Jotul Rockland 550

[Korasdad]

KorasMom made the choice and I ordered it today. The dealer said it will be in end of August or early September. Demand is very high for the appliances.

Question... We live in CT about 25 miles from Hartford. How much wood to buy/cut/scavenge to last the winter?
I have approx one cord that is a year old, didn't buy the insert last year so it is well seasoned.

Thanks, KorasDad

 

[begreen]

Congratulations! Who's Kora?

There are lots of variables that will affect wood consumption including how warm the house is kept. For starters, how often do you plan on burning, 24/7 or nights and weekends? How large is the house and how well insulated?

 

[jadm]

I had a 550 installed mid January and burn 24/7 - actually if it's not super cold out we let the fire die back around midnight and my husband usually starts it up around 7 in the morning...so 18/7. I have 4 cords of wood for next winter. I have no idea how much I will actually use but wanted to make sure I had plenty that was well seasoned. (These guys don't like wet wood.)

I used to have a Napoleon 1101 and burned anywhere from 2 1/2 - 3 cords depending on the temps. The 550 has a much bigger fire box and a bigger appetite hence my decision to buy 4 cords...

My house is 1800 sqft. and I like to keep the temp. around 72*-74*.

 

[gpcollen1]

Live here in CT too. I have an Avalon Olympic - so big firebox that takes 24" logs. Burn it 24/7 once it hits around November 1, depending on temps at the time, and run it til April-ish, once again depending on temps. I have that stove packed to the gills and cranking out heat during the colder months. My total usage is between 4 and 5 cords. Then again, I am about to add a stove so my usage is going to go up 2 cords I bet.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I used to have a Napoleon 1101 and burned anywhere from 2 1/2 - 3 cords depending on the temps.

How did the Napoleon treat you? What type of burn time did you get from it, did it last through the night? Looking to possibly buy one.

 

[jadm]

I used to have a Napoleon 1101 and burned anywhere from 2 1/2 - 3 cords depending on the temps.

How did the Napoleon treat you? What type of burn time did you get from it, did it last through the night? Looking to possibly buy one.

Two chief complaints about my Napoleon.

Primary complaint: On the 1101 (Which is the smaller insert.) the blower is mounted on the back and the entire unit has to be pulled out in order to clean it which is a major headache and expense.

Secondary complaint: It just wasn't big enough...Great on days around 40* but couldn't keep up on coolder days and coal build up got to be a problem around mid afternoon. Had to scoop out coals in order to add more wood in order to keep temps. up....

I'm not very experienced with burn times. I am home all day and tend to add splits throughout depending on temps etc. If it got loaded up at midnight there would still be some hot coals in the a.m. and room temp would be low 60's..

My advice is look at the larger model. As most say here - you can always build a smaller fire.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I used to have a Napoleon 1101 and burned anywhere from 2 1/2 - 3 cords depending on the temps.

How did the Napoleon treat you? What type of burn time did you get from it, did it last through the night? Looking to possibly buy one.

Two chief complaints about my Napoleon.

Primary complaint: On the 1101 (Which is the smaller insert.) the blower is mounted on the back and the entire unit has to be pulled out in order to clean it which is a major headache and expense.

Secondary complaint: It just wasn't big enough...Great on days around 40* but couldn't keep up on coolder days and coal build up got to be a problem around mid afternoon. Had to scoop out coals in order to add more wood in order to keep temps. up....

I'm not very experienced with burn times. I am home all day and tend to add splits throughout depending on temps etc. If it got loaded up at midnight there would still be some hot coals in the a.m. and room temp would be low 60's..

My advice is look at the larger model. As most say here - you can always build a smaller fire.

Thanks for the info! The blower maintenance alone might make me move in the direction of the Osburn 1600. Bigger is always better, but unfortunately the price tag is usually bigger, also. The Osburn 1600 seems a little bigger, but I'm not sure if there is anything else out there that is larger, but still priced about the same.

 

[Korasdad]

Congratulations! Who's Kora?

There are lots of variables that will affect wood consumption including how warm the house is kept. For starters, how often do you plan on burning, 24/7 or nights and weekends? How large is the house and how well insulated?

Kora is the middle child in our family. Three kids, two dogs, and a cat. She was the life changer when we went from one kid, lots of time, and spare money to not a lot of time or money. The third kid just meant they outnumbered us and we need to keep circling the wagons.

I plan to burn whenever we are home. Both KorasMom and I work, leaving the house at 7 and getting back at 6. The oldest daughter is home about 3 from school so hopefully she will help out some. In effect nights and weekends. The daytime temps can be lower as the house will be empty.

The house is new in 2006, well insulated, 2600 ft2 colonial. Nice open floor plan down but the usual chopped up 4 bedroom upstairs. We used 800 gallons of fossil fuel in our forced air furnace over the last year at a nominal thermostat setting of 65F during the day and 60F at night.

Thanks, KorasDad

 

[BrowningBAR]

The house is new in 2006, well insulated, 2600 ft2 colonial. Nice open floor plan down but the usual chopped up 4 bedroom upstairs. We used 800 gallons of fossil fuel in our forced air furnace over the last year at a nominal thermostat setting of 65F during the day and 60F at night.

Interesting. I live in an old (267 years old) and not well insulated stone farmhouse. We go through about 1000 gallons and keep it at 60 degrees night and day. Always good to hear what the oil consumption is for other homes.

We are installing two wood stoves and I am REALLY looking forward to at least having two warm rooms (family room and kitchen) to hang out in. I have no idea what to expect in terms of heat making it to the rest of the house. I do plan on having them burning 24/7. I am hoping the master bedroom will get a good amount of heat as it is right above the kitchen and the flooring is wide planked pumpkin pine on hand carved beams. So, hopefully a lot of heat vents up to the bedroom.

I also plan on attempting to tighten up the house a bit to lock in more heat.

 

[labrador]

I just had a Rockland 550 installed on Monday. House is a split ranch, stove is in an 850 square foot room with eight foot ceilings. Hope it adequately heats that plus a large bedroom at the end of a long hallway. Any tricks on firing up the stove or running it? Good luck on you r new purchase. Any advice from 550 owners would be appreciated. Stove is on the upstairs floor in the middle of the large room.

 

[begreen]

Congratulations! Who's Kora?

There are lots of variables that will affect wood consumption including how warm the house is kept. For starters, how often do you plan on burning, 24/7 or nights and weekends? How large is the house and how well insulated?

Kora is the middle child in our family. Three kids, two dogs, and a cat. She was the life changer when we went from one kid, lots of time, and spare money to not a lot of time or money. The third kid just meant they outnumbered us and we need to keep circling the wagons.

I plan to burn whenever we are home. Both KorasMom and I work, leaving the house at 7 and getting back at 6. The oldest daughter is home about 3 from school so hopefully she will help out some. In effect nights and weekends. The daytime temps can be lower as the house will be empty.

The house is new in 2006, well insulated, 2600 ft2 colonial. Nice open floor plan down but the usual chopped up 4 bedroom upstairs. We used 800 gallons of fossil fuel in our forced air furnace over the last year at a nominal thermostat setting of 65F during the day and 60F at night.

Thanks, KorasDad

So back of the napkin calc shows about 111M BTUs to heat the house last year. That would be roughly about 5 cords of hardwood. I would get at least 4 cords asap.

 

[Korasdad]

Congratulations! Who's Kora?

There are lots of variables that will affect wood consumption including how warm the house is kept. For starters, how often do you plan on burning, 24/7 or nights and weekends? How large is the house and how well insulated?

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The house is new in 2006, well insulated, 2600 ft2 colonial. Nice open floor plan down but the usual chopped up 4 bedroom upstairs. We used 800 gallons of fossil fuel in our forced air furnace over the last year at a nominal thermostat setting of 65F during the day and 60F at night.

Thanks, KorasDad

So back of the napkin calc shows about 111M BTUs to heat the house last year. That would be roughly about 5 cords of hardwood. I would get at least 4 cords asap.

I ordered two more cord from a local guy and my brother offered one from his land which will give me the suggested 4 cord. Thank you for the help. KorasDad