Looking for suggestions to burn less wood.

[pburchett]

Looking for suggestions to burn less wood. House is 2450 sq/ft upstairs and 2450 sq/ft downstairs . which is currently heated with a Clayton 1800g warm air furnace in the finished basement. The stove blows through the central AC ductwork in the attic to heat the house. Ultimately the stove blows hot air through a 12 inch duct from the basement to the attic then down to the ground floor and then returns to the basement to complete the cycle. I am sure I loose some heat in this long trio, but everything is very well insulated. The stove does great just that it uses a lot of wood. We burn approximately 5 cords of wood per year. Due to health reasons I would like to burn less.
Thinking about adding a United States Stove Wonderluxe Wood/Coal Stove to the living room upstairsto heat the ground floor since we do not use the basement. Specs for the stove are--Area Covered - 1800 sq. ft., BTUs - 106,000, Blower CFM – 100, Flue Collar Size - 6 in., Fuel Type - Wood/Coal, Hopper Capacity - 50 lb., Log Size - 23 in. I realize there are better stoves but this is the style I like and is readily available in our rural area. Unless, some can recommend a stove with a sheet metal covering and enclosed as pan. Besides the cost of the stove, the only other will be the back board and floor covering which I plan on doing out of ceramic tile.
Any suggestions or comments will be appreciated.

 

[begreen]

Welcome. This is a basic cabinet stove. Don't be fooled by marketing specs. You would need to be stoking the cabinet stove like a fireman to hit 106K BTUs. If you plan on continuing to burn wood, there are more efficient units than the Wonderluxe. I would look at a large Buck or Blaze King catalytic stove instead. Or consider a basic Englander 30NC which can be picked up at the nearest Home Depot or delivered to your door. These stoves are much more efficient and cleaner burning. The caveat is that they are going to want fully seasoned wood to perform at maximum output efficiency.

 

[Grisu]

Are you planning on burning coal in the new stove or how do you think that adding another stove will reduce your wood consumption? I think 5 cords for heating 5000 sqft is a pretty good number. There are only so many BTUs in one cord of wood. Maybe you could reduce that a bit by making sure the wood is fully seasoned and switching to higher density species like oak, black locust, or beech if those are available in your area and you are not burning them already. If you want to go for convenience, adding a pellet stove may help. You still have to handle the bags, though.

For specific info about the Wonderluxe try this forum of coalburners: nepacrossroads.com

 

[begreen]

If I understand the OP, they will be heating half the space with the new stove.

 

[TimfromMA]

Move to a warmer climate.

 

[pburchett]

The Carolina's sound nice!

 

[bobdog2o02]

If health reasons is the main problem then maybe switching to brick fuel could save on the labor involved with processing, I have used this brand in the past and was very pleased overall. (broken link removed) I have used other brick fuels also but was not very impressed, especially with redstone. These brick are a lot like pellets, some are good and some are not.

 

[Jags]

The OP appears to already be in Kentucky.

5 cords for almost 5000 sqft of house doesn't sound out of line, but I think I understand your goal. As Begreen stated, I think you would be well served by an EPA rated large wood stove. There are design changes from coal to wood burning that if the stove design compromises for both, it doesn't do either one well or it tips its hat in one direction or the other. Ya gonna burn coal? Get a coal stove. Wood? Get a wood stove.

Mild (compared to most) climate...Large house...well insulated...sounds like a job for a big cat stove.

 

[bluedogz]

Looking for suggestions to burn less wood. House is 2450 sq/ft upstairs and 2450 sq/ft downstairs . which is currently heated with a Clayton 1800g warm air furnace in the finished basement. The stove blows through the central AC ductwork in the attic to heat the house. Ultimately the stove blows hot air through a 12 inch duct from the basement to the attic then down to the ground floor and then returns to the basement to complete the cycle. I am sure I loose some heat in this long trio, but everything is very well insulated. The stove does great just that it uses a lot of wood. We burn approximately 5 cords of wood per year. Due to health reasons I would like to burn less.
Thinking about adding a United States Stove Wonderluxe Wood/Coal Stove to the living room upstairsto heat the ground floor since we do not use the basement. Specs for the stove are--Area Covered - 1800 sq. ft., BTUs - 106,000, Blower CFM – 100, Flue Collar Size - 6 in., Fuel Type - Wood/Coal, Hopper Capacity - 50 lb., Log Size - 23 in. I realize there are better stoves but this is the style I like and is readily available in our rural area. Unless, some can recommend a stove with a sheet metal covering and enclosed as pan. Besides the cost of the stove, the only other will be the back board and floor covering which I plan on doing out of ceramic tile.
Any suggestions or comments will be appreciated.

I burn that much heating half that footprint... or at least I did last year.

Depending where you are, you can try these: (broken link removed)
I had good luck at a reasonable price.

 

[Grisu]

If I understand the OP, they will be heating half the space with the new stove.

My impression was it is 2 floors of 5000 sqft plus the basement but maybe the basement is included in the whole area. The question is also if the wood processing or fueling the furnace is the problem. The former could be helped by using compressed logs or buying split wood. The Clayton furnace also works with coal, maybe that would be an easier option to reduce the physical toll?

Besides the cost of the stove, the only other will be the back board and floor covering which I plan on doing out of ceramic tile.

Do you already have a chimney for a stove in place? What is your budget?

 

[bobdog2o02]

I burn that much heating half that footprint... or at least I did last year.

Depending where you are, you can try these: (broken link removed)
I had good luck at a reasonable price.

That's the same link I put up. VERY dense product.

 

[begreen]

pburchett please clarify the house construction. Is this a basement plus first floor house (2450 ft per floor) for a total of 4900 sq ft? Or is it a 2 story 4900 sq ft house with an additional 2450 sq ft of basement for a total of 7350 sq ft heated?

Also, what is the ceiling height of the area you want to heat with a wood stove?

 

[pburchett]

That is 4900 sq/ft total. Ground floor plus basement. 8 ft ceilings throughout. Sorry for the confusion.
It is not fueling the stove that is the problem it is processing that is getting to me.
I already have a triple wall stainless chimney to use. I thought a coal/wood stove would be better built than just a wood stove. If it is not completely enclosed with a sheet metal guard, then I do not want it.
I burn just about anything available. I burn the popular and light stuff to knock the frost off and save the hickory and oak for the cold days.

 

[bobdog2o02]

The brick fuel in a Blaze King stove is pretty awesome. It would be no more work than Coal and the ash is less obnoxious. If you go with coal check into these Saey Stoves, they are REALLY good looking units and super durable. (broken link removed to http://www.bierlygroup.com/saey/index.htm)

For better advice on coal stoves talk with these guys.....http://nepacrossroads.com/

 

[Huntindog1]

How far are you from Lexington Kentucky?

I found a site called kentuckywoodheat in Lexington KY.

Looks like they sell some of the new high efficiency wood furnaces.

These furnaces are much more efficient and will burn less wood.

(broken link removed)

But like BeGreen mentioned your wood must be really seasoned dry or you will be getting less heat out of the wood.

 

[begreen]

That is 4900 sq/ft total. Ground floor plus basement. 8 ft ceilings throughout. Sorry for the confusion.
It is not fueling the stove that is the problem it is processing that is getting to me.
I already have a triple wall stainless chimney to use. I thought a coal/wood stove would be better built than just a wood stove. If it is not completely enclosed with a sheet metal guard, then I do not want it.
I burn just about anything available. I burn the popular and light stuff to knock the frost off and save the hickory and oak for the cold days.

I'm not sure why the requirement for a sheet metal enclosure. Why is this important? You might consider a Pacific Energy Summit Classic stove in that case. It has a very nice porcelain coated steel jacket around the stove body. But the front door has glass and is exposed. This is a huge advantage for increased radiant heat and a wonderful fire view which many think is one of the best features. You can choose the color of the cabinet and the finish of the door and legs. Here is one in brown with a black door and legs.



How long do you normally season your hickory or oak?

 

[bluedogz]

If it is not completely enclosed with a sheet metal guard, then I do not want it.

+1- can you put some skin on that need?

The compressed brick product eliminates (or COULD eliminate) processing altogether.

 

[Owen1508]

Looking for suggestions to burn less wood. currently heated with a Clayton 1800g warm air furnace in the finished basement. The stove does great just that it uses a lot of wood. We burn approximately 5 cords of wood per year.

Do you have a draft induction kit on that clayton? It could help cut back on the wood usage.

If you are looking to add another stove to reduce the amount of cordwood you have to stack, you might want to look towards a pellet stove like Grisu said.

As far as circulators (cabinet stoves) you can also look at the Ashley or Vogelzang, they both produce a wood only and a coal only unit.

 

[Grisu]

That is 4900 sq/ft total. Ground floor plus basement. 8 ft ceilings throughout. Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks for clarifying that. I guess the mistake was mine as others seem to have gotten it right the first time. It is possible that you may save on wood when heating only one floor instead of two. However, do both floors have approximately the same temperature when you run the furnace? If the upper floor is usually warmer than the basement you may save less than you think. Any stove will also be a space heater; is your floorplan open enough for the heat to move around?

It is not fueling the stove that is the problem it is processing that is getting to me.

There are quite a few options to reduce the amount of processing: Buy split firewood or pay someone to process the one you have. Switch to compressed logs like Ecobricks. Run your furnace on coal. Or go for a pellet stove. The only problem: All those options come with higher fuel cost than self-processed firewood. On the other hand, buying a new stove will also be an initial investment and you still have to process at least some wood.

I already have a triple wall stainless chimney to use. I thought a coal/wood stove would be better built than just a wood stove. If it is not completely enclosed with a sheet metal guard, then I do not want it.

No view of the fire? As Jags said, a combo stove will be less ideal to burn either fuel than a dedicated wood or coal stove. The Wonderluxe for example is listed as "EPA-exempt" and I could not find any efficiency numbers for it. Dunno if it is as efficient as your furnace. If you are unlucky you could burn almost the same amount of wood for less heat with that stove.

How tall is that chimney? Most stoves need at least 15 ft of flue and in your warmer climate I would not go less than that.

I burn just about anything available. I burn the popular and light stuff to knock the frost off and save the hickory and oak for the cold days.

Hickory and oak should be seasoned for at least two years. You may save on firewood just by doing that.

 

[branchburner]

Looking for suggestions to burn less wood.

= cat stove

Buck. BK, Woodstock

 

[byQ]

Another option to consider is 2 masonry heaters vertically stacked on top of each other, such that one is in the basement and one is on the main floor. This stack would contain one chimney with 2 flues (money saver). This is a better set-up for new construction but harder for a retrofit.

The best scenario is a central location with the flue running inside the house, and a house with an open-ish floor plan. Generally, you'll burn less wood with this set-up, and do less physical work tending to your burning appliance (one 2-3 hour burn a day in each heater - than done).