Oversizing a gas stove...

[Kathyp100]

My husband and I just came back from gas stove shopping. We went to three different dealers and looked at a variety of models. We really like the Avalon Tree of Life, but also liked the Jotul stoves. The dealer who carries Jotul said he is discontinuing it because he's tired of paying the freight cost from Maine. He only has two Jotul stoves left in stock, both the Firelight model (40,000 BTUs) and said he would sell us the Firelight for the same price as the Sebago which is a 32,000 BTU model. The stoves that are in stock are also in a blue/black porcelain finish which is a $200 upgrade and he said he would sell it at the matte black price of the Sebago.

The stove is going into our basement family room, which is approximately 500 square feet. The Firelight at 40,000 BTU's can heat up to 2,000 square feet, but also has a 50% turn down option. The family room has two fans in the ceiling (from our wood stove days) that disperse heat to the main floor living area as well as to one of the upstairs bedrooms. The furnace is of course also in the basement so could be operated in "fan only" mode to help disperse heat throughout the house.

If we put a 40,000 BTU stove in a 500 square foot room, is it going to be too hot? Or will we be able to keep it comfortable by using the turn down option?

Any and all thoughts appreciated!

Kathy in Colorado

 

[titan]

I don't think you'd be necessarily too hot;since it is a gas stove,you should be able to modulate its' output based on your heat requirements.

 

[Shane]

With the adjustable btu input and the use of a thermostat you should be ok. Wonder why he just doesn't buy Jotuls from the distributor in Reno. Weird.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

is this a vent free unit? or vented? if vent free make sure you work out the confined space equasions to ensure the room is big enough to support it, if vented this is not a factor

 

[Kathyp100]

It is a direct vent unit. One thing I was wondering about, if we always have the flame turned down low to avoid being cooked, will we lose some of the aesthetics? (i.e., will the flame be more blue and not as pretty?)

Kathy in Colorado

 

[Kathyp100]

It sounds like some of you are dealers and/or work in the industry so maybe you can tell me if the price he quoted me is a good price for the Jotul GF 600 DV II Firelight stove in a blue/black porcelain enamel finish at $1,799? I did call McGuckin Hardware in Boulder and just asked for their price on the phone and was told $2,399 so I'm feeling pretty good about the $1,799 quote.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

should still be a good looking flame even wood fires have blue roots sometimes. personally im not a big gas log fan, however last several years the authenticity of the look has gotten better.

 

[BrotherBart]

$1,800 for that stove is stealing it. Even if it wasn't enameled. That is one big stove. And a nice one.

 

[elkimmeg]

you have a furnace in the basement a stove and now a 40k BTU gas heater where is the combustion air requirements 500 sq ft will not ever satisfy the demand for that stove what about the furnace and a wood stove what else id down there hot water heater clothes dryer?

you say with all the combustion appliances down in the basement there are holes in the floor? without proper combustion air and now fans extracting air away boy are you living dangerously

Ever hear what Carbon monoxide can do You created the condition that will back draft appliances and pull Co into the cellar and get powered by you holes in the floor to the rest of your living space you have an expressway to disaster waiting to happen.

 

[Kathyp100]

We are replacing the wood stove with a gas stove. The wood stove moves out tomorrow. The furnace is new within the last 3 years and they put in two new big fresh air vents in the furnace room when they installed it. With regards to the new gas stove, unless I don't understand the direct vent concept correctly, I thought there were no indoor combustion air requirements because the stove is directly vented to the outdoors??? Isn't that the whole purpose of direct vent? And anyhow, the odds of the furnace and the gas stove running at the same time are slim to none. That's kind of the whole purpose of getting the gas stove - zone heating so we don't have to run the furnace and heat the whole house when we're spending a lot of time in one or two rooms.

Kathy in Colorado

 

[Kathyp100]

Oh and a p.s., we have had carbon monoxide monitors in two locations in the house for the last 5 or 6 years. Neither of them have ever gone off. We are well aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide, and have taken many precautions to avoid having problems with it (monitors, additional fresh air vents in the furnace room, etc.).

Kathy

 

[elkimmeg]

Good to hear the combustion air demands have been met My post iaw to alert you to potential hazards like unprotected holes cut in the floor distruping there normal containment value

 

[Kathyp100]

We went back to the dealer today and bought the Jotul Firelight. We just couldn't turn our backs on such a great deal and everything else that we were looking at was considerably smaller and at least $300-$500 more. Decided not to go with a blower for the time being because of the size of our room and the amount of heat this stove was putting out in the showroom. We can always add it later if we want, but I'm thinking with 40,000 BTU in a 500 sq. ft. room, we're probably not gonna need it...

A week-and-a-half to installation! We're excited. Would love to hear from any Jotul gas stove owners about their experiences and opinions.

Kathy in Colorado