Need a little advice, we are starting to get serious about soves!

[pr0vidence]

Greetings all!

Living here in CT where it's been in the single digits for the past few days (as I'm sure others on this board know) has only re-enforced our desire for the warmth and comfort of a wood burning stove. Oil is insanely expensive so we are forced to keep the house cold to conserve. I have been lurking on the site for some time now, and have come to trust the thoughts and opinions of the experts here. With that:

I drew up a quick (not to scale!) layout of our home. It's a one floor ranch, about 1300 sqft, no basement (sits on a slab).

As you can see, the floor plan is very open in the living room and kitchen area, and the fireplace (masonry) sits right in the middle. I feel (in my completely inexperienced opinion) that this is an ideal place for a stove/insert. The fireplace is open on two sides indicated by the arrows. We think we might have to have one side bricked up to accommodate an insert (I was considering a stove, but to build out the hearth enough to comply with requirements, it would be in the middle of the walking area). So now the questions. Which stoves/inserts would you be looking at for this type of situation? We are going to go to a nearby hearth store this weekend and look at some inserts and hopefully talk to someone and get more information, but I would like to go there with an idea, at least, of what I need.

The people who achieve 8-10 hour burn times, is that the stove/insert, or the manner in which it is burned? What I mean is, should we be looking at specific manufacturers/models for longer burn times? Ideally, I would like to get to the point where I can load up the stove at 10:30-11 before bed, and be able to load it the next morning (typically between 7-8) with little or no problems, and not having to completely rebuild the fire form kindling. Is that even possible?

We are going to go to a hearth store in Plantsville, Dean's stove and spa. Has anyone here been there? Reputable place? Experiences?

Thanks all for your help!

 

[swestall]

Dean's is an OK place. When you get there look at the Hearthstone stove they have burning there, it is a Heritage. Looks like your floorplan would be perfect for a stove; and you would not be cold anymore.

 

[boostnut]

The fuel you burn and the size of the firebox will have the biggest impacts on burn time. I can easily get 10+ hours of heat with the oak I have for this year. Last year was a different story. Burning mostly ash and cherry I could get about 8 hours, don't remember any 10 hour burns. FYI, my neighbor and I both have the Jotul Kennebec insert and both have only 1 minor complaint. The "glass" doors are impossible to keep clean unless you constantly burn it REALLY hot. Burning it hot enough to keep the doors nice and clear with have a HUGE impact on your burn times. A couple of friends of mine are Lopi owners and just love their inserts. Yeah, they do a nice job but, with the exception of the Declaration, they look like they could use a facelift. Just my .02

 

[babalu87]

Thats the best location for the stove.
To get 8-10 hour burn times you really need a 2+ cubic foot firebox and that may be too much for that house depending on the insulation etc.
BUT
Being on a concrete slab you may be able to use a bigger stove and not have it blow you out of the house.

GREAT WORK ON THE FLOOR PLAN
Too bad everyone didnt do that

 

[begreen]

Lucky you, this is a good plan for a ranch. A stove should heat it well. Thanks for posting the diagram. You have many stoves to choose from. I agree you'll want to put a bigger stove in there for longer burns. The choice will mostly depend on your budget and what looks the best to you. The good news is there are several nice stoves to choose from.