Need some help on choosing rear vent stove

[velocity1]

HI All,
Im in the market for my first wood stove and need some guidance. The house is a cape that was built in the 70's here in Connecticut and has original single pane windows. The house does get drafty especially with original windows and there is a valley in the back of the house that gets a good amount of wind beating against it. We have just under 8' ceilings and I am looking to put the wood stove in the mud room as there was already a hearth in there with a thimble. The center of the thimble is 32" from the ground so seems like my best option is a rear vent stove and i have narrowed it down to the Jotul f500 Oslo or the Hearthstone Manchester. I am attaching a pic of the floor plan along with the hearth. In the picture of the hearth the cardboard cut out on the floor is the size of the Manchester. Considering the floor layout would the Manchester be a better fit? We have a brand new high efficient furnace however with the cost of delivery fees and gas it would be nice to get away with using a wood stove to heat the entire house if i could (i have a firewood source so wont cost me much there). Would either of those wood stoves suit heating the house including the 2nd story if i can get the heat to move around? 1st floor is about 1,100sq feet including the mudroom and 2nd floor around 650. Ideally we want at least the living room to be cozy warm and would be nice to get some heat up stairs but comfortable enough to sleep. I read through other posts and seems like for the most part you are better to go bigger than smaller but considering the mud room size are these actually overkill? Thanks all

 

[EbS-P]

Read up on the F500 V3. Mud room will get hot especially with a radiant stove like the f500. It’s probably oversized for your layout. I assume you are wanting the tax credit. That will limit options. I suggest looking at smaller radiant stove or a more convective one like the F45 (no tax credit though). Remember stoves are space heaters and the living room is as far away from the stove as you can get. I don’t think the living room being 10-15 degrees cooler than the mud room is unreasonable.

If it were me I would not rule out moving the thimble so you can install a top vent stove. It would give you so many more options.

 

[velocity1]

Tax credit has no benefit based on my personal taxes, I always get a refund and since its non-refundable its a wash. The first floor is only 1,100 square feet and the opening from the mud room to the kitchen is pretty big (much bigger than a standard doorway, so even if i put a fan on the stove you still think it would not make its way into the living room? Also the cost to move the thimble I was trying to steer away from if i could so thats why i was focused on the rear vent.