Is the stove I want too big for my living room??

[rossila]

Hi!

I just moved into a house that's 1,137 sq feet. After doing much research on wood-stoves I have my heart set on a Fireview from Woodstock. Being that the company sends the stove direct, I called up a local woodstove store to see about installation. When I called them they told me that the stove is too big for my house (they also sell wood-stoves and were trying to talk me into looking at stoves that they had for sale. . .) Anyway, I called someone from CSIA and he came out and said that the manufacturer says it heats 900-1600 sq ft. and I should be okay. I would like to get other people's opinions on this. My question is . . . when I figure in the downstairs dimensions, I get 769 sq feet (the remaining 368 sq ft is upstairs), my living room alone is only 12 X 15 which is 240 sq feet, do you think that my house/living room is too small for a Fireview? Will I be heating us out? Below are pictures of part of my downstairs from when it was listed for sale so that you can see the layout. Please know that the furnishings and electric fireplace in the pictures are not mine, but were the previous owners'. Thanks for any input!!

Livingroom: back archway leads to a small hallway where there is a bedroom, bathroom and another bedroom.


Front of Living-room: Front archway leads to kitchen - stairway goes to 2 bedrooms on the upper level.


Complete view of living-room

 

[begreen]

The Fireview has a nice range of output and should be ok once it gets cold outside. The stove will primarily be heating about 600 sq ft (LR + upstairs) unless some sort of fan is used to move some heat through the side rooms. Those archways will block heat from convecting into them, so it will mostly head upstairs.

What stoves were recommended to you?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

As long as your house isn't super insulated you shouldn't have too much of a problem.

 

[kennyp2339]

I don't think the size of the stove is a game changer, as you learn to run it you'll be able to adjust its output. Is the stove going were the existing fireplace is located? You may want to invest in a few ceiling fans, then you can keep the air moving.

 

[ratsrepus]

I don't think the size of the stove is a game changer, as you learn to run it you'll be able to adjust its output. Is the stove going were the existing fireplace is located? You may want to invest in a few ceiling fans, then you can keep the air moving.

I will drink to that.

 

[Ashful]

Nice place. A little crown molding and chair rail would really make those rooms look fantastic.

The Fireview has a 10-12 hour burn time on a 2.2 cu.ft. firebox = 5 hours per cu.ft., so it can turn down to fairly low output. 10,800 min BTU by EPA test method, which may not translate to real-world performance, but it’s a good metric by which to compare with other potential candidate stoves.

I’d be looking at that stove, and the three BK 20 size stoves, if I had a place your size. Some here will recommend the BK 30’s, pointing they can turn down lower than any of these (up to 10 hours per cu.ft.), but they are physically larger.

Note, most here prefer to use firebox volume and burn time over EPA BTUs, as it’s usually a better indicator of actual stove performance. You’re limited to how many BTU your box can hold (cu.ft.), all that’s left is controlling the release rate of that fixed load (burn time), and net efficiency of your rig.

 

[Woody Stover]

The Fireview has a 10-12 hour burn time on a 2.2 cu.ft. firebox = 5 hours per cu.ft.,

It's more like 1.8 cu.ft.

 

[Ashful]

It's more like 1.8 cu.ft.

I’m not disagreeing with your opinion, most Manufacturer’s are optimistic in quoting their firebox volume, but Woodstock lists this at 14.5” x 13” x 20” = 2.2 cu.ft. If comparing to other stoves, we should use the likewise-optimistic numbers listed by all manufacturers, unless we want to get into doing all of our own measurements and assessments on all models.

 

[Ludlow]

I’m not disagreeing with your opinion, most Manufacturer’s are optimistic in quoting their firebox volume, but Woodstock lists this at 14.5” x 13” x 20” = 2.2 cu.ft. If comparing to other stoves, we should use the likewise-optimistic numbers listed by all manufacturers, unless we want to get into doing all of our own measurements and assessments on all models.

Your calculation doesnt factor in the volume of the firebrick once placed inside. Am I right or wrong?

 

[Highbeam]

I’m not disagreeing with your opinion, most Manufacturer’s are optimistic in quoting their firebox volume, but Woodstock lists this at 14.5” x 13” x 20” = 2.2 cu.ft. If comparing to other stoves, we should use the likewise-optimistic numbers listed by all manufacturers, unless we want to get into doing all of our own measurements and assessments on all models.

Thing is, not all manufacturers miss the mark by as much as Woodstock about this so your theory doesn’t work all the time. Some are quite honest and some are way wrong.

Regardless, all of the straight cat Woodstock stoves are small. The fireview would do well in the op’s home.

 

[Ashful]

Your calculation doesnt factor in the volume of the firebrick once placed inside. Am I right or wrong?

That's a question for Woodstock, I'm just quoting the numbers on their site, and I don't see where they specify that.

 

[begreen]

Didn't know the Fireview had any firebrick inside. Thought it was just double-wall soapstone.

 

[Ashful]

Didn't know the Fireview had any firebrick inside. Thought it was just double-wall soapstone.

I was wondering about that...

 

[Ludlow]

My bad. But it does bring up a question. Do the stove specs of various brands include the firebrick reduction once placed inside?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I think it depends on the marketing staff.

 

[Woody Stover]

unless we want to get into doing all of our own measurements and assessments on all models.

Spoken like a true stove nerd.
I'll re-measure the Fv box soon...the stove is less than a quarter-mile away.

 

[Calentarse]

I’d recommend the Fireview or any other small soapstone or jacketed stove. The BK Ashford line would be good as it is jacketed. I used to heat a 1220 square foot rancher with my BK30 and the jacket really keeps the heat down on it. Very nice so as to not run you out of the room when it is on low. Makes living with a wood stove much more tolerable.

 

[Propane_Poor]

Is your house well insulated?
In my experience, our house is about 1,050 sq ft. and we have difficulty heating 24/7 with a Jotul f400, which is rated for about 500 sq ft. more, if I recall correctly. But our insulation is poor.

You can always build a smaller fire. If you can fit a hearth pad for the bigger stove, I don't think you will have any regrets actually having a stove that is merely somewhat bigger than you think you might need. Especially in cold snaps.

 

[Ashful]

Is your house well insulated?
In my experience, our house is about 1,050 sq ft. and we have difficulty heating 24/7 with a Jotul f400, which is rated for about 500 sq ft. more, if I recall correctly. But our insulation is poor.

You can always build a smaller fire. If you can fit a hearth pad for the bigger stove, I don't think you will have any regrets actually having a stove that is merely somewhat bigger than you think you might need. Especially in cold snaps.

Good info. Just keep in mind that “build a smaller fire” is otherwise stated as “have a short burn time”. The challenge to these small spaces is always stove size vs. burn time, and it’s why you always see so many cat stove (esp. BK) recommendations any time there’s a very small space. They have the combination of a firebox that can support 12+ hours and the ability for very low output that won’t heat you out of the joint.

When you get into larger spaces, this is less of an issue, as you can get reasonable burn times out of just about any 3 cu.ft. EPA stove.