Help me pick out new stove

[nediver]

I have a VC Intrepid I bought used last year to see if I like burning wood. Well my only disappointment was the stove, it really did not suite my needs. My house in total is 2,800 square feet and the chimney where the stove is located is not centrally located on the first floor. I have an open floor plan on this first floor and the master is next to the room the stove is in. The only occupants in the room with the stove are my two dogs and books, both were the only people warm last year. I paid a crazy amount in oil last year and my house was 58 the whole time, which also probably means the windows are a bit drafty. Here are a few things I am looking for-

Stove must heat first floor with bad floor plan (1,500 sqft)
Stove will be loaded after work, before bed, and in morning
Stove will be sitting on Hearth and piped into the chiney, my intrepid is off the back, can go off the top as long as its front load.
Be nice if it accomodated bigger logs but not necessary
Don't care about CAT or NON as long as its efficient
Long Burn time would be nice, given I am not home all day
Did I mention I want to be warm!

I was considering a woodstock, but even with the sale they are having they are pricey and I fear will not fit my needs. I am leaning towards a Pacific Energy, because I think the fit most of my needs. Anyone want to sound off on some possible suggestions? The biggest thing is I don't know what size stove to go with?

 

[begreen]

You are headed in the right direction. I'm guessing that a big stove is what you'll want. As far as the actual size, without knowing a bit more about the installation constraints and aesthetic qualifications, it's hard to narrow down the field. For starters, maybe consider some 3 cu ft stoves as long as the floor plan is pretty open.

What type of installation is this? Fireplace, corner hearth? Alcove or out in the open? Are there concerns about clearances to combustibles or hearth insulation? Can you post a picture of the current location?

I can speak for the Pacific Energy Alderlea T6 (cast iron/steel hybrid) which I would consider as a candidate. Other strong 3 cu ft stoves would be the Hearthstone Mansfield (soapstone, non-cat), Jotul F600 (cast iron, front and side load), Morso 3610 (cast, front load) and the Quadrafire Isle Royale (cast, top and front load).

As for heat distribution, a simple diagram of the first floor layout indicating stove location and stairs would help. Is there a ceiling fan now in the stove room?

 

[nediver]

You are headed in the right direction. I'm guessing that a big stove is what you'll want. As far as the actual size, without knowing a bit more about the installation constraints and aesthetic qualifications, it's hard to narrow down the field. For starters, maybe consider some 3 cu ft stoves as long as the floor plan is pretty open.

What type of installation is this? Fireplace, corner hearth? Alcove or out in the open? Are there concerns about clearances to combustibles or hearth insulation? Can you post a picture of the current location?

I can speak for the Pacific Energy Alderlea T6 (cast iron/steel hybrid) which I would consider as a candidate. Other strong 3 cu ft stoves would be the Hearthstone Mansfield (soapstone, non-cat), Jotul F600 (cast iron, front and side load), Morso 3610 (cast, front load) and the Quadrafire Isle Royale (cast, top and front load).

As for heat distribution, a simple diagram of the first floor layout indicating stove location and stairs would help. Is there a ceiling fan now in the stove room?

Floor plan is going to be tough to view but here goes- Also this plan is original from 1986 and there were changes to the house.

I will use north, south, east, west as orientation if looking at floor plan-

The first thing to note is the fielplace is in the family room along the east wall labeled #14

There is no ceiling fan in this room with stove.

There are two openings to the family room, one is at the NW corner near where it says linen which there is no closet there. This opening is about ten feet into the hallway. The second is a normal door that leads to the foyer and kitchen and its in SW corner

The living and dining room have no walls so you have about 500-600 sqft totally open. In the SW corner of Living Room where it spills into the dining room the walls were removed.

The MBR is the only room with high ceilings, its at least 12 feet and there is a ceiling fan. This is the coldest room in the house, it seems out of bounds compared to the rest of house and the ceiling doesn't help. The opening to this room is in SW corner and its a normal doorway.

Any questions about floor plan please ask. You may need to save the photo to computer and zoom in to really see it well.

So the rules have changed a bit. I went and looked at the Summit yesterday and the stove will not work without redoing my hearth. I am going to go with an insert instead. I was told the firebox is the same on the summit insert, but I am not sure if it performs as well as the stove. So now I am in the market for an insert. My chimney firebox is like 35" X 29 1/2

As far as pleasing to the eye, I really don't care that much.

Any suggestions?

 

[nediver]

One other thing to add is that the shop quoted me 2650.00 for the Summit insert including installation. This seemed like a good price to me. My wife and I are seriously leaning towards putting a deposit down on this insert.

 

[nediver]

anyone care to sound off on suggestions for an inset now that I have the floor plan posted?

 

[begreen]

Thanks for bumping the thread, I forgot to answer when I first saw the diagram.

The issue is not the stove, it's the location. It's going to be hard to heat the house from the family room due to the layout of the house. Instead, I'd consider keeping the Intrepid right where it is and use as a room heater when the room is in use. Then I would add a serious freestanding stove. I realize this would mean a major change and perhaps re-layout of the main living space, but it would give you much more even heat and put a serious dent in the oil bill. A fan blowing air out of the MBR towards the stove would help get that room warmed up. The difference of putting a stove in the LR would be day and night from the current hearth location. It would mean you and your family could enjoy daily 70 degree temps instead of hugging light bulbs to stay warm.

Where to locate it? The LR corner where the #22 is one spot or where the #4 is located. Something to think about at least.

BTW, do you get any daytime warmth from the greenhouse?

 

[nediver]

I realize the # 22 would be the best spot, that side is actually the front of the house so I really did not want a chimney sticking up over there, besides the wife will never go for the added cost. Also, the layout of the house is going to change in a few years. The MBR is going to become a large living room and the wall between the MBR and fireplace room is going to be removed, leaving 90% of the downstairs as an open floor plan. I hope I am not hugging lightbulbs this year.

Yes there is daytime heat from greenhouse, it depends on the day but it can get to 100 very fast.

 

[begreen]

Seems there's going to be cost regardless - crazy oil bills or the initial installation costs for a stove. Would location 4 be a possibility with a straight up chimney? It can be boxed in if there is a room above.

Otherwise, do you buy a temporary stove based on future plans or get something set up now that will carry the house into the future regardless of plans? A compromise might be a Woodstock Fireview stove. It will fit several of your needs, but the heat is going to remain pretty much concentrated in the family room until plans go forward.

The other alternative is to put the money into insulation, caulking and general tightening up of the house this year. That will pay back no matter what future plans are.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

im with BG , i think the amount of heat generated in the family room to matriculate naturally through the rest of the floor is going to run you out of that room, solutions? second unit, or find an effective way to help that heat get around the house better , doorway fans and such. the heat must effectively build a convection current to help the heat travel around better , in your floor plan this will need to be assisted. to see what is happening try the "match trick" , stand in the doorway of the family room with the stove burning , hold a lit match up near the top of the doorway , the flame should aggressively lean out of the hot room , if it does not the heat will not travel , add a doorway fan blowing out , to accentuate this you could set a small desktop fan in the doorway of the entrance blowing INTO the room , the cooler air near the floor wants to come in but the hot air must leave first. after doing so you will find a more even heat through the house and will likely only need the second fan for the initial time to establish the current. you could do this in one or both doorways leaving the room ,and given a bit of time i guarentee it will show results.

 

[nediver]

Thanks. I am sure I will have a few questions once I install the stove. I will try the fan trick first. I really do not want to relocate the stove, and as I said down the road the MBR will be a living room with the wall removed that sits to the left of the fireplace.

 

[begreen]

I hear you. We were in a similar situation. I got a pellet stove which we used for 5 years until the major remodel occurred.