Hold On a Minute! Just Got Back From a VC Visitation

[wkpoor]

Went to friends house just minutes ago. He wanted me to see his VC Defiant stove as he thinks it might work for me. I walked over to the stove. It was 500 degree on the top. Put my hands over it for awhile. I told him straight up....where is the heat. This is the second home I have visited with a VC. I'm sorry guys, there just isn't even the slighted comparison in heat output. I was standing close enough for my pant leg to almost touch the stove and my leg wouldn't even get warm. So he through in some wood and got er up to 700 stove top. He said what do you think now. I looked at him and said honestly. Don't feel hardly any different to me. It just ain't there. I stand 4 feet away from my stove to avoid burning my pants. Its 15 degrees out today and blowing. Now I'm not sure I want to spend time hooking up the Magnolia if thats what it will be like or worse. Wood consumption about a 10th what I burn, I like that, but so is the heat.
I'm wondering if, even given the huge difference in efficiencies heat output is still relevant to amount of wood burning and thus BTU output. Basically burn small volume of wood get small heat. Burn big volume, get big heat.

 

[spacecowboyIV]

If you say your Nashua is 50% efficient, and the VC or Magnolia stove is 75% efficient that means if you burn 6 cords a year now, to get the same heat you would need to burn 4 cords a year in the Magnolia or VC stove (I just made up these numbers, I have no idea what the actual efficiencies are). So you are right, its not as if you're going to use 10% of the wood you use now.

Also, you can't focus on what it feels like 5 inches from the stove, the idea is to heat the house or room. If its warm in my house I don't care how hot the stovetop feels.

 

[NH_Wood]

wkpoor - I remember you posting about your fears about this stove before. I think I remember the gist of that post. I still think you'll be disappointed with the Magnolia for the size you want to heat and the size of that stove, especially if you are used to the Nahua throwing out serious heat (albeit at the cost of more wood). I think you should consider returning the Magnolia (can you?) and look at bigger stoves. What is your plan - sounds like you are definitely not putting the Magnolia in, right? Cheers!

 

[Big Al]

I grew up in a house with a big ol Nashua. That's one huge hunk of steel that really gets rockin. My sister lives there now and still runs it 24/7. It has a fan on the back and a channel running through the firebox East to West that the warm air is blown out.

 

[begreen]

Why compare a 5 cu ft box with a 3cu ft? Seems like it would be better to compare with an EPA furnace if the house is chewing through btus at that rate.

Or better yet, address the btu loss.

 

[wkpoor]

The VC was in a living room. So admittedly it was doing the job but the space it was heating was a mere fraction of the space I'm asking of the Nashua. I'm just saying standing near the stove it was easy to tell the BTU's coming off the stove weren't even close. If the Nashua were in my living room it would over power the space no question about it.
I would probably use less wood if I were to have 2 EPA stoves on 2 floors rather than trying to heat 3 floors with one stove.

 

[begreen]

True that. The thought occurred to me as well. And you would have better, cleaner economy running a single stove in milder weather.

But two stove is twice the work. Do you have forced air heating ducts? If so, I would also consider a Caddy EPA furnace.

http://www.woodstoves.net/psg/caddy.htm

 

[webbie]

VC models have had a reputation for a more even heat - that is a general statement. of course, by they were designed to try to moderate heat output hour after hour as opposed to blasting it out like some non-cats and other stoves.

That will feel different. We often had customers with Encores that were disappointed at first - until they understood the way the stove worked.

You see the same thing happen with Pellet stoves - someone coming from a heat-blasting older woodstove will say "where's the beef?".

This is part of the criteria when shopping for a stove. Those who want a Hot Rod Drag Racer may not want a VC....or in fact, many of the stoves we talk about here! The old big Englander, I'm sure, can roast you right out of the room at full bore! Same with a lot of 3+ cubic foot non-cats.

 

[precaud]

Or better yet, address the btu loss.

Now BG, it would make way too much sense to do a thing like that.

 

[wkpoor]

Or better yet, address the btu loss.

Now BG, it would make way too much sense to do a thing like that.

I actually have the opposite problem. I wish I had some more heat loss. My house is too tight and as I write my thermo pane windows are raining. I can't get the humidity below 35%. Its nice and comfortable in here right now on all 3 floors with outside air temp at 10 degrees. The builder put vapor barrier behind the drywall and I wonder if that part of my problem.

 

[Renovation]

Or better yet, address the btu loss.

Now BG, it would make way too much sense to do a thing like that.

I actually have the opposite problem. I wish I had some more heat loss. My house is too tight and as I write my thermo pane windows are raining. I can't get the humidity below 35%. Its nice and comfortable in here right now on all 3 floors with outside air temp at 10 degrees. The builder put vapor barrier behind the drywall and I wonder if that part of my problem.

35% humidity isn't too high. The ideal level is 45%:

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/moisturehumidifier

What sort of windows do you have? What's their R or U value? What temperature is the glass? Weeping windows is generally a sign of heat-leaking, cold window glass. Especially at your humidity level.

But yeah, make your house leakier, and blow a bunch of heat outside, and maybe your windows will clear up.

 

[BrotherBart]

Nashua stoves are the king of stoves. All others pale in comparison and should stay in the barn. All of those people heating 2,500 - 3,000 sq. ft. houses with those itty bitty three cubic foot EPA stoves have to smoke crack to feel warm in their houses. Or don't live where "We have real winters.". :lol:

 

[wkpoor]

Or better yet, address the btu loss.

Now BG, it would make way too much sense to do a thing like that.

I actually have the opposite problem. I wish I had some more heat loss. My house is too tight and as I write my thermo pane windows are raining. I can't get the humidity below 35%. Its nice and comfortable in here right now on all 3 floors with outside air temp at 10 degrees. The builder put vapor barrier behind the drywall and I wonder if that part of my problem.

35% humidity isn't too high. The ideal level is 45%:

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/moisturehumidifier

What sort of windows do you have? What's their R or U value? What temperature is the glass? Weeping windows is generally a sign of heat-leaking, cold window glass. Especially at your humidity level.

But yeah, make your house leakier, and blow a bunch of heat outside, and maybe your windows will clear up.

There is a difference between air leaks and a house that breaths. Ideal humidity varies with outside air temp. Sure I can mask the problem with better windows (these are Jeldwens) but others with much older less efficient windows don't have the problem. Anyway this is a tangent that could go in a 1000 different directions and solve nothing. All I know is by simply standing in front of the VC verses my stove it was easy to tell which one was giving off more heat. Now I'm not playing up the Nashua by no means. My neighbors old smoke dragon can blast off way more heat than mine. I can feel intense radiated heat from 15 feet away on his. I'm here is because I do believe in the EPA technology. Just wish they had upscaled it a little.

 

[rdust]

Different people look for different things out of their stoves. My stove is in my family room I can sit very warm and comfy within 3' of it without getting chased away. I can put my hand on the side and back when the stove top is pushing 600*. This is exactly what I wanted in a wood stove. One that wouldn't chase me out of the room but would also warm 2k worth of space evenly.

If I was heating from my basement I may want the type of heat that could melt the basement walls but not something I'm looking for with my particular set up. I think BG has it right, you may want a wood furnace instead of a stove.

 

[schortie]

We had a Defiant and now have an F600. The difference in the way they put out heat is much different. The Defiant's heat seemed to come mostly from the back and top of the stove where the F600 blasts heat from the front and top. Our dogs used to sleep directly in front of the Defiant, but they don't do that with the Jotul. However, we've been just as warm and cozy with both stoves.