What brands should I consider? End-loader for ICF house.

[waterbird]

Hello, I could use some help picking wood stove brands to look at for a new ICF house build. I'm looking for:

Freestanding, close-clearance on back and sides
Glass front
Left-side loading
Stovepipe comes out the top
Exterior air intake
Manual damper for adjusting the burn (or is this no longer legal?)

This will be primary heat for a 2-story 2500sqft ICF house.
I don't want to chop my wood tiny, and I want to have good hot coals in the morning to restart without getting up in the night to feed the stove. :D

The current concept:

I want to side-load from the mud room to keep bark and ash out of the living room (did that for 10 years). The stove pipe will bend near the living room ceiling and go out into a masonry chimney. I can imagine issues with this and welcome input.

What I'm not sure is: What brands should I be looking at? I've heard good about Vermont Castings, but I know there are options.

Thanks in advance!

 

[begreen]

The floor layout is badly cropped. Can you post again with the full layout including stairwell? Has a heat loss calc been done on the house?

ICF homes often need little heat. If this building also has very high efficiency windows, the BTU demand can be very low, especially during shoulder seasons. In this case a high efficiency heat pump may be all that's needed. My sister's place is tight and super insulated. She heats it with the greenhouse and a little supplemental until it gets around 25 outside.

 

[EbS-P]

Woodstock??

 

[Highbeam]

Why a masonry chimney? With a high performance house. I would recommend you not build a new masonry chimney.

VC has a poor reputation though their stoves look pretty.

Sideload is pretty rare. I’d be looking at Woodstocks if that’s really a requirement.

 

[begreen]

The Jotul F500 v3 is a left-side loader. I am trying to determine if this would be too much stove for the house, Need previous questions answered first.

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

I've heard good about Vermont Castings, but I know there are options.

Thanks in advance!

This thread may be worth a read.

Thread '2023/24 VC Temperature discussion thread'

Oct 14, 2023

I think this needs its own thread.. General discussion of stove temperature performance

@arnermd needs place to show the fancy graphs he makes..

• Woodsplitter67
• Replies: 700
• Forum: Vermont Castings

• 

 

[waterbird]

This thread may be worth a read.

Thread '2023/24 VC Temperature discussion thread'

Oct 14, 2023

I think this needs its own thread.. General discussion of stove temperature performance

@arnermd needs place to show the fancy graphs he makes..

• Woodsplitter67
• Replies: 700
• Forum: Vermont Castings

• 

Thank you! I made it about halfway so far. I'm not at all brand loyal, so let's just say VC is not high on the list any more. :D

 

[waterbird]

The floor layout is badly cropped. Can you post again with the full layout including stairwell? Has a heat loss calc been done on the house?

ICF homes often need little heat. If this building also has very high efficiency windows, the BTU demand can be very low, especially during shoulder seasons. In this case a high efficiency heat pump may be all that's needed. My sister's place is tight and super insulated. She heats it with the greenhouse and a little supplemental until it gets around 25 outside.

Hmm. I don't have a load calc yet. The windows will be double pane, but not high efficiency. Here's the main floor concept (2nd floor is ~800 sqft, over the main area). Also, we like bedrooms cold for sleeping.

 

[waterbird]

Why a masonry chimney? With a high performance house. I would recommend you not build a new masonry chimney.

VC has a poor reputation though their stoves look pretty.

Sideload is pretty rare. I’d be looking at Woodstocks if that’s really a requirement.

Chimney is just for a historic local farmhouse look. Might do ICF with stone facing.

The Woodstocks look good. As the ash pan isn't side-accessible, I might have to join the rest of humanity and settle for some mess in the living room. Haha.

 

[begreen]

Look at the Woodstock Absolute Steel Hybrid. The door can be ordered on the left or right side.

Absolute Steel Hybrid Wood Stove

Ultra Low 0.50 gm/hr Emissions An affordable, high-performance, hybrid wood stove, with emissions of just 0.5 gm/hr! Plus, choose from 7 different styles of the Absolute Steel Hybrid. The Absolute Steel Hybrid Wood Stove is an affordable medium sized wood stove (2.45 cubic foot firebox) wi

www.woodstove.com

 

[waterbird]

Look at the Woodstock Absolute Steel Hybrid. The door can be ordered on the left or right side.

Absolute Steel Hybrid Wood Stove

Ultra Low 0.50 gm/hr Emissions An affordable, high-performance, hybrid wood stove, with emissions of just 0.5 gm/hr! Plus, choose from 7 different styles of the Absolute Steel Hybrid. The Absolute Steel Hybrid Wood Stove is an affordable medium sized wood stove (2.45 cubic foot firebox) wi

www.woodstove.com

I had this exact model flagged based the previous comment. Thank you!

A question on this: Will it tolerate wood that isn't maximally dry? Will any modern stove?

It's slow getting wood really dry in TN with our high humidity levels.

 

[EbS-P]

I had this exact model flagged based the previous comment. Thank you!

A question on this: Will it tolerate wood that isn't maximally dry? Will any modern stove?

It's slow getting wood really dry in TN with our high humidity levels.

No new stove will like wood over 20% mc. Get a moisture meter. Test on a fresh split face at room temp. Us southerners can get poplar and pine dry enough in a summer top covered stacked in two rows in the sun. Get 3 years ahead and do that by means of a 3 bay woodshed.

 

[bholler]

I had this exact model flagged based the previous comment. Thank you!

A question on this: Will it tolerate wood that isn't maximally dry? Will any modern stove?

It's slow getting wood really dry in TN with our high humidity levels.

No absolutely any stove is going to want sub 20% mc wood doesn't matter what it is. Even old ones honestly

 

[waterbird]

No new stove will like wood over 20% mc. Get a moisture meter. Test on a fresh split face at room temp. Us southerners can get poplar and pine dry enough in a summer top covered stacked in two rows in the sun. Get 3 years ahead and do that by means of a 3 bay woodshed.

I used to do the 3 years, 3 bays thing, but never had a moisture meter and assumed it probably wasn't as dry as a modern stove would like. Good to hear you're making it work. I'll have to get a meter. Thanks so much!

 

[EbS-P]

I used to do the 3 years, 3 bays thing, but never had a moisture meter and assumed it probably wasn't as dry as a modern stove would like. Good to hear you're making it work. I'll have to get a meter. Thanks so much!

If you keep the rain off and it get some air flow (sun in good too) my oak was ok. Now the stack that ended up stacked 5 rows deep only the outside rows were dry. Your humidity is probably less than mine 5 miles from the coast. I really like my yellow pine.

 

[stoveliker]

The valley in East TN is known for horrible and stagnant humidity in summers. Enclosed by the smokies and te Cumberland plateau, it's dirty during summer.

However, the temps will make things dry enough in three years.