Looking for a wood stove, first time buyer, would like to get your advice

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.

simondec

New Member
May 30, 2021
7
Quebec
Hey there!

I own a two story century-old house in Quebec, Canada. Each floor is 900 sq.ft, heated in winter with hot water radiators. First floor has 10 ft ceiling. The basement is in stone and not insulated. We got a pellet stove down there to heat the basement though.

There's an open room of 15 x 30 ft where a brick chimney is protruding (was for a furnace in the basement that has been removed since), which runs 25 ft high at least. We would really like to get a wood stove there! It would mainly be for ambiance, but on cold days it would help having an optional secondary heat source as the water radiators leaves cold spots. The stairs leading up is not so close to the chimney, so I don't know if heat could circulate well in the upper floor?

I really like the vintage look of cast iron stoves. I was looking for the Hearthstone Craftsbury, or maybe the PE Alderlea T4? Or would the larger tier (ex: Shelburne/T5) be more appropriate for our space? We won't be sitting so far away from the stove, so I don't want to make inefficient burns so we could withstand the heat.

Here's a picture of the room with the chimney. The black ottoman is where we would want the stove to be installed (it has the size of the Shelburne). As you can see, since the chimney is already protruding, we don't want something too big neither.

Any advice? Thank you very much!

IMG_7205.jpg
 
Why not contact sbi they are right in quebec.osburn stoves are great,drolet are good and sbi support is awesome.plus you are supporting made in canada.just saying.
 
450 sq ft is not a large area. Unless there is a good opportunity for the heat to circulate to the rest of the house on that floor, go small. We are waiting for the return of the Hampton H200 & H300. The H200 also would be a good fit as would be the Jotul F100 or F3CB if they ever return.
 
I like the T4. where are the stairs to the second floor? A 500 sq ft room that is not really open to other parts of the house will get plenty warm with 1.5-1.7 Cu ft stove. I have a Jotul F400 (1.7 cu ft) and heat 1000 sq ft room fine plus another 1000 sq ft but not so well. If you want to heat as much as you can with wood the T4 seems like a good option.

If you think you want fires for enjoyment (not so much 24/7 heating) I'd look at something smaller so you can watch the flames and not be cooked out of the room. Maybe a Morso? Are you thinking in front of or beside the chimney. Look at clearances and tape out hearthpad and stove location on the floor.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SpaceBus
Why not contact sbi they are right in quebec.osburn stoves are great,drolet are good and sbi support is awesome.plus you are supporting made in canada.just saying.
In addition to SBI stoves, Regency/Hampton, Pacific Energy, Napoleon and some Blaze Kings are also made in Canada.
 
  • Like
Reactions: marty319
Thank you for your replies!

@EbS-P I did a quick plan of our 1st floor. I guess the heat could spread easily on that floor at least. We have 5'5" clearance from the chimney (in red) to our first living room furniture. Since the chimney is plain bricks, I think the wood stove could be placed right against it?

If you think you want fires for enjoyment (not so much 24/7 heating) I'd look at something smaller so you can watch the flames and not be cooked out of the room. Maybe a Morso? Are you thinking in front of or beside the chimney. Look at clearances and tape out hearthpad and stove location on the floor.

I want a wood stove for enjoyment first. If it can double as a complementary heat source on cold nights, thats even better. But since I would be putting the stove in front of the chimney, I have to look for something compact.

From what I saw in manuals:
  • Craftsbury: 20" depth + 18" front clearance = 38"
  • Shelburne: 21 1/4" depth + 18" front clearance = 39 1/4"
  • Alderlea T4: 22 3/4" depth + 18" front clearance = 40 3/4"

A morso may be nice since they are smaller, but have they passed EPA 2020 certification?

Thanks!
 

Attachments

  • floorplan.png
    floorplan.png
    122.9 KB · Views: 235
Several of the Morso stoves are EPA 2020 approved. The Morso 7110 would be a good fit there. It's about 18.5" deep.

Not much heat will migrate through the 30" opening to the kitchen and entry space without assistance. A table or box fan placed in the adjacent space, on the floor, pointing into the stove room would help. Run it on low speed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EbS-P
Check with your city/municipality about their emissions regulations. Montreal is the only city I'm aware of that requires less than 2.5g/hr (as tested to EPA 2020 or CSA B415.10 standards), otherwise the rest of Canada is still using CSA B415.10 which only requires emissions below 4.5g/hr, of course EPA 2020 is accepted in lieu of CSA.
 
A morso may be nice since they are smaller, but have they passed EPA 2020 certification?

Yes

Maybe you could put it real close to the bricks but it’s not a wood fireplace and the brick is touching the combustible wall so that’s probably something an expert should chime in on. You will need to make the 90 or 2-45s into the chimney so it can’t be right next to the brick anyway. I’d plan standard double wall clearance to to the chimney. How many flues are in the chimney? What size and type? Those are other good things to know.
 
Clearance requirements are to combustibles. The chimney is brick and non-combustible so the stove can be placed up close to it. The drywall on the sides appears to be well beyond the clearance requirements, but it's important to verify this.

Looking at the room, attention should be paid to the hearth pad. It will need to project into the room at least 16" in front of the stove door.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EbS-P
There's 17" of chimney coming out of the drywall. The chimney itself is single flu, and the vendor suggested installing a 6" insulated liner in case there's some cracks in the bricks or in the ceramic tiles covering the inside. I wouldn't mind having the stove sitting a few inches from the chimney if need be.

Since the size look similar, would the Craftsbury also be a good choice? Or the Green Mountain 40? I don't really know about the catalytic combustor, from what I read here it look like it make it harder to start a fire, and that the window often turns black on low burn?

Out of curiosity, why is it written in the Morso 7110 manual to never burn overnight? Could you still put a couple of logs and let those consume while you go asleep?
 
  • Like
Reactions: RShim
I'm not sure, I don't recall that in other Morso manuals. It's a moot point. A 1 cu ft stove is not going to be an overnight burner. The advantage of the Morso, besides good quality, is simplicity.
 
Yeah we are not looking specifically for an overnight burner. As long as we can enjoy the sight/smell/sound/warmth of a good fire, and if it can add some heat to our main heat system, that's perfect!

So the Morso 7110 looks like a great choice. @begreen otherwise do you have any thoughts on the Craftsbury and Green Mountain 40 whose share similar dimensions?
 
Both the catalytic Craftsbury and the GM40 are new intros this year. How well they will work out is still to be determined. In the past the Craftsbury was a good occasional burner, but not as nicely constructed as the Shelburne. It had issues with the hinges and latch over time if I remember correctly. I don't know if those issues have been addressed.
 
I'm not sure, I don't recall that in other Morso manuals. It's a moot point. A 1 cu ft stove is not going to be an overnight burner. The advantage of the Morso, besides good quality, is simplicity.
Simple for the ambiance is good. Build it top down, light, close door in 5 minutes. Set air, watch it burn. Add wood when you want or need to. Cats have their place... near the stove but not to close;) ha...... ha....... all joking aside I didn’t want to maintain one or teach my wife or kids how the bypass operates. I’m still trying to teach them to turn the lights off ! I want a blaze king for my second stove/insert probably to pricey. I’d install a Morso no hesitation.

Evan
 
I have the GM40 and do like it a lot.

Things I love:
it’s been easy to use even for my fiancé who doesn’t have any experience
it’s cast iron
it’s extremely simple even for a Cat stove
It has an awesome view of the fire and the glass stays clear
It heats my 1600 sf two story house with out issue yet it doesn’t cook me out of the living room. (It’s well sized for my space)
it’s built well
No other stove looks quite like it!


What I don’t love:
The cat needs occasional attention, I need to brush the fly ash off about once a month sometimes more. This coming season I will have very dry wood (<20% moisture content) and I’m hoping this will improve. It’s a smaller stove that will fit a 16 inch piece of wood max and 18 inch cuts are more common to find from firewood processors around here. I chainsaw the 18"+ pieces in half and load them North/South. Also being that’s a small-ish stove a true overnight burn is tougher to get. It needs to be stuffed right before bed

Again overall I like the stove. I have zero buyers remorse.
 
Last edited:
I will point out that the only heat you will get out of any stove is radiant heat with a stone basement. Stone has close to zero R value and the ground temp is probably 40 degrees down low and colder as you move up to ground level in winter. If you try to heat that basement you will find a band of melted snow around the house in the winter and your plants up against the foundation will bloom earlier. Your wood consumption will be double if not triple compared to an insulated basement.
 
Hey @Rob_Red, thanks for your feedback regarding the GM40.

How big is the room where it sits? I own a 1800 sf two story house, but the stove would sit in a 450 sf room with only a doorway for heat propagation.

it’s extremely simple even for a Cat stove
It has an awesome view of the fire and the glass stays clear

Are you able to enjoy a nice burning fire even with the cat turned on? Doesn't it "asphyxiate" the fire somehow by reducing the air output, reducing it to glowing ambers instead?

And are you able to stand the heat from up close? I may be sitting 4 feet from the stove.

I'm on the fence between the GM40 and the Morso 7110:
  • They have almost identical dimensions.
  • I like that GM40 is having wood handles (Morso's are plastic)
  • I find Morso's simpler & more traditional burn system appealing (without cat).
  • Morso 7110 seems to allows up to 18 in logs (recommending 16.5 in)
  • GM40 has a slightly bigger firebox (1.32 cu ft vs 1.04 cu ft for Morso 7110)
 
Why is any of that applicable to this thread?
The things that stand out are the existing fireplace was converted into a heater hearth. which they installed a wood stove inside of it.

In my opinion there is also a lot of other useful discussion in the thread

Did you read the First post in the thread?

They took this
RH_assessment1.jpg


And made it into this
RH_assessment7.jpg


RH_assessment10.jpg



I also just think rumford fireplaces are cool and would provide the "ambience" which the original poster is looking for.
 
The things that stand out are the existing fireplace was converted into a heater hearth. which they installed a wood stove inside of it.

In my opinion there is also a lot of other useful discussion in the thread

Did you read the First post in the thread?

They took this
RH_assessment1.jpg


And made it into this
RH_assessment7.jpg


RH_assessment10.jpg



I also just think rumford fireplaces are cool and would provide the "ambience" which the original poster is looking for.
Yes but the op doesn't have a fireplace or a foundation for one. They simply have a chimney which was previously used for a furnace. So there is no fireplace to remove inorder to put an alcove in. And no fireplace to convert to a Rumford.
 
The things that stand out are the existing fireplace was converted into a heater hearth. which they installed a wood stove inside of it.

In my opinion there is also a lot of other useful discussion in the thread

Did you read the First post in the thread?
That is referring to a completely different posting. Read the first post in the thread.
 
Yes but the op doesn't have a fireplace or a foundation for one. They simply have a chimney which was previously used for a furnace. So there is no fireplace to remove inorder to put an alcove in. And no fireplace to convert to a Rumford.

So what you are saying is the original poster cannot get creative and create the space for something different? They cannot do these things?

I believe the Original poster could make something like what i posted.

Converting what they have would also allow the wood stove to sit further inside the wall and protrude less.