Need more heat

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Burning

Member
Jun 30, 2019
38
Pa
So I’m new to the site but not to wood but I do have a question I was hoping I could get some help on

I have 2800 sq ft with no basement new construction
I had originally a enerzone 2.9. That couldn’t do it. Bought a lopi liberty and it was a great stove but when the temps dropped into the teens the stove couldn’t handle it My upstairs back rooms would be at 62
I see lots of things about the pe summit but I don’t understand how it can put much more heat out when the fire box is the same size and the btu’s are close
I have to get the best heat out put I possibly can on a 6” flue

Hope someone could give some advice. Just don’t want to buy another stove that’s going to preform the same way as the lopi liberty
Thanks again
 
Hope someone could give some advice. Just don’t want to buy another stove that’s going to preform the same way as the lopi liberty
Thanks again

@Burning You should start a new thread. Plenty will chime in with recommendations. Welcome to Hearth.
 
Moved to new thread.

Getting a Summit or other 3 cu ft stove is not going to make a difference. The Enerzone and Liberty are good heaters. Something is wrong or we don't have the complete picture. Some factors that might affect heating are:

1) House layout. Rooms that are remote or cut off from the main heated area (common in some ranch designs). This can also be a floorplan that restricts convective heating to upper floor areas.
2) High peaked ceilings trapping heat
3) Lots of window area with poor R value
4) Poor construction, insulation and/or sealing
5) Burning wood that is not fully seasoned.
6) Improper stove operation (like running with the air control wide open)

It's possible that the issue is a combination of items. Can you post a sketch of the floor plan that shows where the stove is located? How well heated was the main area where the stove is located?
 
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Stoves are space heaters. Many here can heat their entire or most of their home with a stove, but location, layout, and many other factors will per-determine if heating an entire area is possible or not. 62 for back rooms is heaven to many here. For some, it is just not possible or feasible.
You may just have unrealistic expectations for heating your entire home to your desired temp with a single stove.
 
It will take a temperature difference to get air to move from one room to the next. I have a fairly high output stove, 2000sqft home newer insulated, two story. The extended rooms on the first floor (50ft away) and those on the second (35ft up the stairs and down a hallway) will be about what you say - 62deg, with outside temps in the teens, and stove room in the 70s. We have small electric 1500w heaters in the rooms that are a ways from the stove (except the bedrooms). It takes a minute to bump the temps up with the heaters. They are spot heat, on demand, off most of the time, but make bathrooms and other rooms comfy when needed. And the stove room then isn't over heated, and is comfy to be in too.
 
Wow. Thanks everyone for all your input I really do appreciate it. And overall I’m guessing I just have alittle unrealistic outlooks for the stove. If pretty much everyone is saying the same thing then I guess that’s not to bad
So what I didn’t mention in there cause I figured I would sound like an idiot lol. Is I got rid of my lopi on and impulse buy and got a used harman mark 3. The thing was amazing heating my whole house no problem bed rooms were 70-73 in the teens at night
I sure understand coal heat is much stronger and more consistent. But after burning coal it’s such a pain in the ass and so dam dirty So I sold it about a month ago. I missed wood to much.

So I guess what I’m asking is. If I had to get the best stove with a 6” flu. would you have any recommendations

Again I can’t thank you guys enough for your time and answers.
 
To match the coal stove the wood stove would have to be run at high output continuously. That may not be too practical. In the Enerzone line, the larger Solution 3.4 would be a good choice. The PE Summit is a great stove, but it's going to put out about the same BTUs. The advantage of both over the Liberty is that you can load them N/S for a full load without concern of logs rolling up against the glass. For outright capacity on a 6" flue there is the Quadrafire Adventure III.

If you can provide the information requested about the house layout and stove location we may be able to assist with some heat circulation suggestions.
 
How do you feel about wood furnaces? You can get much more output from a wood furnace on a 6” flue. Not very attractive though, more of a basement thing usually.

Or two stoves.

Heck there are some rip snorting pellet stoves too that could use that 6” flue.
 
How bout a Lopi? ;-)
 
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Also wood can/will make a huge difference in heat output. The same stove on wet/marginal wood will produce a lot less heat then on good dry wood.
 
Do you run any fans? I bought a bunch of small Honeywell fans at target for like $10 a piece. I have them all blowing cold air towards the stove room. Makes a big difference
 
I may have missed it, but what other sources of heat do you have? Sometimes it’s best to rely on a second source of heat, for those few coldest days or weeks of the year, than to try to operate a stove sized for those extreme conditions during more typical / milder weather.

I’m relying on a combination of two stoves + an oil-fired central boiler for most of my heating. When temps get into the 40’s, I fire one stove, and it just about carries the whole house. When temps get into the 30’s, I fire both stoves, and they easily carry the whole house. When temps dip into the teens or below, even with both stoves running, the central boiler has to carry some of the load. But, temps don’t stay that low for that long, and so I’m really not burning that much oil for the space I’m heating.

If you have a stove that covers you for all but the coldest two weeks of the year, and some central heating that you can rely on to pick up the remaining slack, I’d be plenty happy with that. It beats opening windows to keep the house from overheating all fall and spring. Of course, those running heat pumps instead of oil-fired boilers may have the exact opposite perspective.
 
So I’m new to the site but not to wood but I do have a question I was hoping I could get some help on

I have 2800 sq ft with no basement new construction
I had originally a enerzone 2.9. That couldn’t do it. Bought a lopi liberty and it was a great stove but when the temps dropped into the teens the stove couldn’t handle it My upstairs back rooms would be at 62
I see lots of things about the pe summit but I don’t understand how it can put much more heat out when the fire box is the same size and the btu’s are close
I have to get the best heat out put I possibly can on a 6” flue

Hope someone could give some advice. Just don’t want to buy another stove that’s going to preform the same way as the lopi liberty
Thanks again
I'd bet there are heat losses through your ceiling and roof that, if sealed and fixed, would solve your problem. Assuming that it was done correctly because it's new construction may be a mistake. This assumes your wood is dry and you have some way to move the heat around (fans).
 
I'd bet there are heat losses through your ceiling and roof that, if sealed and fixed, would solve your problem. Assuming that it was done correctly because it's new construction may be a mistake. This assumes your wood is dry and you have some way to move the heat around (fans).
Having never lived in any house without a basement, I always wonder what "no basement" means. Is this framed on top of blocks, like a house on short pilings? How is the floor insulated, without a basement? I know houses without basements are common in some parts of the country, we just don't see many of them here... excepting mobile homes.
 
From what everyone is saying I guess I should have just kept my stove. Maybe I’ll call the people back and say I want my stove back lol
Well I do have other sources of heat but just rely mostly on wood So like everyone is saying, for this year I’ll grab a couple fans and and on really cold days I’ll just turn some baseboards on I screwed the pooch on that one lol
And no basement but crawl space ashful
 
Having never lived in any house without a basement, I always wonder what "no basement" means. Is this framed on top of blocks, like a house on short pilings? How is the floor insulated, without a basement? I know houses without basements are common in some parts of the country, we just don't see many of them here... excepting mobile homes.

Just a spread footing maybe 12” wide, a short 2 foot or so 6” wide stem wall, then wood framed platform on top.

Just imagine a really low dirt floored basement. Current standards require insulation in the floor between the joists.
 
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Welp guys thanks for your input, I ended up buying the Englander Nc 30. Everyone loves them and for the price You can’t beat it got her today on sale for $650. Thought that was a great price for what it’s worth
Again I can’t thank you guys enough for your info I really appreciate it
 
That's a great price for a good basic heater. Pay attention to the installation specs for hearth requirements and clearances. They will be different than past stoves.
 
$650! I may have to buy one for next time I need a stove.. :)

Wife, suspiciously: What is that big crate?
Me: As a layman, you probably do not know that that is a structural crate. Architects can specify them when structures require additional bracing to meet....
Wife, resigned: Don't bring it in the house, at least.
 
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