New to Forum--Many questions

[pathoppe]

I am new to this great resource, but I have a lot of questions. I will try to keep it brief. Any input to my questions is much appreciated.

1) Looking at buying a stove for our A-frame home. We are at 9300' feet above sea level. The a-frame is a drafty 2,500 sf with a lot of windows. Our boiler does a fair job of heating this big hovel, but it sure would be nice to get the temp above 65 in the winter which lasts from September until May. Looking at a Jotul 500 Oslo, 600 Firelight CB or an Avalon Arbor. I would be burning seasoned lodgepole pine which is very plentiful thanks to the pine beetle. Any input on these models? Any other suggestions?

2) I have remodeled this house top to bottom, so feel comfortable with hammer and saw in hand, but I have never installed a chimney. Should I tackle this job too, or should I have a professional do the job? I have read several books on correct heights and configurations for our elevation, but I am a bit intimidated. I would, however, like to save the money if I could. I have heard the stove is only as good as the chimney, so I want it right. Any suggestions?



Again, thanks for any/all input.

 

[babalu87]

A Morso 3610 is in the same class as the above stoves.

I would concentrate on fixing your draft issues if you can. Lots of windows doesnt help either, unless they face South
Are you building a brick chimney or going with class A pipe?

 

[Todd]

Welcome,
Your right, the chimney is the engine that runs the stove. If you feel intimidated at all, I would have a pro install it. Get a couple or more bids on the job if you can. Then come back here with the info and the experts here can help you pick the best bid.

As far as stoves, there are so many to choose from. Take a look at the stove ratings on this site and look up all the manufactures on the net and pick one out that you like the looks of best that can heat your Square foootage. But beware, those manufactures numbers are'nt realistic, maybe subtract 20-30% to get true specs.

 

[pathoppe]

I will be using class A. I will look into the Morso 3610 as well. Thanks!

My wife and I have thought about stoves for almost three years now. We suffer from too many good choices in free standing stoves and maybe a bit susceptible to the many different opinions out there. One will say it is the best stove ever and another will say stay clear at all costs. We will pull the trigger this time and purchase one. I guess just enjoy the process........Good input, thanks.

 

[webbie]

Hopefully, some of our High Elevation members will chime in about stoves for that elevation.... Those are all good stoves that you mention.....One suggestion that I will make is that since pine is generally lighter in weight than other woods, you want a larger firebox than if you were burning hardwood...also perhaps a large loading door(s).

The chimney will be a piece of cake compared to the type of remodeling you have already done. Hardest part is probably getting the flashing under the shingles correctly.

 

[senorFrog]

I have a jotul 500 (Oslo) and think it may be undersized for what you are tying to do. Even jotul says it will only heat "Up to 2,000 sq.ft". Those numbers are in ideal conditions and some believe inflated.

 

[titan]

Summitco,I'd look into a "Blazeking" if you want to heat a drafty,2500 sq.ft. abode @ 9300' elev. with pine.Load up that "rosie o'donnell"-sized firebox and enjoy the heat.

 

[babalu87]

Going with class A will be an easy job if you are at all good with hand tools.
Also, if the chimney is too short with Class A you can just add another three/four foot section.

 

[Eric Johnson]

I'm the world's worst carpenter (bar none) and I was able to install a Class A SS chimney with no problem at all. They make it easy.

 

[nshif]

The only thing taht will be real difficult is working on the roof. I have an 8:12 pitch which is a bit steep but an A frame is usually more like a 12:12 pitch which is real steep. If the exit is near the edge then not to big of a deal but if its half way up better have some sort of climbing gear.

 

[Eric Johnson]

I was able to do most of my work from the attic. Since you're cutting a hole in the roof anyway, you can probably reach through the sleeve and get the flashing under the shingles. At least I think that's the way I did it. It was winter, so I had to poke my head through the hole and clear away the snow. Probably better, in any event, to do it before it gets cold.

 

[Corie]

But also wait until it cools off a little (if it hasn't already done so there!)

I was up in the attic yesterday making marks and checking things out for my class A installation and it felt like I had climbed a ladder into the depths of hell. It was about one-million degrees and humid as can be. Sweat was pouring off of my body. I'm going to wait a little later in the day or season before climbing up there again.

 

[velvetfoot]

Man, how I hate going into the attic: throw fiberglass into the mix.

 

[NWfuel]

But also wait until it cools off a little (if it hasn't already done so there!)

I was up in the attic yesterday making marks and checking things out for my class A installation and it felt like I had climbed a ladder into the depths of hell. It was about one-million degrees and humid as can be. Sweat was pouring off of my body. I'm going to wait a little later in the day or season before climbing up there again.

If I recall you were sweating quite a bit in Reno.

How are you doing?
Thomas

 

[pathoppe]

Thanks to all for the information. I will make a decision soon and let you all know. I will be posting another thread on chimney construction specifics if I can't find what I need on previous posts. Thanks again.

 

[jtp10181]

Another option if you have a dealer in your area, Quad 5700

(broken link removed to http://www.quadrafire.com/products/stoves/woodStoveDetail.asp?f=5700)

Sidebar: Remember that mobile home thread not too long ago, I just noticed the 5700 is "Mobile Home Approved". I want to see the "mobile" home that thing would be used for....

 

[BrotherBart]

Sidebar: Remember that mobile home thread not too long ago, I just noticed the 5700 is "Mobile Home Approved". I want to see the "mobile" home that thing would be used for....

So are the Summit and the 30-NC. The 5700 or either of the other two would hold a single-wide.

 

[Gooserider]

Just guessing, but are you a fairly typical "A-Frame" design in that you have a large open livingroom w/ floor to roof ceiling? If so, it is worth noting that those can be a bear to heat, so you probably want to look at a large firebox stove (3+ Cubic Feet) especially since you'll be burning pine, are at a high altitude, and have a larger than usual home.

You definitely will want a ceiling fan if you don't already have one in order to push the heat back down to floor level.

In terms of putting in a chimney, it isn't terribly difficult in terms of the skills required, you should be able to handle it if you can do other work, and feel comfortable working on your roof - indeed the roof pitch is the only part that might be a problem for you.

Gooserider