Newbie lost in stove choices..

[sowers25]

Haha I think im already going nuts with just the idea...but in a good way. I do have a fireplace insert upstairs that i could always yank out and put a stove insert in its place if i wanna go that nuts with two stoves burning and its on the end of the house with the 2 bedrooms. Just don't like the idea of the wood mess upstairs

 

[jeff_t]

Haha I think im already going nuts with just the idea...but in a good way. I do have a fireplace insert upstairs that i could always yank out and put a stove insert in its place if i wanna go that nuts with two stoves burning and its on the end of the house with the 2 bedrooms. Just don't like the idea of the wood mess upstairs

Now you're talking.

I wouldn't have any wood mess upstairs, if my little dog didn't like to grab pieces of bark and chew them up all over the living room Hearth gets swept up after every reload, and restocking the rack.

 

[bluedogz]

So in retrospect is everyone saying that heat will not rise enough to help heat my upstairs? Keep in mind that I'm not looking for total heat upstairs, I have a 4 year old energy star house, with a 3 zone heating system supplied by a train central heat pump. I have two living rooms, dining, and kitchen all very open on its own zone. Then have 3 bedrooms, the master bedroom is on one end of the house and its a very large room with big walk in closet and full bath which is its own heating zone, the other 2 rooms are on the opposite end of the house with the other bathroom also having its own zone. I am not expecting the downstairs heat to heat these 2 zones, just the main living area upstairs and then even if it heats 75% I would be happy Right now I pay $180 a month for electric and would like to cut that number in half. So with all this being said, does anyone have a similar scenario and is it possibe?? Also the 12 hr burn times on the buck stove, is that putting out good heat or just enough embers to get started again?? Thanks for everyones input, its trully appreciated

I can offer some input... we had an ANCIENT Lennox heat pump that we estimated at 25 years old. It was so old that the tech who came to look at it immediately said, "Wow... haven't seen one of THOSE in a while..." as soon as he got out of his truck. Anyway, keeping the house warm with electric was running $600-800/mo.

Replaced the heat pump and the chimney liner at about the same time- props to Hogwildz- and our last BGE bill was $266. Still sucks, but sucks a whole lot less! Especially with the house at 73 and the old smoke dragon huffing away.

 

[Wood Duck]

I have a stove in a finished basement but the main living area is upstairs. I definitely get some heat upstairs from the stove, and I think you will too. I notice the benefit especially when I keep the downstairs consistently warm. In the 'shoulder season' when I burn on and off downstairs I don't see a lot of impact upstairs.

If I had your house I'd put a large cat stove downstairs, and I work at home so reloading is not a problem. For you leaving every day the big stove will be even more advantageous. I am not sure what stove I'd select, but those Blaze Kings have crazy long burn times so I'd have to give them a look.

 

[fredarm]

What stove shops do you have reasonably near you and what do they sell? That may narrow the selection a bit. Also, the Woodstock Progress Hybrid might be worth looking at. It's quite new, but reports say it puts out a lot of heat and being a combination cat and secondary burn stove should get good burn times. It's shipped directly from Woodstock and you can either install it yourself (if you're ambitious) or have a sweep do it. It's also a beautiful stove.

 

[sowers25]

Just about every manufacturer that I have searched is with-in a 50 mile radius of me, so I'm pretty open to suggestions. Love the looks of the harman tl2.6 but everything i have read on here about them doesn't sound like its the right match for my basement application. I have been checking into the buck stove 91 and I think it looks pretty nice, and roughly 1k or so cheaper than the bk. Dealer claims that the non-cat versions of their stoves models 81 & 85 get long burns also, but coincidently those are the only ones he stocks. Any ideas on that??

 

[WoodpileOCD]

Just about every manufacturer that I have searched is with-in a 50 mile radius of me, so I'm pretty open to suggestions. Love the looks of the harman tl2.6 but everything i have read on here about them doesn't sound like its the right match for my basement application. I have been checking into the buck stove 91 and I think it looks pretty nice, and roughly 1k or so cheaper than the bk. Dealer claims that the non-cat versions of their stoves models 81 & 85 get long burns also, but coincidently those are the only ones he stocks. Any ideas on that??

Do a search on the Buck 94 and I think there are several people on here who are less than impressed. It is the BIG brother to the smaller non cat stoves he is pushing and I think has the same 4.4 cu ft firebox. There are also several discussions here about why there aren't more cat stoves sold and why dealers don't stock or push them.

If you are looking for long burn times then I would end my search with some brand of CAT stove for sure.

Edit: Here is a link on the current cat / non cat discussion with some pretty good insights on your question. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/85985/

May have mispoke on the Buck 94 in generalizing about it. Can't seem to find the threads I was think of.

 

[sowers25]

Thanks for the link it was insightful. I have to tell ya after talking to a dozen or so dealers I think I am actually more knowledgable about their wood stoves then they are just from exploring this site.

 

[sowers25]

what about the englander 30, cheap and seems to be a decent stove???

 

[Locust Post]

Thanks for the link it was insightful. I have to tell ya after talking to a dozen or so dealers I think I am actually more knowledgable about their wood stoves then they are just from exploring this site.

It if burns wood you can find the ins and outs here. Lots and lots of info and good folks that like to help.

 

[Dix]

What's the problem with the current insert?

 

[sowers25]

It is a fireplace insert and all the heat goes straight up and out, plus at this point don't really want the wood stove upstairs. My basement is fully finished with 2 bedrooms, entertainment area, pool table, etc.... i plan to spend lots of time down there next year with the stove addition, its my man cave!!

 

[SlyFerret]

Wood stoves are perfect in man caves.

Wish I had a man cave....


-SF

 

[branchburner]

Dealer claims that the non-cat versions of their stoves models 81 & 85 get long burns also, but coincidently those are the only ones he stocks. Any ideas on that??

I think you should get longer burns, more control, and use less wood with the cat.

 

[fox9988]

It is a fireplace insert and all the heat goes straight up and out, plus at this point don't really want the wood stove upstairs. My basement is fully finished with 2 bedrooms, entertainment area, pool table, etc.... i plan to spend lots of time down there next year with the stove addition, its my man cave!!

I bet you fall in love with the basement stove-backing up to a warm stove on a cold day,the idea of saving money every time you load the stove,lower utility bills-and replace the insert eventually.But if not,you can still love on the basement stove.

 

[sowers25]

In shock that no one has chimed in about the englander 30....hmmm

 

[sowers25]

Well after searching and comparing apples to apples. I ended up with the englander 30, just couldn't beat the price compared to the others, hopefully it works out good!!

 

[wkpoor]

Check with your local building codes before you cut vents in your floors. They probably will be against code.

If you chose to ignore code, make sure you fully understand the risks you may be taking, and ways that you might be able to mitigate those risks before you cut so that you can make an informed decision.

-SF

This went round and round a bunch last yr. I called a friend who is a fireman and he put me in touch with code enforcement. They said there is no code that says you can't cut holes in your floor. And as for safety they said it wouldn't really matter as the fire will travel the basement ceiling in a matter of seconds and will find your stairs anyway. With that said I still haven't cut holes in my nice hardwood flooring yet. I even bought a 2' sqaure cast iron grate. Still not sure that will move enough heat. Think I'm going to just ad a stove upstairs.

 

[simple.serf]

Have you looked at the Elm? (broken link removed to http://www.vermontironstove.com/index.html)

Certainly unique, I think they are quite attractive. And big, can make a lot of heat, and they use a 6" flue, I believe. I don't think they are super expensive, either.

Wow... I want one!

My recommendation is to go with cat stove. This is coming from someone who has burnt cat stoves and got a reburn stove... I'm still having a hard time getting used to it.

 

[Poodleheadmikey]

I find that if I burn my cellar wood stove to maintain the cellar in the mid to high seventies then the entire floor of the house / ceiling of the cellar gets warms and radiates heat up to the first floor. My first floor is about 1600 square feet and has that much cellar under it. The tile floors especially get toasty warm.

But it takes a consistent firing. If I light a fire / let it go out / light a fire / let it go out - then the house doesn't benefit as much. But if I am paying attention, or working in the cellar - and so keeping the wood stove fired - it does a nice job of heating the house.

If you find that your tends to heat the house unevenly - just turn the blower on your HP air handler to ON and let it blend the air temps in the house.

PHM
------

So in retrospect is everyone saying that heat will not rise enough to help heat my upstairs? Keep in mind that I'm not looking for total heat upstairs, I have a 4 year old energy star house, with a 3 zone heating system supplied by a train central heat pump. I have two living rooms, dining, and kitchen all very open on its own zone. Then have 3 bedrooms, the master bedroom is on one end of the house and its a very large room with big walk in closet and full bath which is its own heating zone, the other 2 rooms are on the opposite end of the house with the other bathroom also having its own zone. I am not expecting the downstairs heat to heat these 2 zones, just the main living area upstairs and then even if it heats 75% I would be happy Right now I pay $180 a month for electric and would like to cut that number in half. So with all this being said, does anyone have a similar scenario and is it possibe?? Also the 12 hr burn times on the buck stove, is that putting out good heat or just enough embers to get started again?? Thanks for everyones input, its trully appreciated