Two dealers--two different suggestions on BTUs

[BrianWD]

I'm completing a 20 * 18 addition (360 sq ft.) to my house. It has a 14 foot cathedral ceiling, sits 1 foot lower than the rest of the house, and opens to the existing house through a 12 foot by 7 foot passageway. The passageway leads to an open-plan living room / dining room at around 1,200 square feet. Ceilings in the existing house are also cathedral and soar all the way to the second floor loft. The new addition will be built with highly efficient SIPs panels. The house is also well insulated for our routinely very cold winters.

We're looking at wood stoves to heat the addition but hope that the passageway to the existing house will vent enough heat to offer some decent gain there as well. At the same time we're worried that too much stove will burn us out of the new addition. I’ve gone to two different dealers. One said not to get a stove the puts out much more than 40,000 BTU (he deals Jotul and was suggesting the F3C). The other said that I could go as big as I wanted, dampen down the fire when needed, and showed me some larger BTU models (the Hearthstone Shelburne, among others). Don’t know which story to believe. How many BTUs is right for this kind of set-up?

 

[pen]

Is there a lot of glass in this addition? If so, much of your radiant heat from a stove will be lost there perhaps allowing you to up the size a bit.

Will the stove sit right across from the opening to the other part of the house? If so, i'd consider a stove with a blower to push warm air directly into that other part. Also, a ceiling fan would be wise to have running as well (you decide if you want it up or down, i've read many arguments for and against either!)

Perhaps your best bet would be a catalytic stove. If you buy a decent size cat stove, and you find it is too large, those are meant to be throttled right down and still give you a clean burn. That might be the best of both worlds for you.

pen

 

[CrappieKeith]

Sounds to me like you want your cake and eat it too.

Big enough to offset in the main house's heating needs yet not to big to cook us out of the addition.

If your after asthetics go with the 1st option you had mentioned.
If you really want to heat your home....think wood furnace that would hook to ducting if you have it.
The cat style stoves are probally a better choice for the longer burn times.
Go bigger than smaller is my advice on stoves.
Adding ceiling fans can help dissapate heats into other areas of the home.

 

[branchburner]

Agree with suggestions for cat stove, fan/blower, and going bigger.
The BTU rating is a max. The smaller Jotul will have a smaller firebox that requires smaller wood and more reloading, and will not have the potential to heat beyond it's capacity. If you get a cat stove with a larger firebox you have more potential heating ability, but you can burn low and long if you need. Maybe have your cake and eat it too.

 

[Wet1]

Yep, WS Fireview or the BK Princess. I'm thinking Princess if you have a lot of glass in the area, you'll minimize radiant heat loss using the blowers.

 

[branchburner]

Yep, WS Fireview or the BK Princess. I'm thinking Princess if you have a lot of glass in the area, you'll minimize radiant heat loss using the blowers.

+1

 

[Backwoods Savage]

With a 12 foot by 7 foot passageway leading to the main part of the house, I'd recommend you try 2 small fans in that passageway. You can get the ones that mount at the ceiling if you like. But be sure on whatever fan you use, blow the cool air towards the warm and not the other way around. If you just try to blow heat into the main part of the house you will be sadly disappointed. Blow the cool air to the warm and it will circulate much, much better. I also agree this might be a great setup for using a soapstone stove and Woodstock has the best!

 

[zzr7ky]

I agree : Jotul the F3C is to small. I'd want near the magic cubic feet of firebox volume for overnight burns...

Start aquiring wood.

Enjoy,
Mike

 

[begreen]

I'd be looking at ~2 cu ft stoves which is where the Shelburne fits in. The F3CB is a willing little feller, but only has a 1 cu ft firebox. If the stove is going to be used for 24/7 heating it will need more capacity or you will be feeding the stove frequently. The F500 is the 2 cu ft Jotul. If the place is exceptionally insulated the F400 (Castine ~1.5cu ft) may be a good compromise in the Jotul line, especially if the flue is going straight up in the interior of the house. It will give about a 6hr burn with good hardwood.

If non cat stove is the choice then a mid-sized soapstone or perhaps cast clad stove should work out. They give off less radiant heat and convect more. That is probably what you are looking for. Hearthstone makes mid-sized soapstones like the Phoenix or the Heritage. You can get a similar convective effect from a cast-iron clad stove like the PE Alderlea T5 or Quadrafire Cumberland Gap. Both are 2 cu ft stoves.

If cat stove, then a Woodstock stove or perhaps a BlazeKing Princess might work out.

Regardless of choice remember that you are not going to be seeing steady xxxx btus out of the stove. They heat more in cycles from refill to refill. If you want less heat, add less wood.

 

[Ted69]

I bought a Jotul f400 great stove but I should have gone bigger..for longer burn times
the store I bought from said the f500 would heat me out of the house.they were wrong ......that would have been the better stove for me.
I do like my f400........as long as I keep it filled it will heat my 2400sq foot house.