How big a stove do you think for this house?

[ironguy]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to your forum and am hoping I can trouble you for a little advice. I've been thinking I'd like to get a wood stove to help heat our home, and I'm finding it all a bit more complicated than I had anticipated. Our house is 2,250 sq ft, with about 1,600 sq ft on the first floor, and about 650 on the second. The floor plan is fairly open. The stove would be at one end of the house, not in the middle. The thermostat is on the first floor at the opposite end of the house from where the stove would go. Is it realistic to expect a stove to heat the upstairs from the first floor? I've never owned a stove before, so I don't know. I'm concerned that if it would heat the second floor, the first floor would get really balmy. I'm also concerned that a stove won't heat the upstairs but will cause the thermostat to simply stay off, making the upstairs very cold.

I have the opportunity to buy a used Jotul 118 that is in very nice shape and not a bad price. I really like the stove but think it is perhaps a bit on the small side for us. What do you think? I'd really appreciate any insight or thoughts you might care to offer.

Thank you!

 

[begreen]

Howdy and welcome. The Jotul 118 is a great stove. It would be ok, for supplemental heat and most winter days, but would challenged on very cold days unless stoked frequently. It woujld be fine for nights and weekend burning. However, I would consider a larger stove if the intent is to heat 24/7. There are lots of choices. It depends on your personal taste, the location of the stove, your region (where?) and how you intend to burn.

 

[raybonz]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to your forum and am hoping I can trouble you for a little advice. I've been thinking I'd like to get a wood stove to help heat our home, and I'm finding it all a bit more complicated than I had anticipated. Our house is 2,250 sq ft, with about 1,600 sq ft on the first floor, and about 650 on the second. The floor plan is fairly open. The stove would be at one end of the house, not in the middle. The thermostat is on the first floor at the opposite end of the house from where the stove would go. Is it realistic to expect a stove to heat the upstairs from the first floor? I've never owned a stove before, so I don't know. I'm concerned that if it would heat the second floor, the first floor would get really balmy. I'm also concerned that a stove won't heat the upstairs but will cause the thermostat to simply stay off, making the upstairs very cold.

I have the opportunity to buy a used Jotul 118 that is in very nice shape and not a bad price. I really like the stove but think it is perhaps a bit on the small side for us. What do you think? I'd really appreciate any insight or thoughts you might care to offer.

Thank you!

Welcome to the forum ironguy!Where are you located as climate and insulation are a factor as well. I would think you would need a large stove for that much sq. footage such as a Woodstock Progress hybrid, Jotul F600, Alderlea T-6, etc.

Ray

 

[BrowningBAR]

I would go in the direction of a 3 cu ft stove, like Ray mentions above.

But, as Begreen mentions above, your locations, your expectations, and how well the home is insulated will determine your needs.

My house is about the same size as yours, but it takes three large stoves to provide whole house heating for me. So, be honest about your needs and the draftiness of your home or you WILL be disappointed if you are too conservative in your estimates.

 

[Sprinter]

...and I'm finding it all a bit more complicated than I had anticipated.

Welcome to the club! So did I.

But I assure you that you will get it ironed out here.

So far, I'd go along with the suggestions above and there are others in the same general size category. You also have choices in the catalytic designs and non-catalytic designs. Many good threads on stove selections here and cat/non-cat debates. Many. Many

 

[Pallet Pete]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to your forum and am hoping I can trouble you for a little advice. I've been thinking I'd like to get a wood stove to help heat our home, and I'm finding it all a bit more complicated than I had anticipated. Our house is 2,250 sq ft, with about 1,600 sq ft on the first floor, and about 650 on the second. The floor plan is fairly open. The stove would be at one end of the house, not in the middle. The thermostat is on the first floor at the opposite end of the house from where the stove would go. Is it realistic to expect a stove to heat the upstairs from the first floor? I've never owned a stove before, so I don't know. I'm concerned that if it would heat the second floor, the first floor would get really balmy. I'm also concerned that a stove won't heat the upstairs but will cause the thermostat to simply stay off, making the upstairs very cold.

I have the opportunity to buy a used Jotul 118 that is in very nice shape and not a bad price. I really like the stove but think it is perhaps a bit on the small side for us. What do you think? I'd really appreciate any insight or thoughts you might care to offer.

Thank you!

Welcome ironguy !

You should probably look at a bigger stove depending on your location that is a big house. You could heat your house with a stove for sure upstairs and down. Blaze King, Woodstock Progress, Englander 30-nch, Dutchwest, Regency F2400, Osburn 2400, and Osburn Matrix to name a few. Owning a stove is the warmest thing you can do for heat if done right. Whenever we have to run the furnace my wife complains because our stove is so warm in comparison . You should not have to worry about it being to hot down stairs in a house that size. Look at a soapstone stove if your concerned about intense heat they tend to radiate longer due to there sheer mass of stone and it is a nice soft heat. Personally we use a steel wrapped in cast stove and absolutely love it for how soft the heat is.

Good Luck
Pete

 

[Todd 2]

Hello ironguy, glad to see your interest in a wood stove. I also started out as using a wood stove as supplemental heat, But with the proper sized EPA stove and install, with proper seasoned wood, the benefits took over as the main heat source. My best advice would be that what ever choice you make, do the install as good as the wallet will aloud because the benefits will last for years to come. I agree with all above the bigger size stoves seem to fit your sq. footage better, lots of factors to proper size also. Todd 2

 

[ironguy]

Wow, thank you guys for the kind welcome and thoughtful replies. I appreciate that. I am located in central Ohio. We moved out into the country so our $$ would go a bit farther. We have about 2.5 acres or so of woods behind the house. It's not a super old house; an early 90's build; seems fairly tight; nothing like our old house in the city; that was our first house and was quite an adventure. It sounds like a larger stove would be the way to go. I will take a look at those stoves you guys mentioned. Thank again for your help. There is so much information to wade through, it helps to be able to ask people who already know what they are doing and who aren't trying to sell you anything.

 

[begreen]

Ohio can get cold, so a bit larger will be better, especially if the goal is 24/7 wood heating. Because you like the F118 I am going to suggest looking at cast iron clad steel stoves. They have a heart of a steel stove with a heavy cast iron jacket. We have a similarly sized farmhouse and this combo is working well for us. The heat is soft and steady. In this category look at the Jotul Rangeley or the Jotul F55, Enviro Boston, and the Pacific Energy Alderlea T6.

 

[swagler85]

Welcome, you will find a wealth of knowledge here and a willingness to help from members. One thing you will hear over and over here because it is very important is make sure you have dry wood. Most problems that you have with a stove go back to unseasoned or poorly seasoned wood. If your thinking about adding the stove this year be very careful about cutting and burning the same season. Or if you buy seasoned wood make sure it's been properly seasoned. The best thing I learned here is to cut wood early and let it properly dry. You will love your stove if its burning good wood!

 

[fossil]

There is a fundamental fact about stand-alone solid fuel-burning appliances that must be understood by anyone intending to use one for home heating. They are space heaters. Call them "convective" or "radiant", I don't care...you're talking about the transfer of the heat the appliance generates out into the space in which it is located. They really do this well. Distributing that heat throughout other parts of the home's living space is a challenge we all face to some degree. The interior configuration of the home, and thoughtful sizing and placement of the appliance are central to the effectiveness of the installation. Heat (once it's been transferred to the surrounding air) doesn't like to move either sideways or down. A freestanding wood stove in a room at one end of a hallway will heat that room just dandy, but the room at the other end of the hallway won't even know the wood stove exists. Some stuff can be done with fans to improve this and better distribute the heat, but you just gotta understand that these things have their limitations. Lots of stuff to learn about and consider. Rick

 

[BobUrban]

x2 or 10 or whatever was mentioned many times above. Go BIGGER!! What starts out as a method of reducing the gas/oil bill soon becomes a personal challenge to "beat the man" and see how you can keep you furnace from running. I do not know how large the stove you are looking at is but the best rule here is to get a stove rated for more space than you have. The deal is that manufacturers, although honest, are not honest about your situation. Meaning: in a perfect world a 2cubic' stove could easily heat a 3000sq' home if it were super tight and outside temps never got below 35 degrees with limited wind speeds. Same stove may struggle to heat your coffee cup with a 2000sq' 10 degrees and 20mph wind. Point being, you can build small hot fires in a big stove but not the other way around.

Bigger may(and may not) cost a little more on the front end but you eliminate buying small, install, finding out you want/need larger, and starting over. Unless the stove is free or nearly free I would strongly suggest going as big as you can afford the first time. If you are not in a hurry spring is obviously a good time to buy a stove just as fall is a good time to buy a riding mower. Keep coming here as the help and information is priceless.

Welcome

BTW - I am in central Michigan and if anything you are likely to get more snow and cold weather than we do - certainly more storms.

Bob Urban