Should i buy a wood burning stove?

[cwells793]

I live in Cincinnati.Ohio and have a 600 square foot basement.I also have wood floors above with little carpet.My basement has one wall completely exposed to the outside,one that has the garage attached to it that remains cold in winter,and the other 2 are 90 percent underground.It remains cold all winter and in turn my furnace runs a lot keeping the 1st floor warm(no furnace vent in basement).I thought that if i put a wood burner down there that the heat would rise and help heat the 1st floor.My supply of wood is unlimited so the initial cost is all i am concerned with,which is in my budget.My insurance said if i have it professionally installed,i can have it but they wont cover any loss due to it being the cause of a fire?I want to be comfortable in the winter months and more carpet will not help if my basement is cold as hell.It would cost a lot to finish basement vs. stove install.Please help me make the correct decision,as to not waste my money on something i think will work.I also do not know spacing of the stove as it pertains to electric outlets,water heater,gas lines,etc.Thanks for your time and patients.

 

[Adabiviak]

I don't think you'll get a lot of 'no's on this forum. Also, unlimited wood... do tell.

 

[ROBERT F]

cwells793, are you looking more to heat the basement, or to gain a little radiant heat up the floors? cause the latter works only marginally. I can tell you that I have a large basement with apprx 9 ft roof, unfinished ceiling, with hardwood floors above. for about 20 fot diameter above where the stove is you can feel warmth on the floor. at the 20 foot mark it might be just 1 or 2 degrees. more than anything it keeps my home office warm, thats the only real reason its in the basement. you need airflow to really transfer heat around.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Should i buy a wood burning stove?

Is this a trick question?

Either way the answer is "yes."

 

[Pagey]

Welcome to the forums. I like being warm, so of course I'm going to say yes! Before you take the plunge and make this investment, please consider two points of interest: 1.) the basement install and 2.) seasoned fuel that's ready to burn.

Take a moment to read up on basement installations here: (broken link removed to http://www.woodstove.com/pages/basement_install.html) Installing in a basement that is not properly finished and insulated can rob you of a ton of BTUs and result in a very marginal heating experience. I'm not saying they don't work, just wanted you to be aware of the challenges they CAN pose.

Second, today's EPA certified stoves operate on the principal of secondary combustion (that is, they cause the smoke released by the wood when it burns to get hot enough to combust). In order to burn the wood smoke and extract its heat, you need a good supply of seasoned wood. Generally speaking, this means the wood has been cut, split, and stacked for one year.

 

[Hanko]

Of course you should, that will qualify you to ask silly questions

 

[precaud]

Don't do it - you'll be saaah-reee... it's addictive!

 

[cwells793]

Thanks for all the advice.I am going to insulate the walls and go from there.Hopefully putting in a wood burner still.I work on a golf course so the supply of wood is endless for me.

 

[lexybird]

my father in law does this with his napolean stove ,i think its a medium sized one like a 1400 series no blower unit no fans or anything special .the warmth is enough that it keeps the down stairs toasty and the heat just travels upward through the winding stair well and you can stand on top of it and feel it come up and wrap around you ,its really neat and surprisingly it does a great job of getting heat upstairs regardless of no registers or special ducting,only when its 10 degress or less does their natural gas come on .