RE: Choices?

[firefighterjake]

So my wife and I went up to The County to look at a couple of houses this past Saturday.

One house had a fireplace. Due to the configuration of the room I doubt I would be able to use my beloved Jotul Oslo as the top of the fireplace was 27 1/2 inches (too short to make the stove fit) . . . plus it would result in the stove sticking out into the room and walkway quite a bit.

If we opt to go with this house the way I see it I have a few choices:

A. Put the woodstove in another room and run a Class A chimney similar to what I have now. There is a large dining room adjacent to the living room where this could be done.

B. Buy an insert . . . any recommendations?

C. Go with a pelletstove perhaps?


We're still on the house hunt . . . hoping to look at another house in Sebec and another in Winn this week perhaps. For our wants though the pickings are a bit slim.

 

[bigealta]

For whatever its worth, My buddy is up in Millinocket. He runs a timber co that pulls sinker logs from the lake.

Maine Heritage Timber

Maine Heritage Timber

maineheritagetimber.com

 

[begreen]

An insert or a stove with a low, rear outlet sounds like the two options. What is the floorplan like? Is the dining room more central? How open is the fireplace room to the rest of the house? How many sq. ft. on the first floor?

 

[brenndatomu]

What type of primary heat does it have? A whole house forced air wood furnace work? Or even a wood fired hydronic heater...

 

[EbS-P]

Short leg kit plus a fan in the back might be an option, not saying it’s the best option.

JOTUL 500 shorter legs- how much shorter are the SHORT legs?

There is a shorter legs option for the Jotul F 500 Oslo.How much shorter are those legs? And if you have these shorter legs on your Jotul 500 how tall is it now?

www.hearth.com

 

[snobuilder]

So my wife and I went up to The County to look at a couple of houses this past Saturday.

One house had a fireplace. Due to the configuration of the room I doubt I would be able to use my beloved Jotul Oslo as the top of the fireplace was 27 1/2 inches (too short to make the stove fit) . . . plus it would result in the stove sticking out into the room and walkway quite a bit.

If we opt to go with this house the way I see it I have a few choices:

A. Put the woodstove in another room and run a Class A chimney similar to what I have now. There is a large dining room adjacent to the living room where this could be done.

B. Buy an insert . . . any recommendations?

C. Go with a pelletstove perhaps?


We're still on the house hunt . . . hoping to look at another house in Sebec and another in Winn this week perhaps. For our wants though the pickings are a bit slim.

If it has a basement and forced air why not burn efficiently in the basement and pipe the whole house?

 

[bholler]

If it has a basement and forced air why not burn efficiently in the basement and pipe the whole house?

Because you loose efficiency and heating ability when power is out.

 

[SpaceBus]

What is the "primary" heat for the house and how big is it? Two story? Basement?

I feel like you probably aren't interested in any kind of pellet or wood boilers, but if you already have hydronic heating in the house it would be a solid investment.

Can you post some pics of the fireplace? Morso, Jotul, and VC make really nice cast iron fireplace inserts. They definitely perform best with a blower, but still put out some radiant heat without it.

I can't imagine putting a stove in a room you won't be spending most of your time in, unless it's a forced air or hydronic heater. We usually don't like forced air heat, but don't mind having a minisplit working together with our cast iron Morso. Folks report wood fired forced air is also different from electric, propane, oil, etc. forced air.

There are also pellet inserts if you don't mind buying fuel and have backup power. However, you're a Mainer, so I know you have at least a portable generator. I hate hearing ours, but it has saved the lives of some baby chickens.

I'm also obligated to suggest a modern wood burning cookstove, for reasons.

 

[firefighterjake]

To answer some questions . . .

2 story (although the 2nd floor) needs work -- it has limited power (mainly lights), no heat and the walls are in rough shape (not to mention that it is questionable as to whether that section has been insulated.)

It has a basement and it's in a fantastic condition. Very dry and spacious.

What's more centralized -- the dining room or the existing fireplace in the living room? It's six of one, half dozen of the other . . . the fireplace might be a little more centralized, but not by much.

1st floor might have around 1,400 square feet I am guessing, mainly due to an addition.

This is an old farmhouse built in the early 1900s -- not as open as my 1976 vintage Cape.

Primary heat is hot water baseboard fueled by a relatively new looking New York boiler.

I'm not sure I would be a fan of a wood boiler.


Now . . . all that said . . . of the two properties my wife really liked the other property which was a 1960s vintage bungalow. I'll admit the location was a bit further out than I wanted and the house is in a very rough condition . . . but the property itself was beautiful with several ponds. My wife is currently looking to see what it would cost to rehab the house and if it makes sense to offer a bid.

 

[Corey]

Did you get a close look at the fireplace? My FP was also too low for my stove, but on looking, it had a couple of courses of brick across the top of the opening which were only 1 brick thick. Simple angle iron was used for a lentil, so didn't take much to cut the angle iron, remove 1 course of brick and install a new angle iron lentil. Though if your fireplace immediately goes 'structural' at the top of the opening, or they used something more robust for a lentil like an I beam or box beam, it might be more of a challenge. Of course, if renting, it might be out of the question, too.

 

[begreen]

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