Just joined this site as I have been lurking here for a few weeks and have seen some great info. I do have a few questions regarding wood inserts? I have an existing masonry fireplace and about 3000 sq ft divided between 2 floors of a colonial home that I am looking to provide heat too. It would be supplemental heat to and existing steam gravity system (gas). Basically I am wondering if I would need a stove rated for 3000 sq ft or would smaller be ok since it is just supplemental. Typically upstairs runs between 2 or 3 degrees hotter then downstairs so I am basically not sure if I should be trying to provide heat from the stove through the entire home or just something big enough for the first floor. I'm nervous with trying to heat the whole house that I'll have too hot of a room where the fireplace is located. Thanks for any info.
New here with a few questions
- Thread starter Eclipse2380
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Easy Livin’ 3000
Minister of Fire
Is there an insert out there that advertises that it'll heat 3000 square feet?
I think I'd get the biggest one that would fit, and put another free standing stove elsewhere in the house. Check out Ashful's posts here for inspiration.
Only real 2 companies that I've noticed state heating for 3000 sq ft , Kuma and But but both require an 8 inch liner which may be a tough fit. I just spoke with my local chimney guy and he basically suggested doing the same , getting an insert for downstairs and adding a wood stove possibly later on to heat different levels of the home. With about 1600 ft on the first floor I'm thinking about going with Kuma ashwood for the first level. Thanks for the reply ED 3000
Ashful
Minister of Fire
The records hall in Staten island burnt to the ground in 1925 so all houses built prior are listed as 1925. However the previous owners had one of the heads of a historical society to see the house and he believed based off of the hand hewn wood used to build the house and the metric screws that the house was built in about 1890
An insert needs electric for max heat output, a free stander does not (usually). Rear vent stove, possibly.
Firewood n Staten Island ... get ahead if you decide to do this!!
Ashful
Minister of Fire
At the risk of boring everyone who's been here for any amount of time... I am a supplemental heater. I run two large stoves 24/7, which will never have any hope of heating my entire house. So, after the first few years of making my family miserable while keeping the thermostats low and trying to heat this joint entirely with wood, I changed my perspective. These days, I have my programmable thermostats to just make the house whatever temperature we want, and I keep feeding wood into these two stoves at a rate that fits my schedule. My house is warm, my family is happy, and I'm still saving a metric buttload of oil each year. I highly recommend this approach, to anyone with a high heat load.
Now, if you're going to follow this path, what you want is a stove with a big fuel tank, that can meter it out slowly. There are several stoves that can run 30 - 40 hours on a single load, and this is the direction I went. In the dead of winter, I load one of them 2x per day, and the other 1x per day. Each one has a mechanical thermostat, and I found the settings on the dial of each that give me consistent 12 and 24 hour burn times on my primary wood species (oak). When the weather is less cold, I dial them back even farther, to 24 and 36 hours per load, respectively.
What you need to remember, if you're new to wood burning, is that all stoves of a given cubic footage hold the same amount of BTU's. Essentially, the BTU count is fixed by wood volume and species. All you can control is the time period over which it is released, or BTU per hour. Some stoves have a much wider range of control than others.
8 inch flues are the territory of some monster stoves, typically well over 3 cu. ft. Just be sure they're not going to roast you out of the house. Again, think BTU/hr, when comparing stoves. Efficiency plays in, as well, but the differences in efficiency between most modern stoves is usually small, compared to other factors.
Free standing stoves can radiate off six sides, inserts radiate only off one side. Free stoves also benefit from better natural convection. If trying to use this as a heater, and free-stander will always be the better performer, but sometimes they just don't fit the space.
So... a new house.
Hand-hewn, unless so long they're beyond the capacity of any of the local mills at the time, is usually the realm of 18th century homes. It would be surprising to see hand hewn beams in something as new as 1890, especially in a place settled as early as Staten Island.Either way, the reason I ask is because masonry houses (not masonry covered stick houses, but true, proper masonry houses) do very poorly with a radiant stove. Essentially, all energy radiated from the stove will be soaked up by those walls, and transmitted to the outside. You need a highly-convective stove, if you have an uninsulated masonry home. Period, trust me.
At the risk of boring everyone who's been here for any amount of time... I am a supplemental heater. I run two large stoves 24/7, which will never have any hope of heating my entire house. So, after the first few years of making my family miserable while keeping the thermostats low and trying to heat this joint entirely with wood, I changed my perspective. These days, I have my programmable thermostats to just make the house whatever temperature we want, and I keep feeding wood into these two stoves at a rate that fits my schedule. My house is warm, my family is happy, and I'm still saving a metric buttload of oil each year. I highly recommend this approach, to anyone with a high heat load.
Now, if you're going to follow this path, what you want is a stove with a big fuel tank, that can meter it out slowly. There are several stoves that can run 30 - 40 hours on a single load, and this is the direction I went. In the dead of winter, I load one of them 2x per day, and the other 1x per day. Each one has a mechanical thermostat, and I found the settings on the dial of each that give me consistent 12 and 24 hour burn times on my primary wood species (oak). When the weather is less cold, I dial them back even farther, to 24 and 36 hours per load, respectively.
What you need to remember, if you're new to wood burning, is that all stoves of a given cubic footage hold the same amount of BTU's. Essentially, the BTU count is fixed by wood volume and species. All you can control is the time period over which it is released, or BTU per hour. Some stoves have a much wider range of control than others.
8 inch flues are the territory of some monster stoves, typically well over 3 cu. ft. Just be sure they're not going to roast you out of the house. Again, think BTU/hr, when comparing stoves. Efficiency plays in, as well, but the differences in efficiency between most modern stoves is usually small, compared to other factors.
Free standing stoves can radiate off six sides, inserts radiate only off one side. Free stoves also benefit from better natural convection. If trying to use this as a heater, and free-stander will always be the better performer, but sometimes they just don't fit the space.
So... a new house.
Either way, the reason I ask is because masonry houses (not masonry covered stick houses, but true, proper masonry houses) do very poorly with a radiant stove. Essentially, all energy radiated from the stove will be soaked up by those walls, and transmitted to the outside. You need a highly-convective stove, if you have an uninsulated masonry home. Period, trust me.
Thank you for all the info. My initial thought would have been to turn the thermostat down but after reading your post I'm definitely not looking to torture my family. At the risk of sounding a bit superficial I'm aware the cat stoves get good long burn times but my wife enjoys the fire and flames sometimes so I have kind of veered away from them due to be what is lack of a good fire. I know I can up the air somewhat but I fear destroying the combuster. She doesn't need a roaring blaze but just some flames rather then a black box
My cat has a good fire... just don't turn the air all the way down.
Downside... you are going to be toasty
Downside... you are going to be toasty
I installed an Enviro Boston 1700 a few weeks ago, which Enviro rates for 3000 sqft. Based upon the layout of our 2400 sqft Colonial (stove room is separated from stairs that lead up to the bedrooms by a 30" doorway), I didn't expect the stove to heat the whole house. However, so far it has been doing so pretty easily, including upstairs bedrooms through the night. It's only gotten down to the mid teens though, so we'll see when it gets really cold.
SuperJ
Feeling the Heat
You won't destroy the combuster if you choose a stove the thermostatically controls the air intake off exhaust temperatures. You can have nice flames without wrecking the cat, if you get a properly designed stove.
Easy Livin’ 3000
Minister of Fire
SuperJ
Feeling the Heat
I was trying to be diplomatic with my response, to what seems like a softball question to a Blaze King owner.
I was trying to be diplomatic with my response, to what seems like a softball question to a Blaze King owner.
I also have been looking into the pe summit, so I guess I'll be adding bk to the list as well
My chimney guy is a big fan of lopi but honestly they seem a little more expensive then other brands
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Here’s one of my 2.65 cu ft cat stoves, 12 hours after the last reload. Not sure if you can see it in the photo, but I still have half the load left, at 12 hours, whereas any similar-sized non cat would be down to cold ashes at 12 hours. Not sure what your wife would think, but mine seems to like them.
Cats have flame show, when run at similar rates to non-cats. They also give you the ability to turn down way low, and run like a black body radiator. Your choice, just turn the knob. Non-cats can only run medium or high, never low.
Last edited:
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Easy Livin’ 3000
Minister of Fire
Easy Livin’ 3000
Minister of Fire
I think we have one tucked behind layers of plaster and lath on the opposite end of the room from our second fireplace where our current stove is installed. Guess what- it's an old PA farmhouse.
One day I'd like to dig in and see, and if so, install another wood burner. Maybe that classic Resolute sitting out in the barn. We'd just have to figure out where to put the TV...
Similar threads
