Trying to decide if this wood burning insert is too big?

[Krystal]

I hoping to get a little advice about a wood burning insert we have on our property here that the previous owners had installed in a house. It looks nice, despite the fact that it's pretty dirty right now because there is a lot of construction going on here. The firebox is 16"x16"x32" and I believe that's about 4.8 cubic feet. The space we are planning to heat with it is only 1,000 square feet, part of which is a second story bedroom. Is this over kill? We are on a major budget and this stove has all the chimney and pipe parts with it here. No sticker on the back but on top an inspection sticker from Northwest Laboratories in 1984. I would love to use this and use river rock around it but if it's not safe we will have to try to get another one. Any thoughts?

 

[Oregon aloha]

It's a steel box. If you don't see damage, major rust, or cracks, and the door seals tight, it should be fine to use with proper clearances.
You may want to clean it up and repaint it.
If the insert is too large you can always build smaller fires in it and without a fan you will need larger fires or more thermal mass to absorb and radiate heat back into the room.
The stove dose not appear to be EPA certified, so it will eat a lot of wood and produce more smoke compared to a modern wood stove/insert.

 

[Hogwildz]

The baffle plate is warped, might want to at least have a new one made.
It is a step up from the first stove you posted, but not much.
It will go through a lot of wood and you will be loading it much more often than a newer EPA style insert.
Might want to at lease line the bottom with fire brich, and is hubby is handy with a welder, weld a rail on the sides and back tall enough to fit one row of firebricks stood on end up the sides and back.
You should still save up some money for a newer one, but this may get you through for now.

Actually, are those fire bricks on that metal shelving behind the insert?