next few weeks. Im not sure were to get any good hard wood for this winter.

Craigslist is your friend. That and owning a trailer.

Little far away but here is an example of whats available.
(broken link removed to http://richmond.craigslist.org/zip/4463507475.html)
(broken link removed to http://richmond.craigslist.org/zip/4463109554.html)
(broken link removed to http://richmond.craigslist.org/zip/4427435203.html)

 

[KBRanch]

How tall will the flue be from stove top to flue cap?

the thimble is at five and a half feet from the floor. Depending on the stove i choose would determine the height from the stop top.

 

[KBRanch]

I would add in some larger 7-8" splits to the pine mix. Small splits are good for filling in gaps between larger splits and as kindling. Pine burns quickly so 3" can be kindling size in a large stove.

Thanks for that info, I can start splitting bigger with the piles we are working on.

 

[begreen]

Sun is nice, but wind is the most effective for drying wood quickly. If possible, orient the stacks so that the prevailing wind blows through them (stack at a right angle to the prevailing summer winds).