Need some help/input on stove purchase...

[Tank29]

Okay, we bought a brick ranch house (1200 sqft. main floor & about 600 sqft. basement)back in April of 2007 that was built in 1964...If I had to guess the windows are probably the originals...There are two fireplaces in the house, one in the living room on the main floor and one in the basement/family room...The one in the basement had suffered a chimney fire at some point and had to be lined...Prior to us buying the house we paid a chimney sweep to come in and check out all three flues (1 chimney in middle of house) and he said that everything was okay and we paid him to clean all of them once we closed on the house...The 3rd flue is located in the garage which was for an oil boiler which was replaced with a heat-pump located in the attic...

Now my question(s)...

#1. We would like to eventually install an insert in the main floor living room fireplace but since the house has all hardwood floors and there is no heat in the basement now the floors remain pretty cold...We are planning on installing a Napoleon 1402 insert someday...How much heat will this throw off in a living room that is about 350 sqft?

#2. Since the fireplace located in the basement has already been lined and has a 90 on the liner pipe I think that one of the previous owners used a stand-alone stove with it...It would have to be a stove with a rear exiting flue in order to make the connection...I have searched for rear exiting flue stoves and really haven't come up with any or the ones that I did come up with we really didn't care for the looks...What are some stove manufacturer's that have rear flue stoves?

#3. We would probably have to extend the hearth out maybe a row or two but could we install the Napoleon 1402 insert in the basement and would this heat up the main floor?...We would like to remodel the basement later on down the road and think the insert would look great once we do it...Right now I would like to get some heat down there for one and if it will heat up our main floor would this particular insert work?

#4. Would we need to "cut-in" any floor registers on the main floor to allow the heat to rise from the basement?...If so, I would like to "cut-in" as few as possible since we have nice hardwood floors...

Thank you for your time and THANK YOU for your input/advice!

Todd

 

[edthedawg]

Okay, we bought a brick ranch house... Now my question(s)...

#1. How much heat will this throw off in a living room that is about 350 sqft?

Probably sufficient heat for that room and nearby spaces. It's rated for 1000-2000 sq ft, 70k btu, 11k-41k btu/hr.

#2. What are some stove manufacturer's that have rear flue stoves?

Hearthstone Homestead or Heritage are both nice - lots of compliments on the looks. Both rear exit nicely.

#3. We would probably have to extend the hearth out maybe a row or two but could we install the Napoleon 1402 insert in the basement and would this heat up the main floor?...We would like to remodel the basement later on down the road and think the insert would look great once we do it...Right now I would like to get some heat down there for one and if it will heat up our main floor would this particular insert work?

May be just my thinking, but that'd really overheat the basement and underheat the upstairs unless you were able to turn over massive amounts of air throughout the house.

#4. Would we need to "cut-in" any floor registers on the main floor to allow the heat to rise from the basement?...If so, I would like to "cut-in" as few as possible since we have nice hardwood floors...

You just answered #3 here. If you aren't willing to cut into the floors for grates or ductwork, you cannot rely on the heat just radiating up, or moving up your basement stairs.

I've made some bold assumptions about your house layout and insulation, etc. Also assuming you have firewood ready to go? Or stacked/split, seasoning/drying for next year?

Good luck - read your manuals - and hope your installs work out well for you!

 

[awoodman]

Free standing stove in front of fireplace (not an insert) that way you don't need electricity for blowers when the power goes out.

 

[Tank29]

Thanks for the replys...

We haven't bought anything yet...We are trying to figure out what we need right now...Basically this would be for next season...I did some measuring last night and this is what I came up with...

Fireplace has no hearth at all...The openning is 36"w x 28"h x 22"d...The bottom of the fireplace is 12" from the floor and the top of the fireplace is 40" from the floor...There is a 6" liner with a 6" x 4" reducing 90* which the center of it is 24" from the floor...I think they had a pellet stove in this before...

After looking at the Heritage stove I think this would work since the rear flue would be 20.5" to the center and all I would need to do is build up the hearth 4" for this to work...How and what can I use to reface the red brick fireplace?...We like the looks of the mountain stone fireplaces...Also, What can I use or make to block off the open fireplace that will only allow the flue pipe through?

As far as cutting in registers I don't mind cutting in a few in the hallway...There is one cut in already right above the fireplace where I beive they had a pellet stove...What for registers and where should I look for them?...

Thanks agian for the replys and the info...

 

[Tank29]

I just spoke to the closest dealer (52 miles) for the Heritage and got a price of $2829 + tax...This a about $1000 more then the other two stoves we had looked at...Any other stove manufacturer's that have rear flues?...We probably could re-do the fireplace and make it so we could use a top flue stove...

Thanks.

 

[begreen]

If there was a pellet stove in there previously, be sure that the liner is certified for wood stove use. Normally pellet stoves use different pipe.

Heating from the basement can give mixed results, sometimes good, often not so good. Is there an open, central stairway by which heat can naturally convect up to the first floor?

 

[edthedawg]

Yeah the Heritage ain't cheap, nor can you find many used for sale cheaper. That may or may not be the sale price, too... If you can adapt to top exit, your options are wide open. Lots of VC, Woodstock, Hampton/Revere, Jotul, etc. stoves out there.

For your stone work around the fireplace, your best bet is probably to contact a stone mason in your area.

Your blockoff plate - just a sheet of metal, cut to allow the liner thru, and folded down around the edges to give you a screw-in flange to the walls around the top of the firebox. You add a 6" hole cut out in the panel for the liner and use band clamps and furnace cement to seal it up. You can put rockwool insulation above this sheetmetal for even better insulation.

You can't go "buy" a pre-made blockoff plate - they are custom for every installation.

You can get floor grates at Home Depot if you want that kind. If you are going thru a finish ceiling, you'll want to make the cutouts in both the ceiling and the floor above, and box out (and INSULATE!) the joist cavity. Bigger is better - you're trying to move lots of air. HD sells a pretty limited selection size-wise, so your best bet may be to shop for antique registers on Ebay or thru an architectural salvage company.

 

[FeelTheWarmth]

Basements can give a hard time with wood stoves because alot of the time you might need to bring in some fresh air if the room is tight expecially because of the new windows and everything. But you can do freestanding in front of the fireplace or in insert and you will still get alot of heat out of the insert without a blower.

 

[edthedawg]

One easily overlooked item w/ basements is the massive, overpowering, undeniable thermal mass of the exterior walls. If you want to feel warm, you need to have warm surfaces. If your heated air is trying to warm up thick concrete sunk into the ground, it's a guaranteed losing battle.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Todd, also look at the Woodstock stoves (soapstone). The Fireview is a beautiful stove and gives a lot of heat. With it we also cut our wood consumption by a big bunch!

Please allow me to add to that you are quite concerned about what you are going to use for a stove or insert but have not mentioned anything about what you are going to use for fuel. You are planning on this for next fall or winter, so the first thing you should be doing is getting the wood....NOW. No later than April. Most folks do make this mistake of being so careful on buying and installing a heating unit and then go out looking for wood. Heating with wood is not like with oil or gas. The wood has to play lazy and just lie around in the sun and wind for a while before you use it. So do yourself a favor and get the wood this spring that you plan on burning next fall.

 

[Tank29]

Well, we started looking into the Napoleon 1402 insert for our living room to burn when it got colder than 25*-30* out so the heat pump would not run...But now we are seeing exactly how cold it get's in the basement...Remember this is our first winter at this house and we are just trying to figure out how to get heat in the basement...We spend most of our time up stairs but that is mainly because of there is no heat in the downstairs...I have had some people recommend a coal stove and install some floor registers but then I have the issue with the coal ash disposal since we live on a 1/2 acre lot in town...I am not sure what to do because we are seeing a electric bill that is over $400/month and with a 30% increase to happen by the end of 2010 we just need to find a better source...

I have about 2 cords now and I have a local firewood supply company that kiln dries their own wood that will supply 2 cords for $500 delivered right now and they said that come spring the price will be about $75-$100 cheaper...I will probably do this for the first year and buy a tri-axle of logs this spring/summer for the next year...

Like I said, I am growing more frustrated in trying to figure out how to get heat downstairs and possible warm up the hardwood floors...All we really wanted to do is get the insert for our upstairs and figure out how to get heat downstairs...Thanks for ALL of the replys...Keep them coming!

Todd

 

[Tank29]

One easily overlooked item w/ basements is the massive, overpowering, undeniable thermal mass of the exterior walls. If you want to feel warm, you need to have warm surfaces. If your heated air is trying to warm up thick concrete sunk into the ground, it's a guaranteed losing battle.

Only 2 walls are below grade...26'x45'...the other two walls are open to wind...

 

[coolidge]

Check the rim joist for insulation( any kind is better than none at all). Concrete is like a pane of glass, will radiat cold. Get some 1.5" to 2" foam board insulation from HD or Lowes and place against concrete walls.Use the foil faced so when you get your insert or stove in the foil will reflect the heat back into the room. Fastening in place will be the hard part if the walls are to cold. Try some liquid nails adhesive