New to Hearth

[TheIndian]

Hi All,
Wish I could say I am new to burning wood but I can’t even say that just yet...doing my research and hope to have a wood stove that fits our needs/wants this year. Tons of great info here...thx for that!

I live in a high-ranch and would like to put a stove on the first floor in a corner of the house.

I understand that BTU output has a lot to do with this question but I would like to know if we will most likely reap the benefits of the heat output of the stove up on the second floor. We all know heat rises so I am guessing there will be some benefits upstairs even with a small stove.

Your input/experiences appreciated.

Chris

 

[saewoody]

Hi All,
Wish I could say I am new to burning wood but I can’t even say that just yet...doing my research and hope to have a wood stove that fits our needs/wants this year. Tons of great info here...thx for that!

I live in a high-ranch and would like to put a stove on the first floor in a corner of the house.

I understand that BTU output has a lot to do with this question but I would like to know if we will most likely reap the benefits of the heat output of the stove up on the second floor. We all know heat rises so I am guessing there will be some benefits upstairs even with a small stove.

Your input/experiences appreciated.

Chris

Welcome. You are correct about heat rising of course. I think the closer to the stairs the stove is, the more you will feel the benefit of the heat upstairs. But a lot of that will also be affected by the general layout of the house and how well the air is able to move throughout the home.


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[Simonkenton]

You are not going to get much heat upstairs.

 

[Rearscreen]

We all know heat rises

Convection heat rises.

 

[TheIndian]

Saewoody....looking at the layout of my house, the stove would not be adjacent to the staircase leading upstairs. I could see why more heat would make its way up there if it were to be closer to staircase. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[begreen]

Hi All,
Wish I could say I am new to burning wood but I can’t even say that just yet...doing my research and hope to have a wood stove that fits our needs/wants this year. Tons of great info here...thx for that!

I live in a high-ranch and would like to put a stove on the first floor in a corner of the house.

I understand that BTU output has a lot to do with this question but I would like to know if we will most likely reap the benefits of the heat output of the stove up on the second floor. We all know heat rises so I am guessing there will be some benefits upstairs even with a small stove.

Your input/experiences appreciated.

Chris

Chris, welcome. It you can post a quick sketch of the floorplan that shows room openings, stove and stairwell location we can do a better job of helping with stove choice. How many sq ft will be heated? What is the budget? Are there any confounding factors like extra high ceilings, excess glazing, etc.?

Also what's the goal, occasional supplemental heat or full time winter heating from wood?

 

[jetsam]

Err on the side of bigger. I bought a stove for supplemental heat, but the first year it did so well that I quit using my oil burner altogether.

You can make a small fire in a big stove, but you can't make a big fire in a small stove.

 

[begreen]

You can make a small fire in a big stove, but you can't make a big fire in a small stove.

Well, you can make a hot fire in a smaller stove, it just doesn't last very long.

 

[Prof]

I heated my old place (probably 1400 sq ft) from a 2.4 cu ft stove in the basement. The basement was 80, 1st floor was 70, and 2nd floor was 60. I have a stove in the basement (insulated this time) of my new place. This is our back-up heat in this house, but during construction we were able to keep things above 60 on the 1st and second floor once the insulation was in (outside temps in the 20s). Some type of convective loop will ultimately set up--sometimes these are difficult to predict, but heat will ultimately get up stairs--there are a bunch of factors. At any rate, I would get a stove that is 3 cu ft or bigger. As stated previously, you can build a small fire in a big stove. I find that my summit burns well with a few medium splits in it, but it is nice to know that I can shove 5-7 in it if things get really cold.

 

[HomeinPA]

Your heat distribution will be dependent on the floor plan, insulation quality and stove quality. Without a floor plan it would be difficult be difficult to say how well things would work. You may need ceiling fans or floor vents to distribute the heataround the house but getting heat from the first to second floor shouldn't be a problem. I have my stove in the basement where the temp is usually at least 80, first floor in mid 70s and 2nd floor is upper 60s on cold nights. The stove is our primary heat.

 

[HomeinPA]

Your heat distribution will be dependent on the floor plan, insulation quality and stove quality. Without a floor plan it would be difficult be difficult to say how well things would work. You may need ceiling fans or floor vents to distribute the heataround the house but getting heat from the first to second floor shouldn't be a problem. I have my stove in the basement where the temp is usually at least 80, first floor in mid 70s and 2nd floor is upper 60s on cold nights. The stove is our primary heat.

 

[HomeinPA]

Your heat distribution will be dependent on the floor plan, insulation quality and stove quality. Without a floor plan it would be difficult be difficult to say how well things would work. You may need ceiling fans or floor vents to distribute the heataround the house but getting heat from the first to second floor shouldn't be a problem. I have my stove in the basement where the temp is usually at least 80, first floor in mid 70s and 2nd floor is upper 60s on cold nights. The stove is our primary heat.

 

[TheIndian]

Chris, welcome. It you can post a quick sketch of the floorplan that shows room openings, stove and stairwell location we can do a better job of helping with stove choice. How many sq ft will be heated? What is the budget? Are there any confounding factors like extra high ceilings, excess glazing, etc.?

Also what's the goal, occasional supplemental heat or full time winter heating from wood?

 

[TheIndian]

Begreen...the square footage of the floor where stove will be is 550sqft. The ceilings down there are only 7ft.

The second floor has an area of almost double that...about 1000sqft.

I would like to keep stove and installation around $5000.

What do you mean by “excess glazing”? Tile work? We do plan on installing tile on den floor where stove will be.

As you can see, I kept beer cache as far from stove as possible...until served

Thanks for info everyone...appreciate all your input!

 

[begreen]

Excess glazing meaning a lot of windows. Is the extra area on the 2nd floor over the garage? How wide is the opening from the den to the stairwell? Does this opening a flat ceiling all the way or is there a transom dividing the spaces?

$5000 is reasonable and achievable unless you go for a very high premium stove. Is there a style or look that you prefer? I think something in the 2-2.5 cu ft range will suffice. The space over the garage would likely not get heated very well if at all. That means the stove would primrily be heating around 1100 sq ft. Contrary to what has been suggested, I don't have a problem with the stove being closer to the stairwell to encourage convection of hot air upstairs. However, that would require running the chimney up through a room upstairs. This would have to be boxed in (chased).

 

[HomeinPA]

Where are the stairs to the second level and then layout of second floor? How do you feel about floor vents for getting heat upstairs?

 

[TheIndian]

Excess glazing meaning a lot of windows. Is the extra area on the 2nd floor over the garage? How wide is the opening from the den to the stairwell? Does this opening a flat ceiling all the way or is there a transom dividing the spaces?

$5000 is reasonable and achievable unless you go for a very high premium stove. Is there a style or look that you prefer? I think something in the 2-2.5 cu ft range will suffice. The space over the garage would likely not get heated very well if at all. That means the stove would primrily be heating around 1100 sq ft. Contrary to what has been suggested, I don't have a problem with the stove being closer to the stairwell to encourage convection of hot air upstairs. However, that would require running the chimney up through a room upstairs. This would have to be boxed in (chased).

Glazing...ok. There will be a big window (4’x5’) on one side of the stove and possibly sliding glass doors a few feet away on the other side of the stove.

In terms of style, I gravitate towards what looks like the VC Intrepid or Aspen. My wife of course likes the rounder European style. I don’t think she’s going to win out though....shhhh.

You are correct about the space above the garage. I will not be installing a chimney through the upstairs.

Have suggestions on manufacturers I could start looking at? I still have a lot of research to do on the various types of combustion (cat, non-cat. etc)

Thanks again.

 

[TheIndian]

Where are the stairs to the second level and then layout of second floor? How do you feel about floor vents for getting heat upstairs?

Thanks HiP...the stairs are in front of the house where it says “Front Door” on the floor plan I attached a few posts ago. There is a landing there...a few stairs go up and a few go down. I didn’t included second floor. It pretty much open up there.

Floor vents are an interesting suggestion. Will definitely consider that.

 

[HomeinPA]

Thanks HiP...the stairs are in front of the house where it says “Front Door” on the floor plan I attached a few posts ago. There is a landing there...a few stairs go up and a few go down. I didn’t included second floor. It pretty much open up there.

Floor vents are an interesting suggestion. Will definitely consider that.

Ok, I see now. That looks like a split entry type of design I guess?? Depending if that's a landing or hallway at the top of the stairs with a doorway to the right going into the area above the garage I would put a decent size opening in the ceiling in front of the laundry room to allow the heat to get up as close to the 2nd level above the garage as possible. Maybe even install a duct fan to draw air up there. Another opening above the stove would get the most heat up there from that side of the room. It's as easy as blocking off an area between floor joists, cutting a hole and installing a floor register/vent cover on either side. You can get covers with louvers so you can close them down if it gets to warm upstairs. A ceiling fan on the first floor in the room with the stove will keep the air moving and help it get to the steps also.

 

[HomeinPA]

Glazing...ok. There will be a big window (4’x5’) on one side of the stove and possibly sliding glass doors a few feet away on the other side of the stove.


Have suggestions on manufacturers I could start looking at? I still have a lot of research to do on the various types of combustion (cat, non-cat. etc)

Thanks again.

Hampton 201/301 or 205/305 models or the Regency Alterra CS1200 for the more modern look

 

[TheIndian]

Yes, like a split entry.

Thanks for the air circulation suggestions....will consider installing ducts through floor in order to get heat up to second floor. The house is equipped with a furnace/forced hot air system currently and we do not plan on replacing it...just supplementing it with a stove.

Mind if I ask why you suggested the Hampton? Guessing they have a good reputation?

I have to admit, I feel a little naive now that I am on this site. Before visiting Hearth, I really thought VC was the premiere manufacturer of wood stoves with the best reputation. I am not suggesting otherwise now, I just had no idea there were so many other manufacturers and styles.

 

[HomeinPA]

I have installed quite a few types of stoves for people over time. The customers I have with these stoves have been very happy with them. They were the ones that popped into my mind as far as similar size and design.

 

[TheIndian]

Got it.
Thx.

 

[Woody Stover]

will consider installing ducts through floor in order to get heat up to second floor.

To be up to code, a vent has to have a fuse link so that it will automatically close to prevent the spread of a house fire.

I have to admit, I feel a little naive now that I am on this site. Before visiting Hearth, I really thought VC was the premiere manufacturer of wood stoves with the best reputation. I am not suggesting otherwise now, I just had no idea there were so many other manufacturers and styles.

Good observation. You would be well-served (with beeer??) to take your time and learn about stoves and burning, before you take the plunge. The learning curve is pretty steep once you start getting into it..

 

[begreen]

In terms of style, I gravitate towards what looks like the VC Intrepid or Aspen. My wife of course likes the rounder European style. I don’t think she’s going to win out though....shhhh.

You are correct about the space above the garage. I will not be installing a chimney through the upstairs.

Have suggestions on manufacturers I could start looking at? I still have a lot of research to do on the various types of combustion (cat, non-cat. etc)

There are lots of ~2.0 cu ft stoves that will do the job, but to be mindful of the budget I'd suggest starting with the Englander Madison (50 SSW01). This is also sold under the Summer's Heat brand at Lowes. Same stove. It's well built, efficient, has a good fireview and very affordable. Moving up the scale take a look at the PE Super 27. It has one of the longest burn times for this size stove and a simple, tough design. If you want a fancier version there is the Spectrum or T5, but they will cost more. The Enviro line is also worth looking at if you have a dealer in the area. In cat stoves Blaze King and Woodstock have a good selection. These stoves can run at low output for hours due to the cat eating the smoke. They are more complex and costly, but do a good job. The Blaze King Sirocco 20 would probably be the most affordable, but you could put in a Sirocco 30.1 without worry if the budget allows. Buck also makes cats stoves. Their model 20 is about the right sized.

This is just a small sampling of stove options available. If you like cast iron better, pay attention to specs as these stove are usually more radiant and require more clearance from combustibles. The Hampton H300, Hearthstone Shelburne are examples. Then there are cast iron jacketed stoves. These provide the look of cast iron, but with a steel stove inside and the softer heat of a soapstone. The clearances are closer with this style stove. The Quadrafire Explorer II, Alderlea T5, Jotul F45 are examples.