Wise woodburners:
I've been lurking here for a while, fantasizing about wood heat. But two back-to-back blizzards has me (and everyone else in the mid-Atlantic) rethinking my relationship to the grid. I think we're going to take the plunge, and I'd value your advice.
We have an 1800 square foot home in a (usually) mild climate. We're looking for mostly supplemental heat and emergency backup, though we can imagine a future scenario where we would mostly heat with wood. The stove would be located in our living room, which is part of a mostly open LR/dining/kitchen area. The total square footage on that floor is about 1100 square feet.
Important features: high efficiency, so as to qualify for the federal tax credit; small footprint; relative ease of operation; rear-venting option and large fire-viewing window for aesthetic reasons. We've pretty much narrowed it down to the Jotul F100 Nordic QT, the Jotul F3 CB, the Hearthstone Craftsbury and the Hearthstone Shelburne. We're torn between getting a smaller unit that would heat the downstairs and a larger unit capable of heating the whole house -- mostly because we're afraid a larger unit would cook us out of the living room, where we do most of our hanging out. We don't spend much time upstairs except when we're asleep, so I keep the heat way down up there. I'm figuring enough heat would find its way up there to make it tolerable, even with a smaller unit.
Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!!
I've been lurking here for a while, fantasizing about wood heat. But two back-to-back blizzards has me (and everyone else in the mid-Atlantic) rethinking my relationship to the grid. I think we're going to take the plunge, and I'd value your advice.
We have an 1800 square foot home in a (usually) mild climate. We're looking for mostly supplemental heat and emergency backup, though we can imagine a future scenario where we would mostly heat with wood. The stove would be located in our living room, which is part of a mostly open LR/dining/kitchen area. The total square footage on that floor is about 1100 square feet.
Important features: high efficiency, so as to qualify for the federal tax credit; small footprint; relative ease of operation; rear-venting option and large fire-viewing window for aesthetic reasons. We've pretty much narrowed it down to the Jotul F100 Nordic QT, the Jotul F3 CB, the Hearthstone Craftsbury and the Hearthstone Shelburne. We're torn between getting a smaller unit that would heat the downstairs and a larger unit capable of heating the whole house -- mostly because we're afraid a larger unit would cook us out of the living room, where we do most of our hanging out. We don't spend much time upstairs except when we're asleep, so I keep the heat way down up there. I'm figuring enough heat would find its way up there to make it tolerable, even with a smaller unit.
Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!!