Need alot of help!

[Jason4249]

Need some advise. We just bought a 1924 four square house, balloon framing with brick exterior, basement is poured concrete below grade unfinished with 7' height, two floors of living space with 9' height fairly open floor plans and a loft ( 4 floors total ). Each floor is approx 750 sq ft for a total of 3000 sq ft. It has two brick unlined chimneys, someone is coming today to clean and inspect, 1 is a fireplace on an outside wall in the first floor living room, the other is in the center of the house built on a footer in the basement which currently has an oil burning furnace attached to it ( flue size for furnace is 8" ). I am NOT going to use this oil furnace unless we go out of town during the winter, radon levels are high and the air intake is in the basement ( we are putting in a pump for the radon). I will, 3 4 or 5 years down the road, put in a propane furnace in the loft as back up, so wood is going to be my sole source for now. The house was originally warmed with a coal fired furnace so there is a 4' x 4' cast iron grate still in place between the basement and first floor, and is located with a 1' offset from the stair case, and the oil furnace has duct work to the original floor grates on the outside wall of the house first floor only. This duct work will be removed opening the floor grates to the basement again. Let me know if you need more info.
I plan to install a Lopi revere insert (new) into the fireplace and install a 6' SS flex or rigid liner in that location in the living room as the firebox is small and this is just about the nicest one that I can shoe horn in. A hearth stove is not an option here because there is only one place for a couch and one place for a TV and a hearth stove would be in between them.
I want to install an older monster of a stove that has long burn times in the basement and throw off a lot of heat but at the same time be as efficient as the technology allowed for that time period, and be UL. I also can't afford to spend 2500+ per stove. Thinking about a Jotul 121 or Morso 1125. Both of these stoves are available for sale locally and look to be good shape. I can find lots of info on the 1125 but not so much on the 121. Also need to know which one I can get parts for easily? I have a Cawley Lemay 600 that was my fathers but I feel it would be to small in the basement and instead will be install it in the "shop".
So my questions:
1. Any thought on the fireplace insert?
2. 1125 or 121 or is there a better option (except new)?
3. 8" flue liner for the center chimney as the "back up" furnace is currently 8"?
4. The 121 is a 7" flue. Would an 8" liner be too much draft?
5. How flawed is my thinking/plan?
Thank you for your time!
Jason

 

[Fsappo]

I would go with an Enerzone 3.4 stove in the basement. 6" liner will save you money. The net cost of the stove after the rebate is about $1400 bucks, you will then to claim 30% of the cost of the 6" liner as well. You'll be getting a monster of a stove that pumps out tons of convection heat, has a lifetime glass , firebox and air tube warranty. Look at the net costs figuring in the cost of the liner 8" vs 6" with and without the tax credits and see how much you'll really be saving going used. Also, consider the amount of firewood you'd be saving, free or not.

Sorry for totally disgredarding your request for options that don't include a new stove

 

[oconnor]

I have a 1930s foursquare in Nova Scotia that I heat almost exclusivly with my insert in the central fireplace. I have no heat in the basement, and it doesn't drop below 15*C. What I did do though was insulate the basement walls to R 24, and insulated the attic to R60, and replaced the windows.

I find that the natural airflow around the foursquare works well. I use a small fan in the opposite corner room to move the air around the main floor square, and leave the upstairs doors open. Trying to heat the house from the basement rarely works well, especially if the basement isn't insulated. Remember as well that, with the radon problem, heating your basement with a stove is going to move air upwards, out of the basement, and draw in more air from whatever sources are available, likely increasing the Radon level.

Basements are relative negative pressure zones, and adding large amounts of heat (older monster of a stove) to the basement so as to heat the whole house will aggrevate that. Do a few searches for threads on "Stack Effect" to get a good idea.

No specific comments on your stove choice.

Enjoy.

 

[fredarm]

If the chimney that the oil furnace is connected to has only one flue, you can't also connect a wood stove to it. If you connect the wood stove, you'll have to disconnect the furnace and it won't be available for when you go out of town.

 

[Jason4249]

I have a 1930s foursquare in Nova Scotia that I heat almost exclusivly with my insert in the central fireplace. I have no heat in the basement, and it doesn't drop below 15*C. What I did do though was insulate the basement walls to R 24, and insulated the attic to R60, and replaced the windows.

I find that the natural airflow around the foursquare works well. I use a small fan in the opposite corner room to move the air around the main floor square, and leave the upstairs doors open. Trying to heat the house from the basement rarely works well, especially if the basement isn't insulated. Remember as well that, with the radon problem, heating your basement with a stove is going to move air upwards, out of the basement, and draw in more air from whatever sources are available, likely increasing the Radon level.

Basements are relative negative pressure zones, and adding large amounts of heat (older monster of a stove) to the basement so as to heat the whole house will aggrevate that. Do a few searches for threads on "Stack Effect" to get a good idea.

No specific comments on your stove choice.

Enjoy.

I have little faith that any insert that will fit into such a small firebox will be able to heat the house by itself. I do plan to frame and install the foam board insulation in the basement after I get gutters on the house and know that the little bit of moisture after it rains problem is fixed. I'm aware of the stack effect but figured that since the air is not being forced with a blower or fan that the radon would continue to remain heavier than air when heated and not rise without mechanical assistance? I was also thinking that a 4' x 4' opening in the floor above the stove and 1-2 open grates per room on the first floor would improve my chances of being able to heat the home from the basement, these things won't work much in my favor? Thanks

 

[Jason4249]

If the chimney that the oil furnace is connected to has only one flue, you can't also connect a wood stove to it. If you connect the wood stove, you'll have to disconnect the furnace and it won't be available for when you go out of town.

Fred - If I disco the oil furnace to connect the stove, why can’t I disco the stove and recon the oil furnace when I go out of town? I realize the oil flue gasses are more corrosive with the presence of moisture but if it’s only 1 week or less out of a year is it really an issue? Thanks

 

[Fsappo]

If the chimney that the oil furnace is connected to has only one flue, you can't also connect a wood stove to it. If you connect the wood stove, you'll have to disconnect the furnace and it won't be available for when you go out of town.

Fred - If I disco the oil furnace to connect the stove, why can’t I disco the stove and recon the oil furnace when I go out of town? I realize the oil flue gasses are more corrosive with the presence of moisture but if it’s only 1 week or less out of a year is it really an issue? Thanks

After the second time I read disco I looked down and I was wearing tight polyester pants and my shirt was unbuttoned halfway with a large amount of chest hair exposed.