Please advise. I am so confused!

[christhenewbie]

Hello, I am a newbie to woodstoves but have wanted one my whole adult life. I have been looking at different woodstoves and reviews for months. The more I look, the more confused I get. I need your expertise and suggestions. I seem to get a different story everywhere I look.
I need to heat an 1100 sq ft house, not a large space. This seems to be a limiting factor in selection. I also want to install the cold air return vents near the stove for the basement. I need a stove I can cook on. Make a pot of soup or saute some veggies. Nothing too major.
Based on my research, I'm considering a cast iron stove or a Hearthstone green Montian 60. The rep at the Hearthstone dealership said I would be able to cook on a Green Mountain 60. Reps of other stove manufacturers have told me that's not the case. A contractor told me that would be too big of a woodstove for my space, but the rep assures me that's not true.
I was set on a Vermont Castings Dauntless Flexburn, but they have received such poor reviews. I don't want to risk it. My space needs to be bigger for a Jotul that qualifies for the tax rebate, which is the brand I was hoping to get. My son has one and loves it.
Also, do you have any opinions/thoughts on the Vermont Bun Baker ovens by Necture?
I'd be grateful for any thoughts and suggestions from you seasoned, experienced wood burners.
Thank you so much.

 

[stoveliker]

You can't have a return within 10 ft of the stove by code. Never a good idea to suck air away from a stove.
Moving heat down to a basement from a higher floor is very hard or impossible to do.

Do you have a sketch of the layout of your home?

 

[BC_Josh]

You can't have a return within 10 ft of the stove by code. Never a good idea to suck air away from a stove.
Moving heat down to a basement from a higher floor is very hard or impossible to do.

True, an intake should be far away from a stove, but what about if it has a fresh air intake kit installed on the woodstove in the first place? Wouldn't there be an ability to then draw heat off of a stove to recirculate it into the rest of a house?

 

[stoveliker]

I'm not sure that would make it legal, but it would likely avoid problems while the stove door is closed.
When the stove door is open, and the HVAC fan on, you might still suck smoke, CO, VOCs etc. out of the stove.

Using ducts to move heat is not often successful. They are generally used for higher temperature heat than what you have in a stove room.
If they run through uninsulated spaces, if they are poorly sealed (and in walls) as they often are, you may end up loosing more heat than moving it.

Generally just not successful. There are one or two folks here that say it helps them.

Heat wants to go up. Heating a basement is best done by having the heat source in the basement. Then one can heat higher floors as well as heat moves up.

 

[christhenewbie]

This is precisely why I posted here! Thank you for the information. I hope that this is helpful to you. Not my forte...

 

[stoveliker]

Okay. You will need a small stove. Others are better able to suggest one or comment on the ones you mention.

Unless you put it in the basement, then you can put in a bigger one. You can look here on how to move heat from the basement upstairs:

Moving heat from basement

How many people heat their house with a wood burning stove that’s in a uninsulated. Basement rim joists that are insulated. beside the basement walls ?

www.hearth.com

If you go this route, i'd put the vent hole in the floor on the patio door wall. But this only makes sense if the basement is insulated.

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

We have a small space (sub 1000 square foot). My Kuma Aspen LE has worked well it has very tight clearances to walls and is a simple stove to operate. Doesn't run us out of the room when going but keeps up when things get cold.

 

[christhenewbie]

Okay. You will need a small stove. Others are better able to suggest one or comment on the ones you mention.

Unless you put it in the basement, then you can put in a bigger one. You can look here on how to move heat from the basement upstairs:

Moving heat from basement

How many people heat their house with a wood burning stove that’s in a uninsulated. Basement rim joists that are insulated. beside the basement walls ?

www.hearth.com

If you go this route, i'd put the vent hole in the floor on the patio door wall. But this only makes sense if the basement is insulated.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

 

[christhenewbie]

We have a small space (sub 1000 square foot). My Kuma Aspen LE has worked well it has very tight clearances to walls and is a simple stove to operate. Doesn't run us out of the room when going but keeps up when things get cold.

Okay, thank you. I will look into this stove.

 

[christhenewbie]

I want to find a cast iron wood stove with a flat top that I can cook on. I'm right around 1100 sq ft. I would appreciate any feedback anyone would have. Thank you.

 

[Eman85]

You want a VC which is what you stated, that's cast iron and you can cook on it. Some have problems with them, some don't. It is a learning curve and you need good seasoned wood with a good installation.

 

[christhenewbie]

I

You want a VC which is what you stated, that's cast iron and you can cook on it. Some have problems with them, some don't. It is a learning curve and you need good seasoned wood with a good installation.

Thank you. Yes, that's what I was initially thinking after speaking to the dealer until I started digging into it. I think a woodstove veteran would do okay with a VC, but I am leary after researching.

 

[Eman85]

All of this is trial and error and learn from yours and others errors. There's nothing magic about burning wood in a metal box. The attempt to make it sound clean with secondary burning is what makes it confusing and scary to some. I'm sitting here now in front of my VC Encore enjoying the heat and watching cat temps as I'm burning a little different today. I've been burning this stove for 37 years and all different types of wood and it's still a learning experience. Or I could move the thermostat and the heat pump will just warm the house, no skill or thinking required. Wood heat isn't like that at all. You have to be involved, from the species and quality of the wood to where you dump the ashes. It's dirty and it's work and it's not for everyone.

 

[christhenewbie]

All of this is trial and error and learn from yours and others errors. There's nothing magic about burning wood in a metal box. The attempt to make it sound clean with secondary burning is what makes it confusing and scary to some. I'm sitting here now in front of my VC Encore enjoying the heat and watching cat temps as I'm burning a little different today. I've been burning this stove for 37 years and all different types of wood and it's still a learning experience. Or I could move the thermostat and the heat pump will just warm the house, no skill or thinking required. Wood heat isn't like that at all. You have to be involved, from the species and quality of the wood to where you dump the ashes. It's dirty and it's work and it's not for everyone.

Thank you for your input.