Recommendations, please

[Charles2]

Well, now that it's the first week of summer, it's time to think about staying warm. ;-)

I want to choose a wood-burning appliance (stove, fireplace or masonry heater) with glass door(s) for professional retrofit in a small living room in a small house in GA. House is 2 stories and I think the flue will have a straight shot thru the roof.

Here are my goals:

1. Small, with minimum clearance to combustibles. Therefore if a wood stove it should have heat shields. Would be great if it could be wall-hung to occupy minimal floor space. But should still accommodate standard 16" firewood.

2. Safe, so intended to be hooked to 6" diameter class A UL 103HT double-wall stainless chimney.

3. Efficient, around 80% AFUE.

4. Clean, meets Washington State emission requirements. Would be great if it could also meet the proposed EPA requirement of 1.3 g/hr.

5. Durable/reliable, so a non-catalytic make/model with a long, unblemished reputation.

Is there anything on the market that meets all of these goals, or am I asking for the impossible?

 

[BrotherBart]

Welcome. Lots of information to come, but get right over "wall-hung". for a serious heater.

How pretty does this heater need to be?

 

[Charles2]

Why can't wall-hung be serious?

I'd like to say that looks don't matter, but the truth is that if I have a choice between 2 equally functional woodstoves, for example, one of which has a nice classical look like Vermont Castings and the other like an industrial boiler, I'll take the Vermont Castings.

 

[Grisu]

Welcome to the forum!

1. How small/minimal clearances? That requirement also takes out fireplaces or masonry heaters. Small stoves also suffer from short burn times. What is the intention of the heater: Ambiance? Supplemental heat? Primary heater?
2. No problem; except for very large stoves that require an 8" flue but doesn't look like you need one of those.
3. Possible but hugely dependent on the quality of the wood burned and proper burning technique. Thus, the user plays a huge role in determining the real world efficiencies of stoves.
4. There are some stoves that meet Washington standards but only very few that get less than 1.3 g/hr. Here is a list you can check yourself: (broken link removed to http://www.epa.gov/Compliance/resources/publications/monitoring/caa/woodstoves/certifiedwood.pdf) Maybe a Quadrafire 3100 would come closest to meeting all your requirements.
5. The most efficient (point 3) and clean burning (point 4) stoves are usually catalytic. You will also get longer burn times and easier control of the heat output. I would take a look at Blazeking stoves. They are catalytic but certainly durable and with a great reputation. Woodstock stoves would be another reputable company but their stoves usually require larger clearances.

What is your budget? How much of an area do you want to heat? Do you already have dry, seasoned wood?

 

[BrotherBart]

Not too many ways of hanging three hundred+ pounds of hot steel/cast iron from a wall. This ain't a TV we are talking about here.

Get real.

 

[Charles2]

Thanks for the welcome!

I've seen some pretty small stoves, masonry heaters, and zero-clearance fireplaces backed up to walls. If the appliance were wide and shallow it would fit best. Intend for supplemental heat and ambiance, but it would become primary heat in a power failure.

I am hoping to keep the price < $1k (just the appliance, not the flue/chimney) but could be convinced to go higher. The room is 12' x 18'. I do have dry, seasoned wood.

 

[Grisu]

Why can't wall-hung be serious?

Morso offers a few wall-mounted stoves: (broken link removed to http://www.morsona.com/wall-mounted)
However, their fireboxes are really small and don't fit 16" logs. They are good for ambiance and a bit of supplemental heat but certainly no "serious heaters". The curved glass will probably also be expensive to replace if it ever breaks.

I'd like to say that looks don't matter, but the truth is that if I have a choice between 2 equally functional woodstoves, for example, one of which has a nice classical look like Vermont Castings and the other like an industrial boiler, I'll take the Vermont Castings.

People here are a bit hesitant to recommend Vermont Castings stoves. They changed ownership quite a few times in the last years and customer service and the honoring of warranties have been subpar. They also still use a "downdraft" system in many of their stoves which is difficult to use and some of its components are prone to break easily. Before deciding on a VC stove I would highly recommend to search the forum for experiences with the particular stove model and the company in general.

 

[Charles2]

Not too many ways of hanging three hundred+ pounds of hot steel/cast iron from a wall. This ain't a TV we are talking about here.

Get real.

Not too many ways, but I'm sure I've seen at least one.

 

[Charles2]

People here are a bit hesitant to recommend Vermont Castings stoves.

OK, so let's forget about looks and focus on performance.

 

[BrotherBart]

That Morso requires a non-combustible wall. Not a feature in most homes.

Figure out what hearth and stove you need to have.

 

[Grisu]

Not too many ways, but I'm sure I've seen at least one.

What kind of wall do you have? I have seen quite a few on European sites but their walls are usually solid brick and cinderblock. Not sure how well you can hang a wall-mounted stove on drywall and studs.

 

[Grisu]

Thanks for the welcome!

I've seen some pretty small stoves, masonry heaters, and zero-clearance fireplaces backed up to walls. If the appliance were wide and shallow it would fit best. Intend for supplemental heat and ambiance, but it would become primary heat in a power failure.

Would you like to have an overnight burn? That would require a firebox of about 2 cu ft in a non-catalytic stove. Catalytic stoves with their extended burn times can have a smaller firebox.

I am hoping to keep the price < $1k (just the appliance, not the flue/chimney) but could be convinced to go higher. The room is 12' x 18'.

Are you planning on only heating the room or the whole house in case of a power outage? Plus, not many stoves for less than $1 K available and I can't think of one that would fit your other requirements. What requirements are most important to you?

If you like the look of the VC line you can check out the following small (less than 2 cu ft firebox) or medium-sized stoves:

Hearthstone Craftsbury (small) or Shelburne (medium)
Quadrafire Yosemite (small) or Explorer (medium)
Jotul F400 (small) or F500 (medium)
Harman Oakwood (medium)
Hampton H300 (small)

 

[Parallax]

You've got a lot of requirements for a stove under $1,000. Probably not realistic unless you're buying used.

 

[Charles2]

What kind of wall do you have?

You guessed it, drywall and studs. But I don't mind adding stuff like steel channel and concrete backerboard if necessary. Floor is a slab, BTW, so could probably support a small masonry heater.

Would you like to have an overnight burn? Are you planning on only heating the room or the whole house in case of a power outage? What requirements are most important to you?

Overnight burn is not important. I only want to heat the room. Don't think of my list as requirements, just goals.

You've got a lot of requirements for a stove under $1,000. Probably not realistic unless you're buying used.

Again, these are goals, not requirements. But where does one find used? And it does not have to be a stove.

 

[Grisu]

You guessed it, drywall and studs. But I don't mind adding stuff like steel channel and concrete backerboard if necessary.

You will still have a hard time to comply with clearance requirements; almost certainly additional airspace between the non-combustible wall and drywall will be needed. Putting a small stove in front of the wall will be much easier.

Floor is a slab, BTW, so could probably support a small masonry heater.

Masonry heaters are seldom small and exceed your budget by a pretty wide margin. They are also most of the time custom designed and built together with the house by a specialized mason. Here is an example of a comparatively affordable, prefabricated masonry heater: (broken link removed to http://www.tulikivi.com/usa-can)

Overnight burn is not important. I only want to heat the room. Don't think of my list as requirements, just goals.

A small heater will do then. Check out the Englander 17-VL and NC-13 for affordable small stoves. The Drolet Pyropak would be another option or the Timberwolf EPA 2100. Slightly larger firebox but still under 1K is the Pacific Energy True North. For "prettier" looking stoves check the models I mentioned above. They all will meet your requirements more or less.

Again, these are goals, not requirements. But where does one find used? And it does not have to be a stove.

Used stoves can often be found on Craigslist but in your area not many wood stoves may be available. Not sure which other options you have in mind; masonry heaters and ZC fireplaces usually become part of the house infrastructure and would be very hard to find used. Not to mention that they may exceed your budget significantly.

 

[Parallax]

Used stoves can often be found on Craigslist but in your area not many wood stoves may be available. Not sure which other options you have in mind; masonry heaters and ZC fireplaces usually become part of the house infrastructure and would be very hard to find used. Not to mention that they may exceed your budget significantly.

The nice thing about looking for stoves in a place where they're not common is that, when someone moves into a home with one, they often look to rip it out and have no way to sell it. Post a "looking for" ad on craigslist and you may find several people contacting you, wanting just $100 for an old stove. When I was considering options, was looking at old stoves on craigslist and people were just about giving them away. More challenging was finding someone willing to install because of liability concerns. But I found a couple of people willing to do so. Didn't go that route because I wanted a higher functioning, better looking stove and was willing to pay the price. But every application is different and I could see myself going the used route on another occasion.

 

[Charles2]

Here is an example of a comparatively affordable, prefabricated masonry heater: (broken link removed to http://www.tulikivi.com/usa-can)

Not sure which other options you have in mind; masonry heaters and ZC fireplaces usually become part of the house infrastructure and would be very hard to find used. Not to mention that they may exceed your budget significantly.

I priced a small Tulikivi many months ago and got a quote of over $10k! I understand why a mass of soapstone might exceed my budget, but why should ZC fireplaces be more expensive than stoves?

 

[stovelark]

Hi Charles- Looking at this thread- you prob should either reconsider your desires/expectations or bump up your budget. There are many nice, smaller stoves under 1500.00, the room you describe and the locale you are in, a smaller Jotul 602 or Nordic F100 would supply the heat, but their sizes of wood and burn times will be shorter than desired. A nice small steel might be just what you need, clearances will usually be smaller too and they are easier to afford. Quadrafire, PE, Enviro, Osburn and Englander all make small affordable steel stoves, that will burn very cleanly and heat nicely for you. You can go to the used stoves lists, but you gotta know what you are buying. Hey, good luck with the search, that's 3/4 of the fun...

 

[bholler]

zero clearance units are more expensive because there is allot more engineering to them as well as allot of shielding insulation ect. And yeah a masonry heater meets almost none of your requirements. You also will need to do allot more than metal channel and backer board in order to hang a stove or slide one tight to the wall to do that you would need a true non combustible wall. I agree that you may need to adjust your expectations and probably your budget.

 

[Charles2]

And yeah a masonry heater meets almost none of your requirements.

Now that is a surprising statement. Maybe I've been a victim of false advertising, but I thought they could meet almost all of my goals.

 

[bholler]

They are efficient yes but they are not small at all and the smaller ones do not have really tight clearances like the large ones and they will never be anywhere near your budget. Also many need footers so your slab would need cut and footers poured. So i guess i was wrong they do meet some of your requirements but 2 of the major ones that are way off the mark.

 

[mass_burner]

Thanks for the welcome!

I've seen some pretty small stoves, masonry heaters, and zero-clearance fireplaces backed up to walls. If the appliance were wide and shallow it would fit best. Intend for supplemental heat and ambiance, but it would become primary heat in a power failure.

I am hoping to keep the price < $1k (just the appliance, not the flue/chimney) but could be convinced to go higher. The room is 12' x 18'. I do have dry, seasoned wood.

yea, i was with you on the wall mount options, Morso, Wittus, until you mentioned the <$1k part. That's not going to happen.

 

[Owen1508]

US Stove 2500, or an Englander would be the ones on the low end of your budget that have smaller clearances, over 75% eff., 2.0-2.5 cuft fireboxes, and meet Washington St standards.

 

[smokedragon]

(broken link removed to http://www.buckstove.com/model-21-elite.html)

You are probably looking at something like this.......probably a mobile home approved (they tend to have built in heat shielding). I agree it is hard to get everything you want under 1000.

 

[begreen]

A True North TN19 will fit the bill here. It is under $1000, takes 18" wood. Good basic heater.