Returning to wood. Choosing stove size

[TypeB]

Hello! New to the forum. We will soon be building a new single level, 2200 sq ft home in central Oregon where the winters typically go into the teens and sometimes lower at night. We have owned four wood stoves over the years then wandered off to a gas fireplace for several years and now returning to wood. So we've been researching all the options which led me to this forum and all you wise stove owners. I have questions ....

Our stove will be a secondary heat source, meant to heat the primary living area (great room, kitchen, den) that are all centrally located in the house. 10 ft ceilings. Not so concerned about completely heating the bedrooms at either end of the house.

Husband thinks we should go small and choose one that says it'll heat 1200-1400 sq ft, but I'm thinking a little bigger, maybe enough to do the whole house would be quite nice. (I'd love to hardly use the furnace at.) But we've owned a too-big-stove in the past and don't want to do that again. Are the stove specs on sq footage accurate? Do you have any thoughts or opinions on stove size? For the heat to reach the bedrooms, will it be too warm in the great room where the stove will be? (There will be a ceiling fan.)

I've been devouring your posts, but haven't found this particular question.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rickb]

Depending on the company take the stove estimates with a grain of salt. Your going to to want a 3-4 cuft stove.

The newer stoves come in a few different variants the 2 biggest being secondary burn tubes or cat. Burn tubes tend to burn hotter for a shorter period and while cats can burn hot they shine at lower burn rates over longer periods.

Im sure others will chime in with more info but this is just a quick overview.

 

[Dix]

Welcome to the forums, B Love the handle

Englander 30, maybe (low end, damned good stove, and excellent support ! ) .

You can build a smaller fire in a bog stove, but not a bigger fire in a small stove.

Start on the firewood now !

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Welcom B
You can look at combination of things
1 being what the manufacturer says the SQFT it will heat
2 would be the BTUs its putting out
3 fire box size
4 burn time
5 would be cat or non cat
I would be assuming you last stove was older non cat and you had little heat control

The new cat stoves can give you a broad heat range with extended burn times. You will need a stove that can heat your home total sqft so get one that is rated for your sqft but also look at the other items in the list above to see if is actually achievable. Your looking for something around a 3 cuft fire box in the low 70k btu range or high 60k. The cat stoves are a great opting as you can dampen them down and get a low heat out put so when its not super cold the stove doesn't blow you out and also you can burn through the night if needed. You want to avoid a stove that is to small as you will be burning it to hot all the time and that is not good for the stove eathet.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Take a look at their new Summers heat 2400 SF 50 . The view is priceless and the stove sits high on a pedestal vs the 30 which is low to the floor ,about the same price too .now $719 at select lowes stores.

 

[begreen]

If this is new construction, can we assume it will have very good insulation and be well sealed? Will it be 2x6 wall construction? If so, I would shoot for a 2.0- 2.5 cu ft stove. That should heat the place well without being overwhelming. The weather can get cold in your area, but is generally mild (as compared to New England). There are some excellent stoves in this size range that have good long burn times. If you can give us a sense of the budget for the stove and the style that you like, we can make some suggestions.

 

[TypeB]

Thank you all for your help and suggestions.

The husband and I are in quite a quandary. He wants smaller, sleek, and contemporary and will pay what it takes to get what he wants. He thinks we won't be using it as much as I think we will. I want larger, longer burning, and practical. I want the darn thing to pay for itself! He hates the 80s look of basic steel stoves, which is all we had in the past (remember the ol' earth stoves?) which I thought were great. So it must be cast iron, or a mix of cast iron and steel. I love the soap stone look but we've decided we don't want the slow heat up.

And as far as style, it seems as though the contemporary ones (which was our original plan) are usually small and/or boxey, and so many of the cast iron ones are SOOO grandma-ish. And when I see all the contemporary options that they have in Europe, I'm frustrated that we are so limited in the states.

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent.

PS The Husband is really a wonderful, sweet guy who is willing to bend to my wishes, but I want him to like it too.

 

[begreen]

Fortunately there are some styles that may work for both of you. Take a look at the Osburn Matrix and the Pacific Energy Neo series. See if this direction is a good compromise. If the budget is bigger than take a look at Rais stoves like the Gabo.
https://www.osburn-mfg.com/en/products/wood-stoves/matrix-wood-stove/
http://www.pacificenergy.net/products/wood/
https://us.rais.com/rais-gabo.html

PS: Modern stoves really want dry, seasoned wood. If you are buying firewood, try to get doug fir or a doug fir, alder mix. That seasons pretty quickly in our dry summers as long as the wood is top covered and stacked off the ground. Assume that the wood you buy will not be fully seasoned.

 

[TypeB]

Fortunately there are some styles that may work for both of you. Take a look at the Osburn Matrix and the Pacific Energy Neo series. See if this direction is a good compromise. If the budget is bigger than take a look at Rais stoves like the Gabo.
https://www.osburn-mfg.com/en/products/wood-stoves/matrix-wood-stove/
http://www.pacificenergy.net/products/wood/
https://us.rais.com/rais-gabo.html

PS: Modern stoves really want dry, seasoned wood. If you are buying firewood, try to get doug fir or a doug fir, alder mix. That seasons pretty quickly in our dry summers as long as the wood is top covered and stacked off the ground. Assume that the wood you buy will not be fully seasoned.

Oh! Running out the door to see the Pacific Energy model! The Osburn sits too far from the wall, and I've already nixed the Rais (budget-buster). Thank you!

 

[TypeB]

Update! We went and saw -- not the exact model, but one similar and the Pacific Energy Newcastle 1.6 just jumped to the top of our list. Perfect compromise! Thanks again, Begreen!

 

[jeff_t]

Similar style, awesome control of heat output. A bit on the pricey side, though.
http://www.blazeking.com/EN/wood-chinook30.html

Too bad Pacific Energy did away with the Fusion. Probably not a huge seller, but an attractive, modern style on the proven platform of the other super series stoves.

 

[TypeB]

Similar style, awesome control of heat output. A bit on the pricey side, though.
http://www.blazeking.com/EN/wood-chinook30.html

Too bad Pacific Energy did away with the Fusion. Probably not a huge seller, but an attractive, modern style on the proven platform of the other super series stoves.

I noticed that one, and have seen others like it, but the Newcastle has a cast iron exterior with a design that we really like. Plus it's not as deep and sits closely to the wall which is just what we need.

It's odd, but we've been all over Portland and only saw a couple of plain-looking BKs tucked away in one very cluttered store. And it was the only dealer in town who carries them. I would not have given BKs a thought if not for all the raves here in this forum over them. Maybe BK needs to beef up its presence in this part of the country.

 

[jeff_t]

It's odd, but we've been all over Portland and only saw a couple of plain-looking BKs tucked away in one very cluttered store. And it was the only dealer in town who carries them. I would not have given BKs a thought if not for all the raves here in this forum over them. Maybe BK needs to beef up its presence in this part of the country.

That's kinda sad because they were born in the PNW, and headquartered in Walla Walla. Perfect for that climate, where the heating season can be long yet moderate, and softwoods are the norm.

The combustion system is unequaled.

 

[TypeB]

That's kinda sad because they were born in the PNW, and headquartered in Walla Walla. Perfect for that climate, where the heating season can be long yet moderate, and softwoods are the norm.

The combustion system is unequaled.

Oh wait. I was wrong. Several dealers here carry them, but we've hit 8 stores this week and only saw them once. No one was pushing them. Can't explain it.

 

[jeff_t]

My King had been on the showroom floor for five years when I bought it.

Dealers probably don't push them too hard to the average buyer, but for the somewhat educated woodburner they are fine. Truly dry wood and good draft make it easy.

State stove of Alaska

 

[begreen]

Update! We went and saw -- not the exact model, but one similar and the Pacific Energy Newcastle 1.6 just jumped to the top of our list. Perfect compromise! Thanks again, Begreen!

Thought that might catch your eyes. Keep us posted on progress.

 

[Tar12]

Update! We went and saw -- not the exact model, but one similar and the Pacific Energy Newcastle 1.6 just jumped to the top of our list. Perfect compromise! Thanks again, Begreen!

Sorry...I don't see this as a perfect compromise...1.6 firebox isn't very much at all...max burn time of 7 hrs if the stars line up correctly...when its in the teens and the winds are howling you will feel its short comings...you will be feeding this stove non stop and IMO will fall woefully short on heating capability..personaly I would be looking for a cat stove with a 2.5-3.0 cubic firebox. The cat stoves heat out put are very controllable. I would rather have enough stove that could be enjoyed vs a stove that did not have enough out put and required much more energy to maintain heat output.

 

[bcrtops]

Thought that might catch your eyes. Keep us posted on progress.

You would love the Newcastle, either the 1.6 or the 2.5 version
Buy from a good, reputable dealer for the customer service

 

[Tegbert]

You would love the Newcastle, either the 1.6 or the 2.5 version
Buy from a good, reputable dealer for the customer service

And be sure to ask if they install and service the stuff they sell. I didn't and the dealer we went to contracts it all out and can be a few weeks wait for an opening.


Lopi Rockport

 

[TypeB]

Sorry...I don't see this as a perfect compromise...1.6 firebox isn't very much at all...max burn time of 7 hrs if the stars line up correctly...when its in the teens and the winds are howling you will feel its short comings...you will be feeding this stove non stop and IMO will fall woefully short on heating capability..personaly I would be looking for a cat stove with a 2.5-3.0 cubic firebox. The cat stoves heat out put are very controllable. I would rather have enough stove that could be enjoyed vs a stove that did not have enough out put and required much more energy to maintain heat output.

You may be right. The space we mostly want to heat is about 1200 sf and our heat pump will be our main heat source. There are only two of us now and the guest rooms will be closed off most of the time. We've been run out of our home by an oversized stove in the past and don't want to make that mistake. So it's hard to say. We will take this all into consideration. Thanks so much for your input.

 

[brenndatomu]

You can control how much heat a bigger stove makes by how much (and what type) wood you load in it.
I was going to suggest something in the 2 CF size also, much smaller and not only do load times suffer (can't make it through the night) but you have to play "firewood Jenga" to load it

 

[ddddddden]

+1 on the "firewood Jenga."
Newer stoves get more BTU's out of a load of wood than the older stoves do, but you still want to be able to throw a decent load of wood in there. . .and do so in a hurry if you're doing "hot" reloads because the stove is too small for the house and you are reloading, like, every 4 hours. Having heated with wood in the past, you probably understand this, but if you want to make sure you're really feelin' it, take an armload of wood to the store and try stuffing it into the firebox of any stove you are considering.

Side loading vs. front loading makes a difference too. Most folks with the option to side load feel that they can get more wood into the stove this way. Placing logs "north-south" from the front into a stove with a deep firebox would be equivalent to side loading. PE's I'm familiar with have square-ish fireboxes that allow north-south loading, but I'm not sure about the Newcastle.

On aesthetics, Morsø makes some beautiful cast iron stoves. Some "grandma-ish," some modern, some in between. . . probably a bit pricey though.