Someone please talk me back from the edge

[wendell]

First, I love my stove and have actually been surprised how much heat I'm able to get out of it but have to admit, after hanging out here for a year and half, I'm starting to get more than a little "long burn" envy. Also, I know I'm pushing the stove harder than it was designed for and I'm sure that will catch up to me at some point. Finally, this tax credit thing is starting to sound better and better.

Anyway, my thoughts at the moment are to upgrade to a bigger stove and possibly move the Morso to the first floor and use it for supplemental heat in the evenings (I may wait a year with that to see how the bigger stove does on it's own). Thinking of a Woodstock Fireview or a local dealer has a Hearthstone Phoenix floor model they are closing out. I went with the Morso as I didn't want to blast myself out the room it was in but feeding it every 3 hours is getting a little old.

Thoughts?

 

[wendell]

Keep warm. It has less than a cubic foot of firebox space and is only rated for 1200 square feet and I'm heating over 2000 with it.

 

[Bobbin]

I'm not going to try to talk you back from the edge. Here's how I see it: using a wood stove requires a good deal of participation on your part.
1.) You have to arrange for a supply of wood (buy it or do it yourself)
2.) You have to schlep the wood to the stove and clean up the debris trail
3.) You have to clean the flue regularly and maintain the stove properly
4.) You assume a certain level of risk with the whole venture and you have to minimize that risk

But, you have the satisfaction of knowing you have a certain level of personal control over your heat source. If the power goes out you're pretty well assured you won't be driven out of your home to shelter within 72 hrs., nor is your home's water going to freeze solid and cause really inconvenient damage. So...

You should have a stove that's going to make all those things as easy as they can possibly be and keep you warm at the same time. I am like a cat... I like to hang around and be warm and exert mimimal effort to be so. I'm fine with the work required to split, stack, and patiently wait for firewood to cure up properly. I don't mind dealing with "the mess". I've always been practical and known how to plan to deal with contingencies (it's a "piece rate" thing). Putting in the time on the front end of a scheme tends to minimize the inconveniences encountered. And that's because I like having a cozy home in January without huge fuel bills.

I love our stoves. They perform flawlessly becasue we take good care of them. I don't resent the work involved to have a cozy home in the coldest months of the year. I like knowing that I've "done my part" in providing that warmth. I know that I'll have to sweat and swat deer flies to stack and move firewood at this time of year. It's part of the bargain we've made and it's actually fun to get it finished. I like the way it makes me feel; organized, thorough, and prepared. A "Modern Pioneer Woman" through and through (MPW).

You've already made your choice, I think. The real measure of success is in the "follow through".

 

[Dix]

What Sister Bobbin said ;-)

 

[Todd]

A fireview would look very sexy on the hearth of yours. But you may get bored waiting all day to reload your stove. ;-) Get it ordered and installed before the "get to together" so we can all stand around it and ooh and aah in it's greatness.

 

[jadm]

I am here to give you a push.

I switched out my 'smaller' insert 1 1/2 winters ago and have NO regrets.

Only 'problem' I had was learning how to burn all over again. The hardest part was forgetting what I had learned with my old insert - it didn't work with my new one.

Make sure you have more wood on hand and longer pieces too.

Most of all - have fun going over the edge and keep us posted. ;-)

 

[wendell]

Make sure you have more wood on hand and longer pieces too.

That is a problem as I've got 9 cords of 14" c/s/s.

 

[Dix]

It'll still burn

 

[begreen]

I don't think you'll have any regrets getting the larger stove. We stopped at 3 cu ft. and are heating the same sq ftg.

 

[Bobbin]

You're such a guy...

And you "speak in tongues".

 

[BrotherBart]

Make sure you have more wood on hand and longer pieces too.

That is a problem as I've got 9 cords of 14" c/s/s.

You ain't gonna believe how great the 14" wood will be with a bigger stove. You can configure the night load any way you want it. And if you wanna pack that sucker full that is the stuff to do it with.

Besides, it sounds like you only need two 14" splits for the overnight burn in the magical Fireview. :coolsmirk:

 

[wendell]

You guys are supposed to be talking me out of this, not pushing me over the edge!

I didn't realize the Fireview was magical but maybe that would make it worth it right there.

Seriously, I'm sure not limiting myself to those two choices, there just the 2 I looked at today that I liked (there were other Hearthstones but the rest were all enamel which I'm not too keen on). I sure like soapstone but might look at a Jotul also. I would like to consider the Quadrafire to support a fellow member but have to admit, their look doesn't really do it for me (Sorry, jtp). According to PE's website, there are no dealers around here. I guess I'll wander over to the review section here and do some reading.

 

[jadm]

You guys are supposed to be talking me out of this, not pushing me over the edge!

.

If you want to be talked back from the edge you have come to the wrong place.

Just in case you haven't noticed, this is the place where people who are obsessed with fire, wood, and heat hang out.

You might like to see if there is a 12 step anonymous program around the web somewhere where 'recovered wood burners' meet. They might be more helpful. ;-P

 

[Dix]

Just another bunch of enablers on another forum :lol:

Wanna get pricey, check out some horse or car BB's %-P

 

[waynek]

Make sure you have more wood on hand and longer pieces too.

That is a problem as I've got 9 cords of 14" c/s/s.

We are practically neighbors and to show you that I am a stand up guy...I would be happy to take the 14"s off your hands to make room for longer splits.
Jackpine

 

[Dix]

Make sure you have more wood on hand and longer pieces too.

That is a problem as I've got 9 cords of 14" c/s/s.

We are practically neighbors and to show you that I am a stand up guy...I would be happy to take the 14"s off your hands to make room for longer splits.
Jackpine

:coolsmile:

 

[summit]

they used to tell us this in the army... go big or go home.. i think it applies to stoves as well.

 

[BrotherBart]

If for nothing else, just to have some working room in the firebox. Most nights I just load the 30 with about what people with smaller stoves do for an overnight burn. Without having to use a CAD program to figure out split size and placement. The little Jotuls I have drive me nuts loading them.

 

[wendell]

We are practically neighbors and to show you that I am a stand up guy...I would be happy to take the 14"s off your hands to make room for longer splits.
Jackpine

You are a heck of a guy and so amazingly generous! Guess you could bring a BIG truck on the 19th and relieve me of my misery. Not!

 

[northwinds]

Jump!

 

[firefighterjake]

HehHeh . . . I'm not only pushing you over the edge, I'm ducttaping a soapstone stove to you for a little extra weight.

I think you already know what you want to do and just need someone to say that it is a smart decision . . . and of course we're more than happy to tell you we think it's a smart investment.

1) You mentioned the tax credit . . . if you want to buy a larger stove eventually the time is now . . . if you have been thinking that perhaps sometime down the road you would want a larger stove to heat more of your home I honestly think that the time to do so is now, rather than later due in no small part to the tax credit. This is one of those golden opportunities.

2) You say you have been pushing your stove hard . . . this shows me that while the Morso might be a great stove, it is not the stove for your present-needs. Like many folks, I suspect you went with the smaller stove thinking you would use it more like a space heater (i.e. heat a small space, not heat regularly) and now you're realizing that a larger stove could perhaps be installed to provide even more heat to the rest of the house without pushing the envelope of the stove's limitations. If you're running the stove hard now, you will continue to do so . . . now is the time to get a larger stove.

3) You mentioned the short feed times . . . there's nothing wrong with feeding a stove every 3 hours. I enjoy putting wood in the stove when I'm home and watching TV or reading . . . but like you I would not relish getting up in middle of the night to keep the fire burning. A larger stove often means longer burning times = you are happier with the stove and its performance.

I have often advised folks to go a bit larger with their stove than what they think . . . invariably it seems that many folks who think they will run their stove just to heat up one room will find, or attempt, to heat more rooms when they realize they can effectively move the heat throughout the house and that the heat just doesn't stay in that one room . . . and invariably folks who think they will just heat on evenings and weekends discover the joy of burning and start to burn 24/7. It sounds as though you now realize this . . . and there's nothing wrong with learning this lesson now . . . heck, in some ways this has worked out well for you -- you discovered this after just one year or so of burning and now you're ready and willing to go to the next step, spend a little more money and go a bit bigger.

If I had to guess the one thing that may be holding you back is the idea that you bought a stove a short time ago and now already you're wondering if you made the right decision and are thinking it may not make a lot of sense to replace a perfectly good stove so soon . . . the good news is that this stove is not that old . . . it can still be used elsewhere in the home as you mentioned or you might be able to sell it and use the money made from the sale to help finance a new, larger stove.

And so, off the edge you go. . . .

 

[wendell]

Thanks, Jake. You are very wise! Actually, I went with the Morso because I was really worried about heating myself out of the room it is in (family room where we spend a lot of our time) and honestly, I love the look of the European stoves (which is a SMALL factor in not wanting to change to a more "Classic" looking stove).

Also, I never dreamed with our late 50's modified ranch (second story added to part of the house in '67) with its very small rooms that a woodstove could possibly heat the whole thing. We just have a small electric heater on the second story for the really cold nights but other than that, the Morso is able to heat it pretty well until the fire goes out around 4 AM.

But, your points are well taken. Thanks for taking the time to share.

 

[Wet1]

This, or any one of these "I want a bigger stove" threads should be a sticky... Buyers regret regarding purchasing too small of a stove is way too common. I suspect part of this is due to the manufactures overrating their products and dealers failing to explain the virtues of properly sizing a stove.


Anyway, here's another vote for getting a bigger stove...

 

[Delta-T]

Wendell, let me be the voice of opposition here.......your current stove is fine. what you really need is a couple of propane stoves to help out ;-)

 

[madrone]

ok so stove is cranking full blast to try to heat the ghetto so ynot add a MAGIC HEAT which would result in cooling & slowing the draft & blowing heat & extending the fire due to lessened draft.

Are you just messing with us?