Looking for wood burning stove to heat a small area

[Clint]

Hi,

Believe it or not, winters can get cold in San Diego! I've been using a Country Stoves wood-burning fireplace insert in my living room for about 10 years and it does a good job heating the living room and kitchen on cool winter nights.

I'm in the process of adding a 2nd floor over the garage that will be a home office and a guest bedroom. I want to install a floor-standing wood burning stove in that area. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions for the make//model of stove that would be suitable for my needs. Here's a description:

The area will be well insulated (in-wall insulation and dual pane windows). Need to heat about 550 sq ft. I am interested in maximum efficiency and minimum pollution. Will use a metal chimney going straight up through the roof. I'll be burning wood (not pellets).

I'm not running any forced air heating to this room, so the only source of heat will be the stove. In the winter, we get nighttime lows that can drop into the mid-30s, although low to mid 40s is more typical. (That might not sound cold to some of you, but everybody who has lived through a winter in California says that 40 degrees here feels like 25 degrees in the upper midwest.)

I would like to get a stove that will last a long time. I'm planning on being in this house for at least 20 more years. (I pretty much have to after what I'm spending on the addition!)

Any suggestions for a stove that would be suitable for this situation?

Thanks in advance for all suggestions!

 

[BrotherBart]

I hear ya on the cold. Honeymooned in SF in March and like to have frozen. In that small of a space you could make use of a small soapstone stove. While burn times won't be long it would radiate heat for quite a while after the wood burned down to coals. Woodstock and Hearthstone would be good brands of soapstone stoves to look at.

Frankly that well insulated a oil filled radiator heater would be the most economical for that space. Just none of the ambiance.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum Clint.

Yes, 40 degrees there can feel mighty cold. We found out when we wintered 5 years near Yuma. Still, at that temperature outdoors it does not take much heat to keep the house nice and toasty. I agree with BB that a small soapstone would work good for you and Woodstock is at the top of the line. For sure they are second to none when it comes to customer service and satisfaction. In addition, they will give you a six month guarantee on the stove! If it isn't right, send it back for a refund.


These stoves are terrific and also have catalysts which means you can burn them low and slow and still get a nice clean burn. But if you want more heat, just a touch of the draft will give you plenty of heat.

We have the Fireview and before we bought it we were a bit concerned about it being a cat stove. Now we are really happy we got it. It is the cleanest burning stove we've ever seen. For example, we cleaned our chimney after 2 years use of this stove and got about a cup of soot and absolutely no creosote. That was 4 years ago and we have not cleaned since. There are not many who can make this claim and, of course, not many who should try it either. Naturally the biggest key is having good dry wood and that can be a problem for many folks.

Check out the Keystone and Palladian stoves and give them a call. 800-866-4344. It won't hurt to ask questions and you'll find the crew there a very friendly sort. They are a small company but big on service and satisfaction.

Here is a link to their web site:http://woodstove.com/wood-stoves

Good luck.

 

[Clint]

Thanks for the replies Dennis and BB.

Regarding BB's comment about an oil filled heater: Yes, it would be more efficient and less work - but I really like the ambience of a wood burning stove.

I'll check out the stove models that the two of you recommend. Thanks again for the quick and helpful feedback.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

You are welcome Clint and good luck to you.