Good stove with a small footprint

[Dallash]

I have been searching on this forum. If there is another posting for this question, can you please direct me there? We have a 1600 sq ft new house with great insulation. Winters occasionally get down to 0, staying mostly around 32 at night. We want to put a wood stove in, but the space we have to put it is small. We want to put it between two big windows. 4' wide wall, and I want it was close to the wall as possible, sticking out as little as possible. I realize it will need to take up a few feet, but seriously I would love it with a fairly small footprint. BUT, we do want a serious wood stove, or why bother. I have been reading on this site for hours. I think I want the Jotul Oslo.

This posting will come across with my husband's name, but this is his wife, Cindy, posting. I am the researcher in the family. I know almost nothing about wood stoves, so please be gentle with me. I think because of the trusses, my husband wants to take the pipe out through the wall and up.

I thought it would be wise to ask before we buy. Thanks so much!

 

[begreen]

There is a big difference in climates in Oregon. Greetings Cindy. Are you in Eastern or Western Oregon?

Will the stove be used for 24/7 heat or to supplement the primary heating system? If space is at a premium you might be better off with a front-loading, close clearance stove in the 2 cu ft size range.

 

[Dallash]

There is a big difference in climates in Oregon. Greetings Cindy. Are you in Eastern or Western Oregon?

Will the stove be used for 24/7 heat or to supplement the primary heating system? If space is at a premium you might be better off with a front-loading, close clearance stove in the 2 cu ft size range.

We are east, literally in the middle of nowhere! We have 89 acres on a mountain (lots of wood, so it makes sense to get a stove). We will probably try and use it 24/7. There will be a heat pump, but we have so much wood, I'm sure we will use the stove as our primary heat source. Side clearance won't be a problem at all. There will be plenty of room to load a side loading stove. Do you have suggestions for a quality stove the size you mention? Would one that size heat the house, or most of it? (Our bedroom is at the back of the house, and we want NO heat in there. We like it downright cold when we sleep. So the door will be closed all the time!)

 

[begreen]

The Oslo has been a great stove, but we know little about how the new 2020 model will perform. My second concern is the fact that this is a new, tightly sealed and insulated house. It may need less heat than the average 1600 sq ft house. The size and make and model of the heat pump may tell us more about the design heating needs. Or better yet, the HVAC design specification. Is there a vaulted ceiling or are all ceilings standard height?

FWIW I have a friend heating an identically sized home in northern WA with a Pacific Energy Summit as their sole source of heat. It does well for them. They too like a cool bedroom. The Jotul F55 is similar in design, if available.

Also, what altitude are you at? Approximately how tall will the flue system be? If at all possible I recommend taking the chimney straight up through the house for better performance and a cleaner flue. If necessary the stovepipe can be offset to avoid trusses.

 

[Dallash]

The Oslo has been a great stove, but we know little about how the new 2020 model will perform. My second concern is the fact that this is a new, tightly sealed and insulated house. It may need less heat than the average 1600 sq ft house. The size and make and model of the heat pump may tell us more about the design heating needs. Or better yet, the HVAC design specification. Is there a vaulted ceiling or are all ceilings standard height?

FWIW I have a friend heating an identically sized home in northern WA with a Pacific Energy Summit as their sole source of heat. It does well for them. They too like a cool bedroom. The Jotul F55 is similar in design, if available.

Also, what altitude are you at? Approximately how tall will the flue system be? If at all possible I recommend taking the chimney straight up through the house for better performance and a cleaner flue. If necessary the stovepipe can be offset to avoid trusses.

Hmmm, we aren't in the home yet, and I don't have the heating system information. I was kind of wondering if that stove might be too much for us. If we just heat part of the house, I wonder if the Jotul F3 CB would be okay. I am not stuck on Jotuls, except they look so nice and they are small. That is #1 and #2 importance on my list. My husband's list is different, but mine is the list that counts! Seriously, if they aren't beautiful and small, then I will say no to the wood stove. The Jotul F55 info says it heats up to a 2,500 sq ft home. That sounds way to powerful.

 

[Woody Stover]

Yeah, you're not going to need much stove to heat a tight, new house where you might be down to 1200' by closing off the bedroom.
If someone's around during the day to load the stove in cold weather, who cares if the burn time isn't that long with a smaller stove?

 

[begreen]

Hmmm, we aren't in the home yet, and I don't have the heating system information. I was kind of wondering if that stove might be too much for us. If we just heat part of the house, I wonder if the Jotul F3 CB would be okay. I am not stuck on Jotuls, except they look so nice and they are small. That is #1 and #2 importance on my list. My husband's list is different, but mine is the list that counts! Seriously, if they aren't beautiful and small, then I will say no to the wood stove. The Jotul F55 info says it heats up to a 2,500 sq ft home. That sounds way to powerful.

Indeed the F55 might be too powerful if the house is super-insulated. The F45 may be a better fit. Ask your hvac person what is the heating capacity of the system they have designed. FWIW, the Oslo is not a small stove. That said, the F3CB is a challenge for full-time heating. It's firebox is small. Also, don't take the "heats up to 2500 sq ft" numbers too seriously. There is a huge difference between heating a small house in Quebec vs heating a large house in Louisiana. That is mostly marketing. The person running the stove has a lot of control on how the stove is run and in particular, how much fuel it's fed and when.

 

[Geoff C]

How about the Woodstock fireview.

 

[Adonise]

My craftsbury is small but is the primary heat source for my house. 1500 sf open plan downstairs with 800sf of bedrooms upstairs with a large stair opening.

 

[Adonise]

it is about 7 years old though. I don’t know how the new ones work.

 

[begreen]

How about the Woodstock fireview.

Not a bad suggestion if one is ok with the dated look, but shipping to the west coast is $$$. Without having the heat loss calculation or at least the heating system size, it is just guesswork. And we don't know enough about the home construction (ceiling height, wall thickness, insulation, etc.) to do much but guess. The Hampton H300, PE Alderlea T5, and Hearthstone Shelburne are all contenders that may work based on what is known so far.

 

[Dallash]

Love all the suggestions. I will look at every one. I don't know the heating system, but I know the ceilings are 9'. Walls are 6". Very good windows. I have spent hours on this site, and I am pretty sure someone called the Craftsbury "Crapsbury", so maybe the newer ones are not good.

 

[begreen]

I think the Craftsbury will be too small and it's not their best stove. The Shelburne is a better bet in the Hearthstone line. They also make the Green Mountain 60, but that may be too contemporary looking for you. In catalytic stoves take a look at the Blaze King Ashford 30.

 

[Woody Stover]

How about the Woodstock fireview.

Not a bad suggestion if one is ok with the dated look, but shipping to the west coast is $$$. Without having the heat loss calculation or at least the heating system size, it is just guesswork. And we don't know enough about the home construction (ceiling height, wall thickness, insulation, etc.) to do much but guess.

Yes, we need more construction details, but with the tightness and insulation of new construction, I bet a Keystone might handle it. It has a little less output than the Fireview (I've run both here,) but with the Keystone you get the big window and grated ash-handling, which is the bee's knees.
She hasn't yet said what their feelings are regarding cat vs. non-cat. It's hard to argue with the simplicity of the PE T5, but they may need control heat output with load size, vs. just turning the Keystone down to a low burn while still maintaining a smoke-free plume.
Woodstock has a 'free shipping' sale going on now..

 

[mar13]

The Pacific Energy stoves have tight clearances, thus allowing to be closer to the walls. The footprints of the Summit and Super 27 are less than their T6 and T5 equivalents, at least for corner installation. I know that I could not fit a T6, but could have fit a Summit.

If you have high ceilings or lots of windows, I'd pick the Summit line over the Super line.

 

[mar13]

And learn to enjoy visiting stove company websites and downloading their installation manuals. They will give the stove dimensions, clearances, etc. . You can then mess with cardboard cut to their depth and width to get a feel of their fit.

 

[Dallash]

And learn to enjoy visiting stove company websites and downloading their installation manuals. They will give the stove dimensions, clearances, etc. . You can then mess with cardboard cut to their depth and width to get a feel of their fit.

I have 6 manuals downloaded currently. In fact, so many look so good, I am going to make a spreadsheet! That is such a good idea about the cardboard cut out. Thank you so much. We aren't at the house, and we aren't in a hurry to get the stove yet, but I will spend hours and hours researching. I just hate making expensive mistakes. We like quality too, so I research this thing to death. This forum is truly the greatest forum of any kind I have ever experienced. I wish I could bring you all cookies!

I noticed that about the Pacific Energy stoves. Amazing clearances. The T5 is greater in depth than the others I was looking at, but the clearance made it stay in the running. I'll look at the Summit.

 

[Dallash]

Yes, we need more construction details, but with the tightness and insulation of new construction, I bet a Keystone might handle it. It has a little less output than the Fireview (I've run both here,) but with the Keystone you get the big window and grated ash-handling, which is the bee's knees.
She hasn't yet said what their feelings are regarding cat vs. non-cat. It's hard to argue with the simplicity of the PE T5, but they may need control heat output with load size, vs. just turning the Keystone down to a low burn while still maintaining a smoke-free plume.
Woodstock has a 'free shipping' sale going on now..

I don't know much about cat vs non-cat, except that the cats burn longer? We have a very good friend who has told us in no uncertain terms that we need to get a blaze king (princess I think). The ugliest, biggest stove. I would go no stove! I am an extremely late night person, and my husband is just the opposite. I go to bed about 2, and my husband gets up 5:30-6:00 at the latest every morning. Keeping wood in a stove is the least of my worries! Are there any other advantages to the cat stoves? They are more expensive, aren't they? Do we need a cat?

Ugh. I've got so many windows open on my computer right now. I can't keep the stoves straight. I've got to write this all down side by side.

 

[begreen]

This forum is truly the greatest forum of any kind I have ever experienced. I wish I could bring you all cookies!

I noticed that about the Pacific Energy stoves. Amazing clearances. The T5 is greater in depth than the others I was looking at, but the clearance made it stay in the running. I'll look at the Summit.

Are you down near Sisters? Maybe I will stop by for them?

The T5's depth gives it a deeper, square firebox. This allows the stove to be loaded both N/S or E/W. The Summit (or Alderlea T6) are nice stoves but they may be overkill for this application. Another nice feature is the swing out trivet top. It's great if you like to cook on the wood stove.

In Blaze King, look at the Ashford 30. Like the Alderlea this is a cast-iron jacketed steel stove and quite pleasing to look at.

 

[Dallash]

Are you down near Sisters? Maybe I will stop by for them?

The T5's depth gives it a deeper, square firebox. This allows the stove to be loaded both N/S or E/W. The Summit (or Alderlea T6) are nice stoves but they may be overkill for this application. Another nice feature is the swing out trivet top. It's great if you like to cook on the wood stove.

In Blaze King, look at the Ashford 30. Like the Alderlea this is a cast-iron jacketed steel stove and quite pleasing to look at.

Well, I'm as close to Sisters as anything. About 3 1/2 hours away. We are at least 3 hours away from any wood stove dealer. That is REALLY tough. I guess that is one of the main reasons why I want to know so much before even going into wood stove shops. What a blessing to have the internet and the minds of wood stove experts giving information to me! Years ago it would all be done by going in blind and believing everything they tried to sell me.

And the T5 looks like a great stove. We have a friend who insists that we don't even consider anything other than a Blaze King. I think the most important thing I have learned on this site is that there are so many really wonderful stoves. I am confident that among the ones mentioned already, I probably couldn't go wrong.

 

[begreen]

Understood. I have traveled south of Burns and the Steens. It gets pretty remote down there.

Yes, there are a lot of good stoves. Some important things to consider in addition to looks are the firebox shape, clearances, radiant or convective heating, cat or no, cooking capabilities, ease of use and maintenance over time.

 

[Mech e]

Correct me if I wrong here, but I could not keep the glass clean on my cat stove. Long, slow burns created black glass. If seeing the fire is important to you, you may not want a cat stove. Could be the hybrids don't have this propensity.

 

[mar13]

Correct me if I wrong here, but I could not keep the glass clean on my cat stove. Long, slow burns created black glass. If seeing the fire is important to you, you may not want a cat stove. Could be the hybrids don't have this propensity.

I was thinking of posting the same comment. On a different post by a Kuma (hybrid I believe) owner, they stated that dirty glass is the norm unless you crank it high.

That be said, although the long steady low heat of a Blaze King sounds very good, my family really enjoys watching the flames (and secondaries) in our T5 through its super clear glass. And even when the flames are slowly replaced by coals, the kids like looking for caves and dragons in the coaling wood just as one may imagine shapes watching clouds pass overhead. This made possible by the clean glass.

 

[Woody Stover]

I don't know much about cat vs non-cat, except that the cats burn longer? We have a very good friend who has told us in no uncertain terms that we need to get a blaze king (princess I think). ..Are there any other advantages to the cat stoves? They are more expensive, aren't they? Do we need a cat?

No, you don't need a cat stove. They can run at lower output, but since you are around to feed a non-cat stove smaller loads when you don't need a lot of heat, that's not a deal-breaker. If a small load burns down overnight, sounds like your house will hold heat well and indoor temp will fall slowly. Cat stoves have more maintenance. I like the Ws Keystone's design, quality and ash solution. The double glass stays pretty clean if you have dry wood. I'm not as much a fan of the BKs. But the Keystone needs 14" behind it, even with the heat shield.
What I've seen of the T5 I got my SIL, it's hard to beat that combination of simplicity, easy maintenance and quality. And their enamel color selection is nice.

 

[Woody Stover]

even when the flames are slowly replaced by coals, the kids like looking for caves and dragons in the coaling wood just as one may imagine shapes watching clouds pass overhead. This made possible by the clean glass.

Your kids would have a ball here; I can stir down the ash down through the grate in any spot I choose to admit air and make the wood burn there, and I can make really cool caves in the coals, like 6" deep.