Hi all,
I am looking for some advice on where to locate a woodstove in our house. A bit of a long post, so I'll get right to it.
Our house is a two storey home. The house consists of an original small house with an addition built onto the front. The old section is 2x4 (the old real 2" x 4") frame. The front is 2x6 frame. The old/back is north facing and colder than the new/front side which is south facing and better insulated. The combined 1st floor lay out is approximately 36' wide by 32' deep. The front half of the 1st floor is an open floor plan (approx 36' x 16') with kitchen, dining, sitting space and along the east wall stairs to 2nd floor. This room has 8'6" ceilings and great southern exposure. Back half of the 1st floor has 7' ceiling is 1/2 living room with rumford fireplace along east wall. 1/4 office. 1/4 mud room/bath/storage. With 2nd floor, the total area of the house is approx 2,300 sq. ft.
We generally spend most of our time in the front room (kitchen/dining/etc...) though I am currently working in the office in the rear 3 days a week. We typically don't relax in the LR until evenings. But when we do, especially on weekends, we like to build a fire in the fireplace.
The house's primary heat system is oil fired boiler with zones. Over 2007 & 2008 winters we averaged about 525 gallons of heating oil. In our house, a thermostat set to 65 is luxury. 1st floor high is set at 64 and at 58 for the overnights. Upstairs thermostats are typically at 58. 60 in the bath room. And bumped to 62 in the kids rooms after dinner then back down to 58 for the overnight. Doors to upstairs bedrooms are kept closed in winter.
The objectives of our wood stove install are:
1. Reduce oil consumption. I'd like to drop it at least in half.
2. Provide that good ol wood stove radiant heat.
3. And get the home temps above 65 without feeling like I'm flushing money down the drain.
4. Have an even heat throughout the first floor such that the rear of the house is as warm as the front.
Here are our potential locations for a stove:
A. A hearth install in the existing rumford fireplace located in living room. Fireplace specs are: 36" wide x 33" high opening x 16" deep. Stove sidewalls taper in after the first brick to 18" wide in the rear. Hearth is only 19 1/2" off the front, so no matter what we do we'll likely expand this. So don't factor that into any considerations. This will require a 6" liner to be dropped in. This would be the least expensive install. Most rear vent stoves would fit.
B. In the front room centered along the center wall between the front and the back of the house. This will require a two storey chimney to be installed with a surround built running up through our 2nd floor and then through the crawlspace attic. This would be the most expensive install.
C. In the front room along the southern outside wall. There is a small dormer roof here that I can punch up and through for a chimney, so any chimney install would only entail a single ceiling/roof pass through and could then run up along the outside of the house.
A few questions I have:
1. Is the best location for a stove along an exterior, and therefore colder wall, or an interior wall? In other words, which location is best apt to naturally facilitate heat circulation throughout the house?
2. Is there a preference in stove type (cast iron vs. soapstone) depending upon the location? Specifically, is a soapstone fireplace better suited to a centrally located position, from which it can emit a steady and consistent heat all day? Is a cast iron stove well suited for a peripheral location where there it may promote convection air currents in the house?
3. Up front costs aside, from an efficiency and results orientation, am I better off going with a modest sized stove in the fireplace or a larger stove and potentially considerably more complicated install in the front room?
Lastly, for better or worse, I am limiting my considerations to Jotul or Hearthstone stoves. In the Jotul family we're in the F 3 CB to Castine (maybe Oslo) range. In the Hearthstones, we're in the Homestead/Heritage/Mansfield range (not considering the Phoneix). Thought you should know.
Many thanks for your help here.
I am looking for some advice on where to locate a woodstove in our house. A bit of a long post, so I'll get right to it.
Our house is a two storey home. The house consists of an original small house with an addition built onto the front. The old section is 2x4 (the old real 2" x 4") frame. The front is 2x6 frame. The old/back is north facing and colder than the new/front side which is south facing and better insulated. The combined 1st floor lay out is approximately 36' wide by 32' deep. The front half of the 1st floor is an open floor plan (approx 36' x 16') with kitchen, dining, sitting space and along the east wall stairs to 2nd floor. This room has 8'6" ceilings and great southern exposure. Back half of the 1st floor has 7' ceiling is 1/2 living room with rumford fireplace along east wall. 1/4 office. 1/4 mud room/bath/storage. With 2nd floor, the total area of the house is approx 2,300 sq. ft.
We generally spend most of our time in the front room (kitchen/dining/etc...) though I am currently working in the office in the rear 3 days a week. We typically don't relax in the LR until evenings. But when we do, especially on weekends, we like to build a fire in the fireplace.
The house's primary heat system is oil fired boiler with zones. Over 2007 & 2008 winters we averaged about 525 gallons of heating oil. In our house, a thermostat set to 65 is luxury. 1st floor high is set at 64 and at 58 for the overnights. Upstairs thermostats are typically at 58. 60 in the bath room. And bumped to 62 in the kids rooms after dinner then back down to 58 for the overnight. Doors to upstairs bedrooms are kept closed in winter.
The objectives of our wood stove install are:
1. Reduce oil consumption. I'd like to drop it at least in half.
2. Provide that good ol wood stove radiant heat.
3. And get the home temps above 65 without feeling like I'm flushing money down the drain.
4. Have an even heat throughout the first floor such that the rear of the house is as warm as the front.
Here are our potential locations for a stove:
A. A hearth install in the existing rumford fireplace located in living room. Fireplace specs are: 36" wide x 33" high opening x 16" deep. Stove sidewalls taper in after the first brick to 18" wide in the rear. Hearth is only 19 1/2" off the front, so no matter what we do we'll likely expand this. So don't factor that into any considerations. This will require a 6" liner to be dropped in. This would be the least expensive install. Most rear vent stoves would fit.
B. In the front room centered along the center wall between the front and the back of the house. This will require a two storey chimney to be installed with a surround built running up through our 2nd floor and then through the crawlspace attic. This would be the most expensive install.
C. In the front room along the southern outside wall. There is a small dormer roof here that I can punch up and through for a chimney, so any chimney install would only entail a single ceiling/roof pass through and could then run up along the outside of the house.
A few questions I have:
1. Is the best location for a stove along an exterior, and therefore colder wall, or an interior wall? In other words, which location is best apt to naturally facilitate heat circulation throughout the house?
2. Is there a preference in stove type (cast iron vs. soapstone) depending upon the location? Specifically, is a soapstone fireplace better suited to a centrally located position, from which it can emit a steady and consistent heat all day? Is a cast iron stove well suited for a peripheral location where there it may promote convection air currents in the house?
3. Up front costs aside, from an efficiency and results orientation, am I better off going with a modest sized stove in the fireplace or a larger stove and potentially considerably more complicated install in the front room?
Lastly, for better or worse, I am limiting my considerations to Jotul or Hearthstone stoves. In the Jotul family we're in the F 3 CB to Castine (maybe Oslo) range. In the Hearthstones, we're in the Homestead/Heritage/Mansfield range (not considering the Phoneix). Thought you should know.
Many thanks for your help here.
