is bigger better?

[BrowningBAR]

the 30 to the t6?
or did he get rid of the 6??

I think he stuck with the T6 in the end.

Yeah, it took him a month, but he finally broke down and tried the blower.

 

[begreen]

And they insulated plus started sealing up leaks.

PS: Note the goal was to be able to go butt naked (80+ inside) when it was minus 10 and blowing at 50mph outside.

 

[BrowningBAR]

And insulated plus started sealing up leaks.

PS: Note the goal was to be able to go butt naked (80+ inside) when it was minus 10 and blowing at 50mph outside.

I'm still trying to figure out if he was serious that his bedroom used to be 100+ degrees with the 30NC he had previously...

 

[Hogwildz]

In the time I have belonged to this forum since 2006, I remember seeing many posts from folks that bought a smaller stove and regretted it. I don't remember one post of someone complaining their stove was too big.

+1. Moosetrek's was probably the closest to a complaint and he resolved it by buying an equally big replacement. As far as the never ending cat/non cat debate, there is a place for both and both perform far better at low burn with dry wood. My current stove is much bigger than the old one with the ability to burn both higher and a lot lower. This is great because it sits in a room with 300 sq ft of south facing glass on a windy ridge that has huge swings in heat demand. The bigger stove has also completely eliminated even thinking about getting up before I am good and ready.

LOL, okay, I'll give ya that one. But..... technically he felt the radiant heat of the 30 was overpowering, and wanted mellower heat. Yes he then got the T6. And now, he kinda wants the more radiant heat again LOL.
Or I guess he is looking for something in between. Good points on the cat vs. non cat, and in the end, both need dry wood. And can burn high or low. I am intrigued by the BKK, but ain't shelling no 3k out just to test ride the next greatest stove. Happy with what I have, it does a fine job, and still have a 30 to hook up one of these days. Then I might be complaining that the 2 large stoves are too much. But I doubt you will ever hear me complain it is too warm. Rather too warm and run the stove lower, then full tilt and still cold. Very well put S&W, I like your open honest input.

 

[Hogwildz]

And they insulated plus started sealing up leaks.

PS: Note the goal was to be able to go butt naked (80+ inside) when it was minus 10 and blowing at 50mph outside.

Now that I live alone, I can run around buck naked any time I damn well please
Its not as fun alone though. hahaha

 

[tiber]

Now that I live alone, I can run around buck naked any time I damn well please
Its not as fun alone though. hahaha

This is why your cats hide under the stove. I too would hope my fur went alight than suffer such horrible sights.

WHAT HAS BEEN SEEN CANNOT BE UNSEEN.

 

[Hogwildz]

Now that I live alone, I can run around buck naked any time I damn well please
Its not as fun alone though. hahaha

This is why your cats hide under the stove. I too would hope my fur went alight than suffer such horrible sights.

WHAT HAS BEEN SEEN CANNOT BE UNSEEN.

LOL, thats cats took off with the OL. Only one seeing my sorry arse naked is the walls.
Hope they don't give way.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Then I might be complaining that the 2 large stoves are too much. But I doubt you will ever hear me complain it is too warm. Rather too warm and run the stove lower, then full tilt and still cold.

I think that is my next step. I run mine wide open whenever the wind is blowing which is most of the time here. The lower level is unheated right now but should be built out this summer and will likely have a matching King. I think between Tyvek, foam board, siding and a second stove, they should be able to cruise along at a fairly low burn and get the job done. Maybe even get away without running the blowers.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Then I might be complaining that the 2 large stoves are too much. But I doubt you will ever hear me complain it is too warm. Rather too warm and run the stove lower, then full tilt and still cold.

I think that is my next step. I run mine wide open whenever the wind is blowing which is most of the time here. The lower level is unheated right now but should be built out this summer and will likely have a matching King. I think between Tyvek, foam board, siding and a second stove, they should be able to cruise along at a fairly low burn and get the job done. Maybe even get away without running the blowers.

Yes, join the cult of the multi-stove owners. Excellent. (twirls mustache sinisterly)

 

[SolarAndWood]

That's funny. I'm torn between the boiler and the second stove. While the boiler gets me to a single fire, it is a lot more money, requires electricity and means starting a fire every day which I have never done and really have no interest in. Still have some thinking to do on that one.

 

[firefighterjake]

One of the best pieces of advice I got here at hearth.com when I was researching woodstoves was to figure out what space I needed to heat . . . and then look at stoves one size larger than what I thought I needed . . . that and the other good bit of advice was to spend your money insulating and tightening up your home before attempting to "save money" by heating with wood.

I most definitely believe in the "go one size larger" principle . . . I have in fact mentioned the whole "you can build smaller fires in large woodstoves but not build larger fires in small woodstoves" . . . but that said . . . there is such a thing as getting too big a woodstove.

As mentioned, size matters . . . but also you must take into consideration where you live in terms of temps, winds, etc., your home's insulation and your home's lay-out in sizing a stove . . . if you go too small with a stove you risk damaging the stove by taxing it too much and causing an over-fire situation . . . if you go too large you risk not burning as efficiently or cleanly . . . plus you may have to contend with Hog running around in his Fruit of the Looms.

 

[Ratherbfishin]

When I was looking at stoves and doing my research on the site here I found most always hands down it was go bigger in terms of stoves. Then when I decided to go with the Quad 5700 all of a sudden it was " oh you should reconsider that stove it is too big and you can't run it the way it is supposed to" So really you get conflicting info here sometimes. I got on the phone with the sales rep and we talked for a good hr about my home and it's layout, insulation etc..and finally felt comfortable going with the big stove vs. going down a size. Yep it is too bad you can't test drive a wood stove to see how it will behave in your home so you just have to arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can.

After using my stove this winter I am very pleased with my decision. The only time I have issues is when the outside temp gets into the mid 30's and above. My living room will be 90 degrees in no time and the windows open up. But I still don't complain about that because I have still saved money vs burning oil and you will never see someone burning oil with their windows open And if they do they could wire that money to me instead.

I have been in small houses though where a big stove just wouldn't be practical and smaller is better...just depends on what you are trying to heat and for how long.

 

[iceman]

That's funny. I'm torn between the boiler and the second stove. While the boiler gets me to a single fire, it is a lot more money, requires electricity and means starting a fire every day which I have never done and really have no interest in. Still have some thinking to do on that one.

boiler or wood furnace... wish i wood ahve gotten one instead of a stove... ... yeah my electric would go up but not as much as running ac... then my WHOLE house could be one even temp! as it is now i run 3 fans to move the air in the house due to layout and size... and those are 20"ers

 

[SolarAndWood]

boiler or wood furnace... wish i wood ahve gotten one instead of a stove... ... yeah my electric would go up but not as much as running ac... then my WHOLE house could be one even temp!

I am starting from scratch with the distribution system and removed most of the interior walls with the house rebuild. The one stove does a pretty good job even though the shell isn't done. I can add a second stove on the lower level for a lot less money than a distribution system and a boiler. I can then reinstall the electric baseboards I removed to replace the exterior load bearing walls as the backup system. I didn't even consider this strategy a possibility with my previous stove.

 

[Chad S.]

Good rule of thumb for northern climates is to knock off about 30% off most of the manufactures sq ft heating specs.

Except for Wood stock Fireview, add 30%

 

[cycloxer]

You want to size the stove to your climate, your layout, and your intended use. You need to take into consideration things like the amount of insulation in your house, the amount of glass, the tightness of your structure, your ceiling height, and the openness of your floor plan. All of these will affect the ability of your stove to heat your house. You also need to consider the specific location of the stove. A stove located in the middle of the room will be much more effective at transferring heat than one installed in an alcove, hearth, or in the far corner of a room. The manufacturer's size recommendations are only a generalization and they tend to list the maximum heating capability of the stove.

Stoves that are too small and too big both have their problems. If you size a stove too small you risk not being able to heat the intended area, you may have to run the stove too hot risking over-firing, and you may have to reload frequently If you size the stove too big you may be wasting $ on the purchase price, you risk over-heating the room in which the stove is located, and you risk having to throttle down the stove below its efficient operating range.

So, it is in your best interest to size the stove appropriately.