Long Burn in Small Place

[teague.moon]

Hey all,
I'm buying an 850 sq/ft townhome and want to do most or all of the heating with a wood stove. I'd like to get a stove that can do an overnight burn and I'm looking specifically at the Vermont Castings Encore. I'm worried though, that it could be too big for 850 sq/ft. Even with it dampered as far as it'll reasonably go, I've heard it can still put out a fair bit of heat with a full firebox.

The alternative is getting the smaller Intrepid II which is more appropriately sized, but then I probably won't get overnight burns.

Just some more info on the space to be heated: the stove won't be that close to the bedroom. It's a slab on grade floor. Two walls are shared with other units. The insulation is decent, but the windows aren't that tight... yet.

What do you all think?

Thanks!

 

[DBoon]

Hi Teague.moon, a townhome with shared walls can have a very low heat loss. Even a small stove might overheat the place on a full load. Likely, you'll be running that at a low output (partially filled firebox) much of the time.

Also, have you checked if the townhome complex you are buying in to will allow a wood stove? Most attached housing units/associations will not allow a woodstove in a unit.

 

[begreen]

If permitted, I would look at a Woodstock Keystone for this.

 

[teague.moon]

Thanks for the quick replies. The place already has an old behemoth wood stove that's grandfathered in from the 70s, so I'm sure the HOA and the whole city would approve of my getting a new catalytic stove.

I'm definitely wary of overheating, cause too hot is almost as bad as too cold. Maybe getting a smaller soapstone stove like the Keystone is the way to go.

Any other thoughts?

Thanks,
Teague

 

[begreen]

The Keystone should work out well. It can hold a fire longer than the Intrepid and should not cook you out of the place.

 

[HotCoals]

The Keystone should work out well. It can hold a fire longer than the Intrepid and should cook you out of the place.

Did you mean shouldn't?

 

[begreen]

Whoops, yup. Corrected, thx.

 

[Grisu]

The Keystone would be a good option. Another smallish cat stove would be the Chinook 20 or Sirocco 20 from Blazeking. They don't have the nice soapstone surface to even the temp swings, though.

Did you ask your association if it is ok for you to store 2 to 3 cords of wood in your yard? Any of those stoves needs seasoned wood which most if the time you can only get by drying it yourself for a year or two depending on the species.

 

[smokedragon]

+1 to a smaller cat stove, all sound like quality choices from Grisu and begreen.

I would add the Buck model 20 to that list.

I agree with Grisu, if you can get the stove, do you have a spot for the wood supply? Even in your situation, you will need a fair amount of wood stored to season.

 

[Woody Stover]

The Keystone should work out well. It can hold a fire longer than the Intrepid and should not cook you out of the place.

Yep, it'll burn low and long. Even soft Maple, Cherry and the like will go overnight.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum teague.moon.

I'll second the idea of the Keystone. One thing in its favor and to your advantage is that the heat from a soapstone stove is not a harsh heat but a "soft" heat. Yes, there is a difference. And with the catalyst, you can burn the stove slower so as to not throw so much heat all at once and even out the temperature of the house much easier. Another great thing is the company is first class all the way and will even give you a 6 month money back guarantee with the stove. They are also very easy to work with.