Size of Stove

[kevinwburke]

I am considering a Jotul F500 Oslo. It may be bigger than I need but I can get a good deal on it for only $150 more than the F400. The room I am putting it in is 26 feet by 22 feet , on a slab with sliders and many large windows so it is pretty drafty. The downstairs is 1200 square feet (same on second floor) but the stove is at one end of the house and not centrally located.. I am hoping to heat the upstairs master bedroom as well, which is directly above the room the stove would be located in.

I figure I can always put less wood in the stove during the day, but fill it on cold nights to get a long burn.

Am I buying too big a stove and risking overheating the room if I burn at proper temperatures?

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[begreen]

Greetings Kevin. What neck of the woods are you posting from? USA is a bit broad of an area to comment on.

How will the heat get upstairs? Is there a stairway adjacent to the stove room?

 

[kevinwburke]

I live in Central Ma...maybe a stretch of below zero here and there.

There is a stairway but not that close. I assumed that the heat would escape somewhat through the ceiling and rise up to the bedroom. (has to go somewhere right?...heat rises? and I showing my ignorance here?)

I actually have a pellet stove on the first floor of the other side of the house but the room with the slab gets cold. Plus right now with the cost of pellets its not any cheaper than oil....other than putting the pellet stove on at night and keeping the boiler off.

And while I will need to buy some seasoned wood...I have a very heavilly treed 4 plus acres which I can cut someof my own wood (at least the ones that are not pine).

Is that any clearer?

Thanks.

 

[begreen]

Getting heat upstairs will probably be the main concern. The stove is an area heater. Without a fairly large opening for the warm air to convect through, the heat will stay mostly downstairs. But if this is an uninsulated space, at least a third will be sucked into the surrounding ground. If so, the F500 may work out well.

 

[North of 60]

I have a very heavilly treed 4 plus acres which I can cut someof my own wood (at least the ones that are not pine).

Is that any clearer?

Thanks.

Sorry, not clear on the Pine. Iam the pine equal rights police. Why would you not include Pine as your free heat source and save the hardwoods. Especially if you need to get a seasoned inventory right away to start burning your own wood by next fall.

 

[kevinwburke]

Well being a novice here i WAS FOLLOWING THE OLD Saying that you can not burn pine because of creasote concerns. Of course I have been reading here and now realize that if the temp is kept up high, it is not a problem...which delights me since I have so much pine. Plus we had a brutal "Ice Storm of the Centruty" here last december so I have a lot of pine that is down or needs to come down. Now if I can just find the time and a log splitter I am set.

Appreciate all the help here...this is a great forum. Apparently people who like to burn....like to help.

 

[branchburner]

Given the room the stove is going into, I would opt for the larger one. Don't count on the bedroom above to benefit directly from the heat below, but you should get more flow to the far end of the house and stairwell if you have a floor fan blowing cool air into the room with the stove.
My bedroom above the stove can be a bit chilly even with the stove cranking. But my stairwell is close to the stove room and has a doorway, which I use to control my house temps. If it is too hot downstairs or too cold upstairs, I open the door. The results are quick and dramatic.
If you decide to put a floor register in to allow heat upstairs, be aware that it can be a fire hazard (allowing fire to spread rapidly) if it's not the type that will close automatically in the event of a fire.

 

[jadm]

I suggest bigger too for the same reasons you first stated. You can always build a smaller fire.

My first insert was too small. It was an expensive lesson. Very glad I found this forum prior to buying our second insert....which is too big but we have had NO problems with it. Just smaller fires when necessary and bigger ones on those cold, cold days. Very easy, with fans, to move the extra heat around.