papabear fisher

[papabear276]

I am new to burning wood so i have a few questions.

1. I have a 1,600 square foot 1 level house with a full basement. (basement not included in square footage) I am thinking about buying a papabear fisher stove to put in my basement. Will this stove be to big?

2. What should I look for when inspecting/cleaning my chimney?

 

[bholler]

get a sweep to look at the chimney and drop a camera. That is the only way to really know the condition. Is the basement finished? Regardless i dont think it will be to big the basement will probably be pretty hot though

 

[coaly]

Cement block walls compared to insulated finished walls makes a huge difference. Circulation is the comfort factor. You want rising heat through floor openings near the stove, and dropping cooler air away from the stove. A small fan in floor vent helps push down return air, causing naturally rising hot air to rise faster.
Chimney construction masonry or metal?
For that stove, flue should be 6 inch round or equivalent in square inch area. (28 1/4 square inches in diameter) If you have an 8 inch flue or larger, it needs to be lined with a 6 inch, preferably insulated stainless liner anyway.
I set up a neighbor with a Papa in his unfinished basement here in NE PA with your size home. 8 inch masonry chimney with no liner. (a liner would save him lots of wood) He didn't run his gas furnace all last winter and was the warmest he has been, using it as the only heat source. We stay below freezing for a month at a time here, so you're going to be quite warm in VA.

 

[papabear276]

Cement block walls compared to insulated finished walls makes a huge difference. Circulation is the comfort factor. You want rising heat through floor openings near the stove, and dropping cooler air away from the stove. A small fan in floor vent helps push down return air, causing naturally rising hot air to rise faster.
Chimney construction masonry or metal?
For that stove, flue should be 6 inch round or equivalent in square inch area. (28 1/4 square inches in diameter) If you have an 8 inch flue or larger, it needs to be lined with a 6 inch, preferably insulated stainless liner anyway.
I set up a neighbor with a Papa in his unfinished basement here in NE PA with your size home. 8 inch masonry chimney with no liner. (a liner would save him lots of wood) He didn't run his gas furnace all last winter and was the warmest he has been, using it as the only heat source. We stay below freezing for a month at a time here, so you're going to be quite warm in VA.

The exterior walls of my house are block with no insulation. They are also bricked. I have about 15" of insulation in the attic. I'm not sure about the size flu or if its lined but ill check. I also found a mama bear stove for sale. Trying to decide which to buy. The chimney is masonry construction. Thanks for the help.

 

[coaly]

The chimney may make the decision for you. It depends how much you want to put into it to make it more efficient. If you have a large flue and don't want to invest the money into a liner, you'll want the larger stove since more heat must be allowed up to keep it clean. And be prepared to eat wood. (you want to keep inner temp above 250* f all the way to the top) If you are willing to invest in a good insulated liner, less heat needs to be released to keep the flue hot, and the smaller stove may be just right. It's cleaner to keep the smaller stove hot, than to try to burn too large of a stove low. Mama Bear has plenty of capacity to be going in the morning. The layout of the house may make a difference if the chimney is near bedrooms. You would not want a Papa Bear under your bedroom making that the warmest room in the house.