First time posting

[jmh8765]

Hello All,
I'm Joe from SE Penna, I started reading forums like this one and NE Pa coal when I bought a old Vigilant wood/coal stove years ago and rebuilt it but never installed it until we were doing some remodeling last year, Burned a cord of wood over the past winter and loved everything about it, So much so that I'm in the process of removing a zero clearance, non venting propane stove that I never really liked or trusted, only used it for brief periods,. It was built into a wood dog house type alcove with a face brick on the whole inside wall.

The alcove and raised hearth that it was on has been removed and I'm building a 8" solid masonry alcove with 2" clearane to all combustible just like a fireplace would be. I've done a lot of reading about Rumsford fireplaces along the way but I think woodstoves are the way to go, but a fireplace could be built in this alcove if wanted. I'll be looking to purchase a wood stove soon and will have some questions before I do, in the meantime I'll try to post some pictures of the project.

Joe

 

[begreen]

Welcome. If you can post a sketch of what is planned with full dimensions, we can be of greater assistance. In some cases, it may not be necessary to make an 8" brick enclosure if the clearances are good enough.

 

[Ashful]

Welcome aboard Joe, from another in SE PA.

 

[jmh8765]

Thanks Begreen and Ashful, Here's a picture of the alcove with 4" solid block and 4" brick going in now, probably a bit of overkill but the bricks are filled solid and so are the space between brick and block.
The dimensions will be 40" finished between the brick sidewalls, 24" back to front, plus 22" hearth into room, 8' hight to cieling in alcove

 

[begreen]

That will be a non-combustible alcove. Are you a mason?

 

[jmh8765]

That will be a non-combustible alcove. Are you a mason?

Carpenter by trade, sloppy mason, lol

 

[jmh8765]

Carpenter by trade, sloppy mason, lol

The room is 20'x20' with a sloped cieling going from 8' to 16' at the highest. I was thinking narrow stove like the Aspen or smaiilJotul, but the more I think about it being a non combustable alcove I'm thinking bigger, as in viewing the fire better.
What stove would you suggest?

 

[begreen]

A fire view is nice but the Aspen would work. Is this room open to other parts of the house, or closed off by doorways? The heat will be captive near the ceiling peak. Is there a ceiling fan somewhere towards the higher part of the ceiling?

 

[jmh8765]

A fire view is nice but the Aspen would work. Is this room open to other parts of the house, or closed off by doorways? The heat will be captive near the ceiling peak. Is there a ceiling fan somewhere towards the higher part of the ceiling?

The room is pretty closed off and their is a cieling fan. How mcuh space would look good an either side of the stove? I purposely made the alcove 8' high in case I get a somewhat older stove. I was reading a post where the new Aspen is pretty self governing, it alows for a lower alcove, but not sure I trust it to operate with hands off,. the Aspen thats a couple years old is more to my liking, operation wise.

But I'm not locked into that model, I started with the Vermont because I rebuilt the old Vigilant, i understand a lot has changed since then.

I guess the question I want to ask is whats the widest size stove yoe would suggest for a starting point.

Joe

 

[Ashful]

Is this on an exterior wall? Is the masonry exposed to the exterior? If so, you will want to try to avoid pumping too much of the heat generated by the stove into the masonry.

 

[jmh8765]

Is this on an exterior wall? Is the masonry exposed to the exterior? If so, you will want to try to avoid pumping too much of the heat generated by the stove into the masonry.

Yes, the alcove is outside, 56" x 24" outside. 8" solid masonry wall 40" inside dimension. The stove can stick out into the room a little, I've got a 22" x 80" piece of bluestone for the hearth in the room, on a concrete slab.

 

[Ashful]

If so, you'll want to:

1. Choose a stove with minimal radiation off the sides, such as those with a convective jacket (PE Alderlea T4/T5, BK 20 or BK 30 series, Jotul F45, etc.).

2. If you must choose a radiant stove, maximize the possible air gap between the stove and the sides of the alcove, as there's a 1/r^2 relationship between distance and radiant heat energy transfer.

3. If you must choose a radiant stove, wall shields on either side can also help avoid heat loss.

 

[begreen]

The room is pretty closed off and their is a cieling fan. How mcuh space would look good an either side of the stove? I purposely made the alcove 8' high in case I get a somewhat older stove. I was reading a post where the new Aspen is pretty self governing, it alows for a lower alcove, but not sure I trust it to operate with hands off,. the Aspen thats a couple years old is more to my liking, operation wise.

But I'm not locked into that model, I started with the Vermont because I rebuilt the old Vigilant, i understand a lot has changed since then.

I guess the question I want to ask is whats the widest size stove yoe would suggest for a starting point.

Joe

A 7 or 8 ft alcove ceiling height requirement is not uncommon for many new stoves. In this size room, you won't need more than a 2 cu ft stove with the ceiling fan running. There are several to choose from depending on the look you want. (contemporary, traditional, etc.)

 

[jmh8765]

If so, you'll want to:

1. Choose a stove with minimal radiation off the sides, such as those with a convective jacket (PE Alderlea T4/T5, BK 20 or BK 30 series, Jotul F45, etc.).

2. If you must choose a radiant stove, maximize the possible air gap between the stove and the sides of the alcove, as there's a 1/r^2 relationship between distance and radiant heat energy transfer.

3. If you must choose a radiant stove, wall shields on either side can also help avoid heat loss.

Thanks Ashful, that'll keep me busy for a while, great info.

 

[jmh8765]

A 7 or 8 ft alcove ceiling height requirement is not uncommon for many new stoves. In this size room, you won't need more than a 2 cu ft stove with the ceiling fan running. There are several to choose from depending on the look you want. (contemporary, traditional, etc.)

Thanks Begreen, i'll look in that size and check back with my findings.