New here... Lusting over a new stove

[GG Woody]

Hello, new to the forum, most of my current internet searches lead me here so thought I'd join.

My family burned mostly wood growing up and I would rather burn wood than gas. We live on 12 acres, mostly treed. I enjoy the work, chainsaws, felling, splitting.
I installed an Enviro Kodiak insert on main floor of our last home, had it for 9? years, it was great other than a loud sometimes rattly fan.
Our current home came with a Pacific Energy insert on the main floor, we have been here for 8+ years, it has been great, the fan is less annoying, but to take the best advantage of the heat the fan is turned up into the slightly annoying decibel level.
I think I will order a Blaze King Scirocco 30.2 today to put in our basement, this will be a fairly large investment for us. I have already pulled a liner into an existing clay tile chimney and hope to make as much of the rest of the venting myself since I work in a sheet metal fab shop. I will have to see how many strings I can pull with the W.E.T.T. guy. I know I can make some of the fittings better than the available products and we have a bunch of "free to me" stainless sitting around.

Thats all, thanks for all the wisdom I have found in here.
More will be revealed soon.
Does anybody have some real world tips or tricks for the Scirocco 30.2?
Does anybody know the difference between a Scirocco 30 and a Scirocco 30.2?

 

[BKVP]

Hello, new to the forum, most of my current internet searches lead me here so thought I'd join.

My family burned mostly wood growing up and I would rather burn wood than gas. We live on 12 acres, mostly treed. I enjoy the work, chainsaws, felling, splitting.
I installed an Enviro Kodiak insert on main floor of our last home, had it for 9? years, it was great other than a loud sometimes rattly fan.
Our current home came with a Pacific Energy insert on the main floor, we have been here for 8+ years, it has been great, the fan is less annoying, but to take the best advantage of the heat the fan is turned up into the slightly annoying decibel level.
I think I will order a Blaze King Scirocco 30.2 today to put in our basement, this will be a fairly large investment for us. I have already pulled a liner into an existing clay tile chimney and hope to make as much of the rest of the venting myself since I work in a sheet metal fab shop. I will have to see how many strings I can pull with the W.E.T.T. guy. I know I can make some of the fittings better than the available products and we have a bunch of "free to me" stainless sitting around.

Thats all, thanks for all the wisdom I have found in here.
More will be revealed soon.
Does anybody have some real world tips or tricks for the Scirocco 30.2?
Does anybody know the difference between a Scirocco 30 and a Scirocco 30.2?

When EPA released the new NSPS in 2015, manufacturers were required to retest all wood heaters. This mostly due to changes in the test method(s).

Manufacturers MUST designate a new model/model number when introducing a "new" model. A retested model is "new" to EPA's rule.

The SC30 when first launched, became the 30.1 in 2014. When the rule came out in 2015, the method changes mandate a retest before 2020.

That is how we got to 30.2. Clear as mud? Sorry for the lengthy explanation.

BKVP

 

[stoveliker]

Real world (same firebox different aesthetics): have dry, dry wood. <20% inside (on a freshly exposed surface after resplitting).

Is your liner insulated?
These stoves can (and you will sometimes) run at very low heat output, and as a result have very cool flue gases. They need to stay warm enough for draft and to avoid build up.

 

[GG Woody]

Real world (same firebox different aesthetics): have dry, dry wood. <20% inside (on a freshly exposed surface after resplitting).

Is your liner insulated?
These stoves can (and you will sometimes) run at very low heat output, and as a result have very cool flue gases. They need to stay warm enough for draft and to avoid build up.

Hey stoveliker, I do have maybe 4 cords of very dry Douglas Fir and a bit of Birch ready to go, I don't usually get through 3 cords a year as we do have a high efficient furnace and heat pump as well. It is just getting into the season of adding to the shed for next year. Is there a moisture meter that anyone recommends? I have never bothered to check but 90% of my wood is cut as standing dead, seasoned for at least a full year and stored under cover in single or double rows 6'x10'x8' tall. Humidity is definitely not high here.

Liner is not insulated as I had about zero room for liner in the existing clay tile. I did get some mineral wool insulation into a few spots and the more I read I realize I should try even harder to get some where I can. I have left as much access as I could. Thanks for helping keep the thought of insulation on my mind. Projects like this play over and over in my mind until they are completed!

I put a downpayment on a Scirocco 30.2 yesterday, I'm excited to get it in place and do some connections. Until then... insulation thoughts...

Here's my question of the day. Flooring is tile on concrete, block concrete chimney wall behind the stove which is part of the exterior chimney system, 6" manufacturer minimum clearance from combustibles on the back of the stove. How close to the back wall would be advised for placement of the stove? Less would be better for my almost horizontal short run of stove pipe. Can I be maybe 3" off the block wall? The block wall is painted.

More to be revealed...
Pics to come when I have something shiny to take a pic of...
Thanks for all the wisdom!

 

[BKVP]

6". If you place it any closer, there is the possibility that heat from the stove will radiate back at the stove and the thermostat will close prematurely thinking it is too hot.

BKVP

 

[GG Woody]

6". If you place it any closer, there is the possibility that heat from the stove will radiate back at the stove and the thermostat will close prematurely thinking it is too hot.

BKVP

That makes sense!
Thanks, I should have thought of that...

 

[stoveliker]

Fir could be dry in a year split and stacked. That's good.
Dead standing can vary a lot.
I have an MMD4E. $30 (US) on Amazon. You may use it a lot the first two years, and then usage goes down because you figured out a procedure that works. (I.e. a timeline that works for your wood species and climate to get it dry enough.)

Note that the BK wants a vertical run of 2 ft, preferably 3 ft before angling back to go through a wall crock. WIthout this, you might have draft issues and/or smoke roll-out.

Finally, is the basement insulated? If not, a lot (30% in one study) of heat will go to heat the earth rather than your home.

 

[GG Woody]

Fir could be dry in a year split and stacked. That's good.
Dead standing can vary a lot.
I have an MMD4E. $30 (US) on Amazon. You may use it a lot the first two years, and then usage goes down because you figured out a procedure that works. (I.e. a timeline that works for your wood species and climate to get it dry enough.)

Note that the BK wants a vertical run of 2 ft, preferably 3 ft before angling back to go through a wall crock. WIthout this, you might have draft issues and/or smoke roll-out.

Finally, is the basement insulated? If not, a lot (30% in one study) of heat will go to heat the earth rather than your home.

Hey stoveliker, thanks for the good questions, and thanks for the recommendation for the moisture meter, looks like fun🤷‍♂️!

I have a little more than 2ft vertical above the stove, wish I had more, but it is what it is. Hoping to keep the horizontal run under 90° because of this.
Basement is mostly insulated, and is getting insulated better as I go through it. The idea is to turn it into more of a spot for the kids, T.V./video games, computer and foosball. It's fully underground and cold down there in winter as we use the upstairs insert for most of our heat. The concrete floor is probably the worst offender as it is bare in some spots and thin carpet in others, (new tile in fireplace area 12'x6') Whatever flooring I eventually get around to will have a built in insulation layer.

 

[stoveliker]

Sounds like a plan!

 

[GG Woody]

First fire this morning, all is well. This site is a wealth of knowledge.
First top down for me as well!

 

[GG Woody]

I have taken a few IR thermometer readings off single wall heavy gauge stove pipe. About 175° before it goes into masonry chimney.
Have I read in here that actual temps are about double?

 

[stoveliker]

Yes

 

[GG Woody]

Yes

Thanks again!
My temps out my chimney cap are embarrassingly low, I'll have to work on insulation a bit more!

 

[GG Woody]

First 2- 12hr burns complete. I'm impressed with how much coals were still there this morning, easy re load. The basement is warming up, the main floor is slowly warming as well. I guess I'll just keep feeding this thing till spring...

 

[stoveliker]

If that gave enough BTUs to be toasty, that's ideal.

 

[GG Woody]

I don't think it gave enough BTU's to be "toasty" but did keep the downstairs toasty and upstairs around 66°, I will be tinkering with the HVAC a bit.
I really like the 12hr reload schedule, a small fire in the upstairs insert in the afternoon will ensure the "toasty", nobody's home through the early day.
I think the whole basement is absorbing the warm and in time it will radiate outwards the longer I keep the fire going.
the 12hr reload really is ideal, I don't trust the other house occupants to be playing with the stove while I'm out quite yet.

 

[stoveliker]

That is one way to run the stove: provide a base heating load, and let something else manage the (variable) remainder. Will still save $$ if the upstairs would be electric or so.

 

[Highbeam]

The other nice thing about a 12 hour reload cycle is that you can jut top it off every 12 hours. You're not starting a whole new fire so the flue stays warm, the cat stays hot, less smoke, more efficient. The cold starts can be avoided which helps keep the chimney clean and the neighbors happier. I have to drop to 12 hour reloads when it gets really cold and in some ways it is easier than 24 hour cycles.

You can still choose the burn rate with 12 hour reloads. Everything except really high output should be able to be handled with no cold starts. If you want it warmer, just turn it up.

Is that SS single wall pipe welded like a header pipe in sections?

 

[GG Woody]

Is that SS single wall pipe welded like a header pipe in sections?

Yes, 20ga SS. It also transitions diameter a bit as it turns its 80° bend. It is starting to look a little nicer now that it has seen some heat. Maybe give it one more scotchbrite buff.
I work in a sheet metal shop, it's my go to.

I'm still liking the 12hr reloads, had a small 3 split fire in the upstairs insert yesterday, had the house pretty even"ish" 74°, the cat stat hasn't been out of the active range since first fire, maybe keep it there till spring😁. I couldn't keep the insert running all day every day, most week days I ended up with one cold/barely warm start and a cold basement.