New construction install and stove questions

[TNCave]

hello hearth community,

We are planning to build a house next year and nearing completion of the design phase. We are planning a chalet style home on a basement. Pretty typical open concept main floor with cathedral ceiling and lots of windows. 1200 square feet on main floor with 500 upstairs. The house will be well insulated and very air tight. We will have an OAK.

The design firm has the wood stove located in the front corner of the living room. This is the best location from a living space point of view, but it probably means putting the stove pipe out the wall and then up, rather than straight up. The corner is the low side of a steep pitched roof and I can’t think of how to clean the chimney, except for installing a clean out and going from the bottom, outside of course. The chimney will stand tall above the roof exit.

Does this seem acceptable, or will we regret it?

Regarding stoves, I’m looking for something to heat the entire living space, with close clearances, and won’t have us sweating in the room with it. I currently burn an old Napoleon 1100 and am pretty happy with it, except the fiber baffles that break down over time. I’m shying away from cat stoves as I don’t like replacing parts very often...or ever really. I love a squarish firebox, or at least something I can reasonably load N/S.

The local dealer is steering me toward a Lopi Endeavor over a Jotul. I have concerns as there seem to be a good number of complaints and negative reviews of the endeavor, although it looked like a quality stove in his shop. The nearest PE dealer is two hours away, but I’m interested in the Alderlea as well.

With the cathedral ceiling, how do you size a stove? Firebox size suggestions?

 

[TNCave]

Oh yeah, and we’re in Tennessee where the winters aren’t too bad, but the ice does cause a lot of power outages.

Thanks for any tips and advice. This community is an amazing resource.

 

[bholler]

Oh yeah, and we’re in Tennessee where the winters aren’t too bad, but the ice does cause a lot of power outages.

Thanks for any tips and advice. This community is an amazing resource.

You can clean straight up through most modern stoves. It is actually easier to clean that way. It also works better and is cheaper.

 

[Sawset]

This would be our version of a steep pitched roof, and the pipe exit on the low side. We're happy with the form and function inside and out. There is not a chase around the pipe. After removing part of the inside piping, we would clean from the inside.

 

[bholler]

This would be our version of a steep pitched roof, and the pipe exit on the low side. We're happy with the form and function inside and out. There is not a chase around the pipe. After removing part of the inside piping, we would clean from the inside.
View attachment 238294

Depending on the stove you may not have to remove the pipe at all. Rotary cleaners go through 45s easily

 

[TNCave]

RE-sawset

This may be a good solution for us. How do you clean from the inside without making a huge mess? And since you’re here, how do you like your Oslo?

Bholler-Thanks, I’ll look into cleaning from inside the stove.

Thanks.

 

[HomeinPA]

hello hearth community,

We are planning to build a house next year and nearing completion of the design phase. We are planning a chalet style home on a basement. Pretty typical open concept main floor with cathedral ceiling and lots of windows. 1200 square feet on main floor with 500 upstairs. The house will be well insulated and very air tight. We will have an OAK.

The design firm has the wood stove located in the front corner of the living room. This is the best location from a living space point of view, but it probably means putting the stove pipe out the wall and then up, rather than straight up. The corner is the low side of a steep pitched roof and I can’t think of how to clean the chimney, except for installing a clean out and going from the bottom, outside of course. The chimney will stand tall above the roof exit.

Does this seem acceptable, or will we regret it?

Regarding stoves, I’m looking for something to heat the entire living space, with close clearances, and won’t have us sweating in the room with it. I currently burn an old Napoleon 1100 and am pretty happy with it, except the fiber baffles that break down over time. I’m shying away from cat stoves as I don’t like replacing parts very often...or ever really. I love a squarish firebox, or at least something I can reasonably load N/S.

The local dealer is steering me toward a Lopi Endeavor over a Jotul. I have concerns as there seem to be a good number of complaints and negative reviews of the endeavor, although it looked like a quality stove in his shop. The nearest PE dealer is two hours away, but I’m interested in the Alderlea as well.

With the cathedral ceiling, how do you size a stove? Firebox size suggestions?

Masonry chimney or Class-A?

Metal roof or shingled?

Why can't you go straight up? Is the stove in the room with the cathedral ceiling?

 

[Ludlow]

I would put it a couple feet from the center of the ridge. All that outside pipe will diminish your performance, look unsightly and impede maintenance. Make the design firm think a little bit more and work for their money.

 

[maple1]

I would put it a couple feet from the center of the ridge. All that outside pipe will diminish your performance, look unsightly and impede maintenance. Make the design firm think a little bit more and work for their money.

My thoughts also, re. pipe placement.

How much experience does this design place have with wood stoves? Might help to put up a floor plan, for some input. 'Living space' point of view might not jive with 'heating the living space' point of view, re. stove location.

 

[webby3650]

The endeavor is a nice little stove. Not sure what bad reviews you found on it? It’s very durable and heats well. It also has a bypass damper, this make it even easier to clean from the bottom.

 

[Sawset]

RE-sawset

This may be a good solution for us. How do you clean from the inside without making a huge mess? And since you’re here, how do you like your Oslo?

Bholler-Thanks, I’ll look into cleaning from inside the stove.

Thanks.

The 45s and inside 2 sections of straight pipe get unhooked at the stove and ceiling box and taken outside to be brushed. We have an 8ft ceiling so it's only two 3ft sections of straight. The one off the stove is telescoping so slides up for access. I've found using packaging tape and some kind of bag with a slit in it is cheap and easy, and works to keep the dust contained. Tape the bag (we have animals so use feed bags, or an old pillow case etc) to the ceiling thimble. Run the brush rod up through the slit. Dust gets drafted up the pipe, soot falls in the bag, almost nothing escapes out of the bag. This all seems to work well as long as there is easy access and straight piping. Any other setup may require flexible rods and going through the stove, but I have the rigid rods already, and as long as it's disassembled, I do like to be able to shine a light up the pipe to get a good look at it. As far as the Oslo, I would say on a scale of 0-10, I would give it a 9 or 10. We don't use the front door except for cleaning (it drops ash when opened). The ash pan is handy if cleaned regularly. The front damper can get hot, but just tap it vs hold onto it. It looks good year around, and we weren't afraid to have it situated as a focal point in the house. Some say 1cuft per 1000sqft of floor space is a very rough guide to sizing a stove. It's 2cuft, and we have 2000sqft. It heats well when it's 50f, or -40f outside, so we seem to be covered. We use it 24/7 from October to April, and if we had to do it all over again, I would say it would still be a go.

 

[Sawset]

I would put it a couple feet from the center of the ridge. All that outside pipe will diminish your performance, look unsightly and impede maintenance. Make the design firm think a little bit more and work for their money.

I've seen no evidence of diminished performance. No one who has looked over the situation here has said "what an unsightly POS". A 12/12 pitch is a maintenance issue anyway - no one is going to be getting up on the roof unless prepared to do so and only if there is no other way. Also there is a substantial dormer within several feet of the outside pipe. If that weren't the case then it all might be a different situation.

 

[Bad LP]

I would put it a couple feet from the center of the ridge. All that outside pipe will diminish your performance, look unsightly and impede maintenance. Make the design firm think a little bit more and work for their money.

This. It's really going to look like crap.

 

[webby3650]

Also keep in mind that most of the stoves you are looking at may not even be available by the time your house is finished. After 2020, a lot of the stoves will be hybrid, meaning it has a catalyst and secondary combustion tubes. Lopi is going that route, Jotul is yet to unvail anything that meets the new standards.

 

[TNCave]

I’m traveling for work, but will get some floor plans up soon. We,re planning to use class A pipe. There really isn’t anywhere to place a stove close to the ridge line as it is an open concept cathedral ceiling room with dining/kitchen on one side, living room adjacent, and a window wall. The only options off of the low angle side of the roof are in the middle of the room in the open, or along the stairwell, which has its own problems and would block the walkway to the stairs.

Sawset, that’s a pretty smart clean out solution you have there.

Thanks.

 

[HomeinPA]

I’m traveling for work, but will get some floor plans up soon. We,re planning to use class A pipe. There really isn’t anywhere to place a stove close to the ridge line as it is an open concept cathedral ceiling room with dining/kitchen on one side, living room adjacent, and a window wall. The only options off of the low angle side of the roof are in the middle of the room in the open, or along the stairwell, which has its own problems and would block the walkway to the stairs.

Sawset, that’s a pretty smart clean out solution you have there.

Thanks.

One of your biggest challenges going through the roof on the lower side will be bracing the class A. Usually you should have a brace every 8 feet above the roof or so depending on the specs. The picture below has about 13-14 feet above the roofline and the top of the cap is almost 36 feet from the top of the stove which is on the first floor. (Cathedral ceiling... all the way to roof w/double wall stovepipe.) We were able to run the upper brace down to the framing of the upper roof which made the brace shorter. The closer to the ridge you can go through the roof the easier it will be.

 

[TNCave]

Our plans are slightly modified from this stock plan. Here the stove is similarly positioned on the low side of the roof line. The stairwell will be open to the finished basement. From a living space perspective, we like it here, but if this setup will cause burn performance issues we may move it. Our local dealer/installer didn’t think it was any problem, but I wanted to gather additional experienced insights.

Thanks.

 

[blacktail]

How do you clean from the inside without making a huge mess?

..

 

[bholler]

Our plans are slightly modified from this stock plan. Here the stove is similarly positioned on the low side of the roof line. The stairwell will be open to the finished basement. From a living space perspective, we like it here, but if this setup will cause burn performance issues we may move it. Our local dealer/installer didn’t think it was any problem, but I wanted to gather additional experienced insights.

Thanks.
View attachment 238463

How do you plan on heating the finished basement?

 

[HomeinPA]

Our plans are slightly modified from this stock plan. Here the stove is similarly positioned on the low side of the roof line. The stairwell will be open to the finished basement. From a living space perspective, we like it here, but if this setup will cause burn performance issues we may move it. Our local dealer/installer didn’t think it was any problem, but I wanted to gather additional experienced insights.

Thanks.
View attachment 238463

It looks like the drawing shows a chase being built around the class-A. If that's the case then the issue with bracing isn't an issue at all. Make sure they put a proper cricket behind it (it looks like there is one in the drawing), stainless chase cover and have them put in an access door below the T so that you can get in to remove the T-cap to clean it out.

You mentioned basement but it appears that there are only 2 levels, is there an additional finished basement level?

 

[Ludlow]

The house would need to be designed for a woodstove. 10 feet of pipe sticking out the roof is just adding a woodstove to an existing plan.

 

[TNCave]

Thanks all. There will be a finished basement. We’re not planning on any wood heat down there. From what I’ve read on here, basement stoves don’t heat the entire house all that well. Our basement will be insulated on the exterior and under the slab, but that is still a lot of concrete to absorb thermal energy.

I’ll have to do some research and identify what a “cricket” is. In the drawings, there doesn’t appear to be a T or spot for a clean out in the pipe.

Thanks again.

 

[TNCave]

Thanks HomeinPA. I learned something new today. There does seem to be a cricket on the drawings. I’m starting to like the idea of cleaning from the bottom if we do end up with the stove on this wall.

 

[HomeinPA]

Thanks all. There will be a finished basement. We’re not planning on any wood heat down there. From what I’ve read on here, basement stoves don’t heat the entire house all that well. Our basement will be insulated on the exterior and under the slab, but that is still a lot of concrete to absorb thermal energy.

I’ll have to do some research and identify what a “cricket” is. In the drawings, there doesn’t appear to be a T or spot for a clean out in the pipe.

Thanks again.

Hey, if you can swing the cost you should put a second chimney in the chase for a basement stove. You absolutely can not beat coming downstairs in the morning and being able to walk around the tile floor in your bare feet! We heat our entire 2 story house from the basement. We finished the walls but we did not finish the ceiling. We painted everything in the ceiling flat black before we started, no insulation in the floor and the radiant heat to the first floor keeps that level in the mid 70's most of the time. We do turn the blower on the old gas furnace to circulate heat through the night

 

[bholler]

I heat from our finished basement as well and wouldn't want it any other way.