Possible Switch

[StockHR]

At the end of my first year with a pellet stove I can honestly say I’m not too happy with having one. The constant fan noise is annoying, constantly vacuuming out the firebox and the $600 to $700 a year for pellets just adds to my thinking of switching to a wood stove. My son has an old wood stove he burns 24/7 and his much bigger house is always toasty warm. Given the information listed below what stove would you recommend I look Into purchasing?

House is small fairly well insulated and 1,000 square feet.
The stove would be located in a corner of the living room. The pellet stove is there now so clearance is no problem.
I know I will have to add a chimney (any thoughts)
I live on 7 acres of heavy woods. Don’t mind cutting and my son has a splitter.
I would like a stove that you don’t have to constantly feed.
My central heat is forced air with propane And I don’t run that except over night.
Since the stove would be located in a corner I imagine it would have to be fed from the top. What keeps the smoke from coming out of the top?

Anyway, any thoughts you have would be appreciated.
Thanks Mike.

 

[Highbeam]

Most stoves are loaded from the front. So no problem in a corner.

Your relatively small and well insulated home may be a challenge to heat with the majority of wood stoves that are noncat and require high temperatures to burn cleanly.In your application the room temperature will go way up during a fire and then way down before it’s cool enough to start another fire. Pulse and glide. This is fine but a steadier low output would be more comfortable.

A pellet stove or even a propane stove would provide higher comfort. There are higher quality and higher output pellet stoves that will roast you out while being relatively quiet compared to other pellet stoves.

If you’re going for wood. Then one of the proven very small catalytic stoves from Woodstock would be a great fit. Take a look at their site. They seem to like side loading stoves.

 

[jetsam]

What burn times to do require? The smaller the stove, the less the burn time.

Are you going to be around to load it every 4,8, 12 hours?

 

[Rickb]

If you get a smaller stove say 2cuft depending on the stove you will be loading every 7-9 hours. If you get a 3cuft stove its going to be 9 - 18 hours. A lot depends on the stove.

Look at blaze king, and wood stock.

 

[Highbeam]

If you get a smaller stove say 2cuft depending on the stove you will be loading every 7-9 hours. If you get a 3cuft stove its going to be 9 - 18 hours. A lot depends on the stove.

Look at blaze king, and wood stock.

Those times are maximum possible fir noncat stoves at lowest possible burn rate and maximum fuel load. Even then, 9-18 is very optimistic for a noncat in my experience.

If you need high output, I can blow 3.5 cubic foot loads every three hours! Back to back.

Cat stoves are great for lowering the burn rate which extends burn cycles a lot!

 

[AlbergSteve]

Start cutting and splitting wood now so it's ready to burn in the fall. Softwoods that is...

 

[weatherguy]

For 1000 sf I'd look at the Woodstock Absolute Steel and the Blaze Kings, they have a couple that would be sized right for your house and as mentioned start getting your wood cut and split soon, cut up the dead stuff on your lot may be dry already.

 

[Twigster]

At the end of my first year with a pellet stove I can honestly say I’m not too happy with having one. The constant fan noise is annoying, constantly vacuuming out the firebox and the $600 to $700 a year for pellets just adds to my thinking of switching to a wood stove. My son has an old wood stove he burns 24/7 and his much bigger house is always toasty warm. Given the information listed below what stove would you recommend I look Into purchasing?

House is small fairly well insulated and 1,000 square feet.
The stove would be located in a corner of the living room. The pellet stove is there now so clearance is no problem.
I know I will have to add a chimney (any thoughts)
I live on 7 acres of heavy woods. Don’t mind cutting and my son has a splitter.
I would like a stove that you don’t have to constantly feed.
My central heat is forced air with propane And I don’t run that except over night.
Since the stove would be located in a corner I imagine it would have to be fed from the top. What keeps the smoke from coming out of the top?

Anyway, any thoughts you have would be appreciated.
Thanks Mike.

I am in a similar situation. I am going to pull out my pellet stove insert, which has heated great actually. I get tired of cons fan noise and miss real wood radiant heat. Looking to purchase a WS Ideal Steel next month. Should have some great prices soon. Good luck.