Should I upgradeto a wood furnace add on or just upgrade my wood stove to one with a blower?

[thebettycrocker]

Hey everyone!
Looking into updating our wood stove vs getting a wood furnace.
Current wood stove is an Atlanta Stove Works 26GCA.
~3,000 sq feet in an old home(1950s) that we are plugging drafts here and there..
Our electric provider continues doubling fees and costs here and there and it is maddening. My neighbor heats his entire 200 sq foot pole barn with a Hot Stove. It has got me thinking about updating our wood stove or buying an add on furnace.
We just took down about 100 trees at our new house. I have approximate 14 cords of wood split and stacked with another 40 in wide pin oak ready to be chopped into smaller pieces and split.

Through all my research I always see the Vapor Fire and Drolet Heat Commander. I jsut don't know that I can afford $8,000 on a new wood furnace before the end of the year. It will be another $1,000 + labor to install a new chimney sleve as it is only raw brick currently. My local Rural King has a Hot Blast 1520 for sale for 2,299.00. I think they are open to negotiating as they said they didn't order it for inventory, corporate did. THey said they have had a slow year and do not know if they will sell it. L&M sells them fo 1,899.00. I am thinking of offering 1500-1800 to buy it.

Is the lower price worth it for an inferior stove or save another year and then buy a VF??

Do I not buy a wood furnace at all and upgrade to a wood burner with a blower to get more forced air?

I will happily answer any questions you have to help give me some advice. Thanks!! I can add pictures later if they would be helpful

 

[begreen]

Is the Atlanta unit a metal fireplace with doors? If so, a basic woodstove replacement could make a substantial improvement at a lower cost. Tell us more about the installation of the Atlanta and its chimney system. Pictures are welcome.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Get your wood cut, split, and stacked as soon as possible! It takes time to dry! Some species need to dry for 2+ years! A pile of logs do not dry.

 

[brenndatomu]

My local Rural King has a Hot Blast 1520 for sale for 2,299.00. I think they are open to negotiating as they said they didn't order it for inventory, corporate did. THey said they have had a slow year and do not know if they will sell it. L&M sells them fo 1,899.00. I am thinking of offering 1500-1800 to buy it.

Nope!

 

[thebettycrocker]

Is the Atlanta unit a metal fireplace with doors? If so, a basic woodstove replacement could make a substantial improvement at a lower cost. Tell us more about the installation of the Atlanta and its chimney system. Pictures are welcome.

Here are pictures of the front and back of fireplace area. I also drew arrows for airflow in HVAC and fireplace(painted). Please note this is in the basement. I have a lowered ceiling. I am putting 1/2” OSB on the flooring slats and LVL on that. The only return downstairs is on the furnace. (Opposite wall of the fireplace)

 

[thebettycrocker]

Nope!

This helps. I didn’t know if it was worth it to be cheap and then upgrade in 5 years or buy once and cry once.

 

[thebettycrocker]

Get your wood cut, split, and stacked as soon as possible! It takes time to dry! Some species need to dry for 2+ years! A pile of logs do not dry.

Open to advice! I stacked 3 pallets wide before I learned about these totes!! About 14 cords split since July-November! Hoping to be ready for next year.

 

[brenndatomu]

This helps. I didn’t know if it was worth it to be cheap and then upgrade in 5 years or buy once and cry once.

I mean you could make a low ball offer and try it...but just beware that the "HotBlast" name hasn't traditionally stood for quality or high performance (high wood consumption maybe) but I am not familiar with this model...its a newer one...can't anymore than hafta tear it out to install something better next year.

 

[begreen]

That's an odd install. The first thing to do is have the chimney system inspected for safety, clearances, and code compliance. Is that chimney pipe on the back side? If so, what rating?

Secondly, the clearances for the Atlanta do not look proper. Is there a UL label on the back listing clearances? If not, they are 36" in all directions to the nearest combustibles.

 

[RockyMtnGriz]

You're talking about apples and oranges as far as the experience goes. That looks like an 8" pipe, so you could probably slap a BK King in there and load it once or twice a day and have all the heat you need, at least in that room. Can you get it to the rest of the house? That depends on the house. Counting on the HVAC to circulate air from the stove room usually doesn't work that well.

Or you could put in a good wood furnace that will constantly pump lukewarm air throughout the house. Load it once or twice a day and you can have an evenly heated house if that's what you want, but you'll lose the radiant heat from the stove, unless you're willing to run two stoves, and can do it without overheating the place.

Can you get wood to one floor or the other much more easily? That would influence my decision.

I have 3 wood burners, but I run the Kuuma in the lowest floor almost constantly because it keeps the distant rooms and plumbing from freezing, it's clean and easy to get wood there, and my other woodburners require much more attention than just stuffing them full of wood once or twice a day, doping the weather for a burn setting, and walking away. I miss the radiant, place to warm up, nature of the wood stoves when they're (normally) not burning though.

 

[thebettycrocker]

I mean you could make a low ball offer and try it...but just beware that the "HotBlast" name hasn't traditionally stood for quality or high performance (high wood consumption maybe) but I am not familiar with this model...its a newer one...can't anymore than hafta tear it out to install something better next year.

A drolet is a couple thousand more so it may be worth saving more

 

[thebettycrocker]

That's an odd install. The first thing to do is have the chimney system inspected for safety, clearances, and code compliance. Is that chimney pipe on the back side? If so, what rating?

Secondly, the clearances for the Atlanta do not look proper. Is there a UL label on the back listing clearances? If not, they are 36" in all directions to the nearest combustibles.

Uhhh. I think you are correct. Currently it is 18 inches to the back brick wall and 12 inches to the side brick wall.

The uncolored pipe in the back wall is single wall. I believe that the black pipe is single wall as well.

Chimney has been inspected and cleaned before fall. It needs a chimney sleeve. Quoted about $1000 for all parts and labor depending on 8 inch or 6 inch.

 

[thebettycrocker]

You're talking about apples and oranges as far as the experience goes. That looks like an 8" pipe, so you could probably slap a BK King in there and load it once or twice a day and have all the heat you need, at least in that room. Can you get it to the rest of the house? That depends on the house. Counting on the HVAC to circulate air from the stove room usually doesn't work that well.

Or you could put in a good wood furnace that will constantly pump lukewarm air throughout the house. Load it once or twice a day and you can have an evenly heated house if that's what you want, but you'll lose the radiant heat from the stove, unless you're willing to run two stoves, and can do it without overheating the place.

Can you get wood to one floor or the other much more easily? That would influence my decision.

I have 3 wood burners, but I run the Kuuma in the lowest floor almost constantly because it keeps the distant rooms and plumbing from freezing, it's clean and easy to get wood there, and my other woodburners require much more attention than just stuffing them full of wood once or twice a day, doping the weather for a burn setting, and walking away. I miss the radiant, place to warm up, nature of the wood stoves when they're (normally) not burning though.

My wife and I care more about an even lukewarm heat through the house than ambiance by a wood burning stove. I had planned on replacing a window in the basement with a sliding window. Then I have a half ibc tote and planned on making a wood slide to put it in the basement. My patio is covered to keep the wood covered from the elements as I am readying to burn it.

 

[thebettycrocker]

You're talking about apples and oranges as far as the experience goes. That looks like an 8" pipe, so you could probably slap a BK King in there and load it once or twice a day and have all the heat you need, at least in that room. Can you get it to the rest of the house? That depends on the house. Counting on the HVAC to circulate air from the stove room usually doesn't work that well.

Or you could put in a good wood furnace that will constantly pump lukewarm air throughout the house. Load it once or twice a day and you can have an evenly heated house if that's what you want, but you'll lose the radiant heat from the stove, unless you're willing to run two stoves, and can do it without overheating the place.

Can you get wood to one floor or the other much more easily? That would influence my decision.

I have 3 wood burners, but I run the Kuuma in the lowest floor almost constantly because it keeps the distant rooms and plumbing from freezing, it's clean and easy to get wood there, and my other woodburners require much more attention than just stuffing them full of wood once or twice a day, doping the weather for a burn setting, and walking away. I miss the radiant, place to warm up, nature of the wood stoves when they're (normally) not burning though.

Can you have a small wood burner hooked up to the same chimney system as the wood furnace?

 

[begreen]

Galvanized duct is not allowed to be used for stove pipe.

Can you have a small wood burner hooked up to the same chimney system as the wood furnace?

No, a wood fired stove can not share the flue with anything else.

 

[thebettycrocker]

Galvanized duct is not allowed to be used for stove pipe.

No, a wood fired stove can not share the flue with anything else.

Thanks for info. The sweep said to basically only burn under emergency circumstances until it is fixed properly. The old owners of this house I am finding out were not the best in terms of proper maintenance…

 

[thebettycrocker]

Second question. What is “clearance to combustible” as it pertains to flue pipe (18inches). Does that mean the flue cannot be within 18 inches of anything that can catch fire?

 

[Jags]

Yep, that's exactly what it means.

 

[thebettycrocker]

Yep, that's exactly what it means.

Thanks @Jags