help to assess right size stove

[MDnewbie]

I live in Maryland and this year we plan to remove our prefab fireplace and chimney and install a class A chimney and free-standing stove. Our house was built in the early 80s insulated but not extremely air tight.

We currently heat with an electric heat pump. We would like to run the wood stove on days when it falls below 32 degrees so the emergency resistance heater on the heat pump would not need to come on. We would also like to use the stove occasionally on milder days simply for enjoyment and extra warmth ( the room with the fireplace tends to be cold).

Our has has 3 levels - 1000 square feet upstairs (bedrooms) 900 square feet main floor with an open floor plan (no doors) that is L shaped. The stove would be toward the end of the long arm of the L on the main floor. The basement is about 900 square feet and is a walk out. Most of our windows are north facing.

We would also like to be able to run the stove and get enough heat to keep the pipes from freezing in the event of a power outage and no heat from our heat pump.

I was leaning toward the Lopi cape cod but a I am wondering if that size stove will be too hot for our house given out climate and floor plan. Can anyone help give me an idea of what size stove would be appropriate in our situation?

We will be burning red oak from a tree we had cut down at first and then we will have to find a good local firewood source.

 

[Grisu]

Welcome to the forum!

It seems you are looking to heat 1900 sqft total while the basement will need another heat source. (Hot air does not travel down.) A stove with a firebox of 2.5 cu ft to 3 cu ft sounds about right for your situation and the Cape Cod would fall into that category. However, some members had problems with the stove when it first came out. I would suggest a forum search to check for their experiences. There are plenty of other stoves out there that have a similar look and would heat your space well. Some options:

Jotul F600 or F55
Pacific Energy T6
Quadrafire Isle Royale
Hearthstone Manchester
BlazeKing Ashford 30 (catalytic stove that has a more even heat output and longer burn times)
Enviro 1700 Boston

Oak is notoriously slow to dry. How long has the oak been split and stacked in a place where it gets lots of sun and wind? If it is still in logs I don't think you will be able to burn it next winter. It will need at least two good summers to get to less than 20% internal moisture. See if you can find some ash or softwoods; those dry in one summer. You may need at least 3 to 4 cords per winter for a large stove.

 

[MDnewbie]

This information is very helpful. Our oak will only have dried for one summer so it looks like we will need to find another wood source for the first year.

It's good to know I am not completely off base on the stove size we need. Will a convection stove be a big advantage as far as getting the heat to move around the first floor and upstairs or would a radiant stove still work well since we have an open floor plan?

 

[begreen]

See if you can get some ash firewood. It dries the quickest. As an alternative you may be able to find some shed or kiln dried wood. Network with neighbors and folks here for good wood sources and get next years wood now. That way you can stack it, top-covered, so that it has longer to season.

We have an open floor plan house with the convective Alderlea T6. It has been a great fit for our house. The heating is very even and never overbearing, even with mild winter temps in the 40s. The close clearances allowed us to install the large stove in the corner of the living room with nearby windows.

 

[Oldman47]

I live in Maryland and this year we plan to remove our prefab fireplace and chimney and install a class A chimney and free-standing stove. Our house was built in the early 80s insulated but not extremely air tight.

We currently heat with an electric heat pump. We would like to run the wood stove on days when it falls below 32 degrees so the emergency resistance heater on the heat pump would not need to come on. We would also like to use the stove occasionally on milder days simply for enjoyment and extra warmth ( the room with the fireplace tends to be cold).

Our has has 3 levels - 1000 square feet upstairs (bedrooms) 900 square feet main floor with an open floor plan (no doors) that is L shaped. The stove would be toward the end of the long arm of the L on the main floor. The basement is about 900 square feet and is a walk out. Most of our windows are north facing.

We would also like to be able to run the stove and get enough heat to keep the pipes from freezing in the event of a power outage and no heat from our heat pump.

I was leaning toward the Lopi cape cod but a I am wondering if that size stove will be too hot for our house given out climate and floor plan. Can anyone help give me an idea of what size stove would be appropriate in our situation?

We will be burning red oak from a tree we had cut down at first and then we will have to find a good local firewood source.

Let me add a little something for you. The 32º minimum assumes you are running pure water in the heat pump. I have a ground source heat pump with antifreeze in the ground loops and it runs with a 10º minimum on the return instead of a 32º minimum. My aux heating strips do come on when the heat pump just can't keep up but that has only been a very few days so far this winter. Your heat pump installer can reprogram to make the heat pump respond as it needs to in order to work right for you. Mine came with a 32º factory preset but with the antifreeze in the loops it did not need to be set that restrictive and the installer fixed it up for me with no real discussion. It was where he typically ends up setting these heat pumps.
For an open floor plan you definitely want a good convection heater. Radiant heat really only works in the room where your heater is located.

 

[Grisu]

Will a convection stove be a big advantage as far as getting the heat to move around the first floor and upstairs or would a radiant stove still work well since we have an open floor plan?

Both will give you about the same amount of heat. Any radiant heat will be absorbed by the objects in its path and then released over time by heating the room air. If you like the area around the stove (line-of-sight) to feel warmer then a radiant stove would work well for you. If you rather want to have more even temps around the house, I would go more convective. A convective stove will also have closer clearances which may be important if you want to place the stove in an alcove after your remodel. The stoves on the list I have given you could be sorted this way:

More convective: Jotul F55, PE T6, BlazeKing Ashford, Enviro Boston
More radiant: Jotul F600, QF Isle Royale

 

[GeHmTS]

Can anyone help give me an idea of what size stove would be appropriate in our situation?

Have you looked at this.

https://www.hearth.com/calc/btucalc.html

 

[BradleyW]

I would guess that the F55 would be a bit large for what you need. Normally I would say the bigger the better, but I don't think your climate would demand anything larger than the Oslo except maybe a few nights a year.