New install in old house, 2800sf on two floors

[area_man]

We just moved into a house that's quite a bit bigger than our old one, and due to the goofiness of all the expansion over the years the airflow is a little tough. The big room on the main floor is a three part room across two small living rooms and an open eat-in kitchen, no formal dining room. Then two small and one large bedroom on the main floor, stairway up to bedroom number three, then up a few steps to a 500sf office space.

Right now we have a little baby gas fireplace mounted in the wall all the way in teh back of the back living room. It's cute but it doesn't really heat the house, it contributes to the heat that the central air is pushing around. I'd rather have it than not but it's not a huge consideration. 16,500btu theoretical max.

I want to install a wood stove in the front room to heat not only the main floor but the upstairs. The house is 2800sf plus a garage, no basement.

Right now I'm leaning towards a blaze king princess with the legs although the VC Defiant is beautiful and I would like to have that in my house, but the reviews aren't so good. Used to have a big POS Orley and had a hell of a time dialling in how to use it right, I had to constantly overfire it to get anything out of it. When I figured out how to use it right it hardly threw off any heat and was filthy so I know I want a stove that works properly and has good controls and will burn a long time on lower heat as well as cranking out the BTUs if the whole house gets cold in the winter.

If I had my way I'd repipe the gas to a full sized stove in the back of the house and maybe I'll do that later, I really like the convenience of gas but I also know that should the say come when you turn it on and something's wrong that you better have some wood available.

 

[begreen]

Those two options are on the extreme ends of the spectrum aesthetically. Unfortunately, a good-looking stove doesn't always mean great performance. That said, the Ashford is a better-looking option in the BK line and a good heater. For more heat output in stoves with a nice aesthetic, look at the Hearthstone Manchester, Woodstock Progress Hybrid, Pacific Energy Alderlea T6, and the Jotul F55.

 

[area_man]

Those two options are on the extreme ends of the spectrum aesthetically. Unfortunately, a good-looking stove doesn't always mean great performance. That said, the Ashford is a better-looking option in the BK line and a good heater. For more heat output in stoves with a nice aesthetic, look at the Hearthstone Manchester, Woodstock Progress Hybrid, Pacific Energy Alderlea T6, and the Jotul F55.

The Ashford in white is a looker, that's my favorite of all the stoves I've looked at, and the Manchester looks nice too. So is the Jotul! Lots of stoves that will be nice to have in the living room all year long.

 

[Poindexter]

The good news is Oregon City is in the 'Goldilocks zone' from the Pretty Good House point of view.

I agree something like the BK 30 box or the BK Princess (32 box) should be able to carry a lot of your heating needs. I encourage you to consider wood pellet stoves as well before you commit, you are right in the sweet spot for square footage for a wide range of pellet stoves on your sqft.

The bad news is you are close to a pretty big city.

My concern is your future fuel prices. A BK30 or BK32 box should last 20 years easy with reasonable maintenance. 10-15 years from now, which among natural gas, green cordwood, fuel oil or wood pellets will be most economical is anybody's guess.

Let us observe a moment of silence (tick tock, tick tock) and what OP should have heard was all that Doug Fir in western Oregon gaining weight. The sound of trees growing.

For new chimney install and new BK30 sized stove, my payback/ break even point was about 5 years starting in 2014.

If people keep moving to the PNW there is going to be a lot of trees cut down to build houses on the now empty land. Cordwood will be cheap and plentiful as long as that continues- but shipping to the inner growth rings of metro Portland will become more and more expensive.

I don't know what the best answer is for the OP in his specific situation, but Doug Fir is excellent desirable cordwood, and Doug Fir pellets made in Oregon are the best pellets my neighbors with pellet stoves can buy.

 

[begreen]

Yes, when we had our pellet stove I loved burning doug fir pellets. They produced the least amount of fines and ash. It's also what we burn now in our stove. Compressed sawdust logs are another option here. Two of the best products are made in WA and ID.