Head spinning: pellet or wood?

[Mainely Saws]

I burn 24/7 with a Hampton 300 ( slightly larger than the HI200 ) & it has a 1.7 cu ft firebox . I like the stove & it fits my hearth well but as Grisu said, I only get maybe 5 hours of "usuable " heat out of it which means reloading in the middle of the night . Oil may very well be cheaper than propane ( BTU wise) but there generally is a lot less maintence with natural gas or propane . The reason I suggested a propane stove is because it's a set it & forget it type of heat ( check out the Lopi Berkshire & others ) . I would suggest that you figure out a system to be able to move /stack & store either pellets or firewood so that you don't further injure your back . Having said that, I find a nice wood fire hard to beat for comfort & independence .

Good luck with your final decision & let us know how it has worked out for you .........

 

[Wear More Layers]

All of those stoves are rather small with a firebox of less than 2 cu ft. You will only get burn times of 5 to 6 hours with those. They may get your house to the temps you are looking for but struggle to maintain it there. Unless someone wants only a supplemental heater we recommend going a size bigger to the 2 to 2.5 cu ft range. I know you want an insert that does not take that much space but I would look into non-flush inserts. Many stick out only a few inches; hardly a problem even with a small living room. How deep is your hearth in front of the fireplace (E)?
In addition, when you say it the back is only 15" deep what do you mean by that? Is that the height? A picture may help. Can you use that scheme to measure it?
(broken image removed)
(broken link removed to http://www.woodheat.com/how_to_measure.php)

I enclosed thumbnail pics of the fireplace. The second photo shows that the back wall of the fireplace leans forward, meaning that the depth of the fireplace at the bottom (C in the woodheat.com diagram) is 20" whereas the depth at the top (J+K) is only 15". The depth of my hearth (E) is 19 inches.

Is there a way to install a flush mount stove say 2-3" forward onto the hearth and fill in the gap between stove and the brick surround with (insert something intelligent here)? By doing that I could get a stove with a larger firebox.

 

[Grisu]

I looked a bit around and may have found one that could work for you: Take a look at the Blazeking Briarwood. Another potential option may be the Enerzone Solution 2.3. Then, the Hearthstone Clydesdale can be moved out variably as it is not fixed to the surround. The same for the Avalon Rainier although that may still have a tad small firebox for you.

When looking which insert fits, see how tall it is and then measure the depth there. That your fireplace has 13" at the top will be irrelevant for most inserts as they are not 30" tall.

I know that you don't really want a freestanding stove to keep the footprint minimal but I would also take a look at the Jotul F500 Oslo. It has a rear-vent that you can run through your fireplace into the chimney. I actually think you can also partially recess it into your fireplace given your dimensions. It may then not take up much more space than an insert but be a better heater than any of the options you found.

P.S. Take also a look the the Lennox Montlake. Requires only 15.5" depth at 21" height. Or the Quadrafire 3100i.

 

[Wear More Layers]

I looked a bit around and may have found one that could work for you: Take a look at the Blazeking Briarwood. Another potential option may be the Enerzone Solution 2.3. Then, the Hearthstone Clydesdale can be moved out variably as it is not fixed to the surround. The same for the Avalon Rainier although that may still have a tad small firebox for you.

When looking which insert fits, see how tall it is and then measure the depth there. That your fireplace has 13" at the top will be irrelevant for most inserts as they are not 30" tall.

I know that you don't really want a freestanding stove to keep the footprint minimal but I would also take a look at the Jotul F500 Oslo. It has a rear-vent that you can run through your fireplace into the chimney. I actually think you can also partially recess it into your fireplace given your dimensions. It may then not take up much more space than an insert but be a better heater than any of the options you found.

P.S. Take also a look the the Lennox Montlake. Requires only 15.5" depth at 21" height. Or the Quadrafire 3100i.

Thank you for taking the time to look for some options for me. I will check out these stoves.

 

[woodgeek]

Can you post your quoted local prices for pellets, kWh and CSD cordwood? Regarding the HPs, in southern CT, your climate might be 1-2°F colder than mine, and I heat with a cheap conventional HP for half the price of oil or propane. You don't need a Hyper-Heat unless you are N of Boston IMO, or in upstate NY.

 

[Wear More Layers]

Can you post your quoted local prices for pellets, kWh and CSD cordwood? Regarding the HPs, in southern CT, your climate might be 1-2°F colder than mine, and I heat with a cheap conventional HP for half the price of oil or propane. You don't need a Hyper-Heat unless you are N of Boston IMO, or in upstate NY.

pellets at Home Depot today: $219/ton
premium pellets at stove store last week: $290
wood: not sure, but the guy who cleaned my fireplace this week said it's about $280
kWh: $.182

 

[weatherguy]

After seeing the dimensions of your fireplace I was going to recommend something like Grisu did, the Jotul which you can rear vent and slide it into your fireplace a bit so it only sticks out a little. Nothing wrong with an insert (I have and insert) but a free stander will give more heat. There are other rear vent options you can slide a bit into the fireplace, either way you have to insulate and build a block off plate.

 

[woodgeek]

pellets at Home Depot today: $219/ton
premium pellets at stove store last week: $290
wood: not sure, but the guy who cleaned my fireplace this week said it's about $280
kWh: $.182

I used the handy-dandy calculator Craig gave us.....

Price per Million BTU, about 1-2 days of heat in January:
Hardwood at $280/cord and 60% eff: $18.67
Pellets at $219/ton with new stove: $18.19
HeatPump at (conservative coefficient of performance) COP=2.5: $21.33
OIl or Propane: About $30 at current rates.

So, pellets and wood are a wash cost wise at $280/cord and $220/ton, and a little more than half the cost of oil. As a newbie burner, you will likely burn less eff than 60%, so the wood would be more. IF pellets went up to $250, or you needed premium, then pellets would be more expensive.

A minisplit in a cold climate would have a coefficient of performance between 2.5 and 3 (like 250 or 300% efficiency). Cheap ones like the HD units from China would come out 2.5, fancy Fujitsus might hit 3.0 during January weather. They would be low maintenance, have no need for tending, and cost 30% less than oil in January. In milder weather, the COP would be closer to 3.75 or 4 and would be cheaper to run than both wood and pellets, even at $0.18/kWh. Makes a nice complement to wood heat in the shoulder season.

try it: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/

 

[Sprinter]

That's a good point about efficiency of the appliance. A furnace or heat pump will pretty much be the same efficiency all the time, but a wood stoves depends so much on the operator and quality of fuel (moisture).

 

[Wear More Layers]

I used the handy-dandy calculator Craig gave us.....

Price per Million BTU, about 1-2 days of heat in January:
Hardwood at $280/cord and 60% eff: $18.67
Pellets at $219/ton with new stove: $18.19
HeatPump at (conservative coefficient of performance) COP=2.5: $21.33
OIl or Propane: About $30 at current rates.

So, pellets and wood are a wash cost wise at $280/cord and $220/ton, and a little more than half the cost of oil. As a newbie burner, you will likely burn less eff than 60%, so the wood would be more. IF pellets went up to $250, or you needed premium, then pellets would be more expensive.

A minisplit in a cold climate would have a coefficient of performance between 2.5 and 3 (like 250 or 300% efficiency). Cheap ones like the HD units from China would come out 2.5, fancy Fujitsus might hit 3.0 during January weather. They would be low maintenance, have no need for tending, and cost 30% less than oil in January. In milder weather, the COP would be closer to 3.75 or 4 and would be cheaper to run than both wood and pellets, even at $0.18/kWh. Makes a nice complement to wood heat in the shoulder season.

try it: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/

Thanks for the calculator link. This is helpful. I have some companies coming out this week to give me an estimate on mini split heat pumps. Assuming they can find a place to hang these monstrous things in my house, and assuming I don't die of sticker shock from the estimates, I may just go with them. Getting air conditioning as part of the deal is an enticing bonus, too.

 

[woodgeek]

The trick is knowing the heating capacity to buy. You can estimate it from your oil usage....do you know that? If you have a high BTU demand, you could consider 1 mini and a stove (pellet or wood). The mini would get you AC and shoulder season heat, etc.

 

[Wear More Layers]

The trick is knowing the heating capacity to buy. You can estimate it from your oil usage....do you know that? If you have a high BTU demand, you could consider 1 mini and a stove (pellet or wood). The mini would get you AC and shoulder season heat, etc.

I don't know how to estimate my BTU demand. I use <600 gal/yr, but I keep my home artificially cool to avoid high oil bills. I hope to heat the house to a somewhat higher temp with a stove or heat pump.