PE T5 or T6, can't decide, pics enclosed

[d.n.f.]

Hi:

Need a stove. Wife wants (funny how that is the over riding factor) a cast iron PE. Don’t know which one to get. Background: House is 2 story with 6 out of 10 insulation. Huge north facing windows make room very cold. House is 690 square feet on mainfloor (my office plus spare room with a gas direct vent fireplace which is staying), and approximately 1490 upstairs. Only the center and right part of this really need heat as we sleep with the window open in our bedroom. Ceilings are 12’ in direct centre and slope down to 8’ for the rest of the house. Pic of a floorplan below. Basically 63x20 (30 at widest part). Cold living/tv room is approx 23x17.

Again see pics below. Woodstove would be where the X is.

We live in the Kootenays outside of Nelson BC. Climate is similar to Spokane (we are four hours north). Tons of snow but rarely gets colder than -15C. Damp cold if you know what I mean. Most winter days are 0C to -8C.

Thought of putting stove on the main floor (basically the floorplan is just like the centre of the house. The two wings are two double car garages if you can picture that (yes all my buddies are jealous of my two separate double car garages). Was worried the heat wouldn’t make it up the stairway (basically the six o’clock of the plan which is not shown).

Had a soapstone cat in the last house (Woodstock). Liked the stove but no dealers near me. Had a Hearthstone in my 1000 square house and I think the stove was too small. Just like the PE and the wife REALLY likes the T5/T6.

Any comments would be appreciated.

 

[savageactor7]

If I could afford that kind of house.... I would without any hesitation get the bigger stove. You can always have a small fire in a bigger stove.

 

[mikeathens]

D'ough

Trust me, bro. Go with the T6. Pretty nice sized living area, and somewhat cold climate.

On the other hand, I guess if you are looking to supplement, the T5 might be just fine. But, I'm assuming you want to heat the whole place all the time...

I'm dealing with a stove too small for my 24/7 heat right now. If the stove was "too big", it would be much easier to deal with (like open a window or not load as much wood). I think you'd come out ahead regardless with the T6.

 

[d.n.f.]

I have some more pics but I keep on getting an error saying unable to post at this time. Tried logging in and out a few times but to no avail.

 

[d.n.f.]

trying again...

 

[d.n.f.]

more photos

 

[swestall]

Just get the T-6, so you won't be saying, "gee if I had gotten the T-6 I wonder what it would have been like." You won't be asking what if I'd have gotten the T-5.

 

[mikeathens]

Yeah, what Steve said. You really don't have a choice...

 

[woodjack]

If you're just trying to impress us with pics of how beautiful your house is - you're doing a good job. That a friggin beautiful view of the water.

 

[d.n.f.]

Trying to impress with how freaking cold that room is. All north facing windows, HVAC ducts in every room of the house except this one. This one has the cold air return ducts so there is a constant breeze. That is why there is electric heat by the windows there.

I know the T6 has the bigger capacity, and the EBT which the T5 doesn't, but it comes down to frying out the room. Yeah I know you can build a small fire in a big stove, while you can't build a bigger fire in a small stove. Maybe I just need to hear it from some wood burning pros.

The room does have a lot of height and I am guessing (will check later this summer when I re-roof), R20 in the ceiling. No attic.

The existing gas burner in the pics makes a lot of noise and throws not too much heat. Takes a long time to warm up the room, and until that point the ceiling fan chills you out.

 

[mikeathens]

I know the T6 has the bigger capacity, and the EBT which the T5 doesn't, but it comes down to frying out the room. Yeah I know you can build a small fire in a big stove, while you can't build a bigger fire in a small stove. Maybe I just need to hear it from some wood burning pros.

The room does have a lot of height and I am guessing (will check later this summer when I re-roof), R20 in the ceiling. No attic.

r-20? Holy F'n crap That completely sucks...it's like my house And on top of that, it's colder there.

OK, first, I'm here to tell you you CAN'T build a bigger fire in a smaller stove. Impossible - there is a limit, and I know.

Get the T6. Otherwise, you'll soon find that there is a T5 for sale at half the price you paid and you'll be begging your dealer to cut you a break on the price of a T6...

Edit: sorry, I thought I read "you can build a bigger fire in a smaller stove". Get the T6. You won't go wrong, based on the size of your house...

 

[Hogwildz]

Get the T6 or you will be regretting it ever time you huddle around the smaller model trying to get warm.
With that house & room setup & the water & climate, the low R-value in the roof, you will never fry yourself out of that room.
You might just find if your trying to heat the whole house, that one stove, any stove may not do it.
But that room is perfect for the larger T6.

 

[Highbeam]

I agree, T6. You sleep with your bloody windows open? Still, get the larger stove. IMO, the T5 is for people with smaller houses in climates like mine where we generally don't freeze.

 

[d.n.f.]

Sleep with my windows open all year round and haven't had a cold in three years.

Well I figured the T6 but just wanted to ask the pros out there. We do have a gas furnace and the main floor smaller footprint has the gas fireplace and it gets cozy.

Get $500 bucks back from my purchase do to an energy audit I had done. You should have seen the steel home built jobby I had to remove from the garage that the previous owner was heating with.


thanks again.

Will post a post install pic when I am done. Could be awhile at my pace.

 

[Henz]

i MADE THE MISTAKE OF FIRST GETTING A SMALLER STOVE. dONT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE..GET THE BIGGER STOVE HANDS DOWN

 

[vtdavid]

You could always sell the house and get one on the other side of the lake so the windows face south! Let me know if you do! Did the small stove first thing, very expensive to change to a large more appropriate size. PE Alderlea T6 in the basement does the job at -20 outside. Southwest facing windows for the solar gain, when the sun is out. Like the others said - the larger T6 especially with the size of the house. Try a BTU calculation http://67.114.233.34/cgi-bin/lansaweb?procfun+CW@MISC+BTUCALC+PRD+ENG