stove for a seasonal cottage

[Mainely Saws]

Hello everyone !
Hope you folks in the Buffalo area are hanging in there . I have a seasonal cottage in a cold climate that is normally closed up during the winter months.The family now wants to put it to use occasionally throughout the cold winter months( mainly weekends or an overnight stay) . I have an antique parlor stove in there which did the trick for chilly weather but won't cut it for much else . The cottage is 1000 sq.ft., built on an uninsulated slab, single pane windows & a small amount of insulation in the ceilings & walls . We will work on tightening it up as time moves along but need a stove now that will heat up quickly & hold a fire for 6+ hours . I'm thinking that a larger steel stove would be better due to the conditions but I really don't know . Any ideas/suggestions will be appreciated . We are on a budget so even a used EPA stove in decent shape may be the ticket ...........

Thanks ,
Bob

 

[Fsappo]

Look on CL for a 2.5 CF firebox EPA stove that isn't torn up on the inside. Should be about to find one for $500ish. All you will get here at this point is a bunch of random suggestions leaning towards the posters favorites! A decent mid sized steel stove will heat up quick and burn 6+ hours if installed, fed, used correctly.

 

[Fsappo]

(broken link removed to http://maine.craigslist.org/for/4769028425.html)

Here is something a little bigger than I was thinking

 

[Mainely Saws]

Look on CL for a 2.5 CF firebox EPA stove that isn't torn up on the inside. Should be about to find one for $500ish. All you will get here at this point is a bunch of random suggestions leaning towards the posters favorites! A decent mid sized steel stove will heat up quick and burn 6+ hours if installed, fed, used correctly.

Thanks , I have been looking on CL for an Englander 30 or something similar . I found a Kodiak 1700 for $500 but it was sold quick . I know these are a lot of stove for such a small space but there is a lot of heat loss & it sits empty for possibly weeks at a time .............

 

[Mainely Saws]

(broken link removed to http://maine.craigslist.org/for/4769028425.html)

Here is something a little bigger than I was thinking

Thanks , I think that listing is actually in NH ( a two hour drive from me ) but it may be worth the drive ..........

 

[begreen]

The Englander 30 is what I would probably put in there. It's going to take extra firepower to warm up that place. Even with a big stove it will take several hours. What temp will the cottage be at when you arrive and want to warm it up?

 

[Fsappo]

If that NC30 was anything like my old 3.4 Enerzone, it could bring a structure 1000 SF from 30-60 in 2 hours. Those NC30s have blowers as standard equipment?

 

[Mainely Saws]

The Englander 30 is what I would probably put in there. It's going to take extra firepower to warm up that place. Even with a big stove it will take several hours. What temp will the cottage be at when you arrive and want to warm it up?

The cottage can easily be in the teens for temps in the dead of winter & of course on a concrete slab doesn't help . There is some indoor/outdoor carpeting on the floors . I can get 10% off an Englander 30 at HD ( actually 10% off up to a $500 purchase for vets ) . I've seen some large US stoves for sale on CL that are in the $400 range , just don't know much about them ......

 

[begreen]

It may take all day for a large stove to heat up all the walls, furniture, cabinets and slab to a comfortable level. If there is power in the cabin you may want to have some supplemental heat as well, and electric blankets. Is a propane wall furnace an option?

 

[Mainely Saws]

It may take all day for a large stove to heat up all the walls, furniture, cabinets and slab to a comfortable level. If there is power in the cabin you may want to have some supplemental heat as well, and electric blankets. Is a propane wall furnace an option?

That's true Begreen , once the cold settles into everything it can take a while to warm up . There is power ( I hope ) at the cottage as well as some small electric heaters & many blankets, comforters , etc . I have thought about a DV Rinnai heater but of course there's the added cost .For now a stove that holds an overnight fire would work ...........

 

[danimal1968]

That's true Begreen , once the cold settles into everything it can take a while to warm up . There is power ( I hope ) at the cottage as well as some small electric heaters & many blankets, comforters , etc . I have thought about a DV Rinnai heater but of course there's the added cost .For now a stove that holds an overnight fire would work ...........

My brother has a weekend place in NE Oklahoma with propane heat. Last winter (their first) they left the place at 45 while they were gone but his wife complained so much about how long it took to warm up that he's now looking into an internet-based system to allow him to start it heating up several hours before they get there.

I just picture all the kids racing out of the car into the cottage and..."Dad! its freezing! What do you mean it will be half an hour before the fire's going?"

 

[begreen]

Yes, if it is in the teens it will be several hours before the interior will pass freezing unless there is some supplemental heat. Rinnais are nice, but pricey. A basic cabinet furnace will be noisier, but will help and you can turn it off once the wood stove is carrying the load and the place is up to 50F.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Williams-65-000-BTU-Hr-Fireplace-Log-Front-Console-Room-Heater-Propane-Gas-with-Blower-6502921A/202906998

 

[Mainely Saws]

I have read about high tech ways to monitor /control heating systems but for me it takes away from the pleasure of having a " cottage/camp " . We are lucky that we live within about a 30 minute drive . I think a combo of propane & a wood stove is a good one but it will take time . That NC30 is sounding better & better ................

Thanks ,
Bob

 

[begreen]

I lived in a poorly insulated New England cottage that had one of those propane cabinet heaters and a big old wood cookstove. When we hit -15F outside I had that propane heater and the wood stove cooking on high and it was not hot in there.

 

[Mainely Saws]

At -15 I'm guessing I would pass on spending time there but if I can work my way into much better insulation & new windows, I'm thinking 3.0 CF stove may very well handle it , we shall see .The power does go out from time to time & seeing as it's a seasonal place it's at the bottom of the list for getting the power back on This winter I hope to find a decent stove & see how it goes ..........

Thanks for all of the feedback ........

 

[JRitz187]

Danimal, I leave my cabin heat off (drain it all down each time) I have a propane wall furnace with a simple 2 wire thermostat and just installed this WiFi thermostat, it has a smart phone app and I can crank it up when I leave and its nice and toasty when I get up there, then start a fire and turn the stat way down. Just need to get a 120V to 24V plug in wall wart to power up the "C" wire if its an older system. Works great and is super tech nerdy looking!

http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-TH9320WF5003-Wi-Fi-Smart-Thermostat/dp/B00FLZEQH2

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0071IWJ7G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[EatenByLimestone]

In my family cabin I heat the front room where the stove is first, then start opening doors to heat other areas. I can also fire the stove up, and have a small tank top unit I can throw on to get a jump on the cold. It takes a lot of energy to warm a place up that's 15 degrees. It takes a long time to get a nc 30 up to temperature and throwing out heat.

 

[eclecticcottage]

Our place is a bit smaller, but the construction is probably similar. We've insulated more now, but we've been heating with a Republic 1750.

 

[jeff_t]

We run the forced air furnace and the stove for most of a day before things get warm. We can have the air temp tolerable in a few hours, but it takes a really long time before we are really 'warm'.

I love it when the snow, that falls off your boots onto the carpet, doesn't melt for three hours.

I don't think you can have a stove too big in this situation. Fortunately, we have a dependable furnace. Otherwise, that PE would be way too small.

 

[Mainely Saws]

Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone . I may have been a bit on the cold side when I mentioned it being in the teens inside the cottage to start with . I was thinking of a worst case scenario if I hadn't been there all winter & it had been very cold . More than likely it would be in the upper 20's to low 30's as a start up temp ( still cold ) . I also would keep all interior doors closed until the room with the stove had warmed up considerably . I'm going there today to put plastic on some large windows & put some 1/2" rigid insulation on some walls .I'm looking for a used stove now ( I have dry wood ) & will report back with the results when I can .....

Thanks again,
Bob

 

[Mainely Saws]

Sure looks like I'm going to need a small propane heater to help out with warming things up if we want it to be comfortable before we have to leave again ..................

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

If you have an 8" chimney I would suggest a used Grandpa bear Fisher! Your situation is similar to mine was in the past. My place will warm up in an hour on Friday night and I was good to go for the weekend. A steel and firebrick stove would be my first choice for quick heat.

 

[Mainely Saws]

If you have an 8" chimney I would suggest a used Grandpa bear Fisher! Your situation is similar to mine was in the past. My place will warm up in an hour on Friday night and I was good to go for the weekend. A steel and firebrick stove would be my first choice for quick heat.

I've heard good things about the Fisher stoves but I don't think they have any glass in the door & I would like to be able to view the fire . I agree with the steel & firebrick for a quicker warm up . Thanks for the suggestion ..........

 

[Mainely Saws]

PS -- I have a 6" steel chimney...........