Which one??????????????

[bfbill650i]

I am new to the site but surfed here a little in the past. Since good advise has been given before I need some now. I want to buy a stove but what!!?? I looked a bit at pellet stoves they are nice but I think I'll need a big one($$) and if we loose power?? I'll tell you guys my situation and we can go from there.

I live in eastern Canada where -25 celcius is not uncommon. My home is atleast 2400 square feet. It's a well insulated ranch with a semi-finished yet has 2 inch foam on the walls, basement. I now burn only wood in a air tight stove ,I use 6.5-7 cords of wood per season (4x4x8) mainly maple and yellow birch with some white-birtch and cedar making up the difference. I am sorta o.k. now but I have neurological ataxia and will eventually end up in a wheelchair so I would like to get all set up while I'm still mobile.

Thanks

Bill

 

[Lake Girl]

Welcome to the forum May want to consider a similar post in the pellet mill section or this posting can be moved for you... Many eyes; many points of view!

Sorry to hear about the diagnosis. Have they given you any kind of time frame for disease course?

 

[webby3650]

Sorry to hear about your medical issues.
If you need a big stove, with minimal attention, then a Blaze King would be what I'd have. The King model has a huge firebox and can either be burned full blast and pump some crazy heat or turned down to a crawl. They will burn slow and efficiently when needed, much better than other stove on the market. They have unparalleled burn times and customer service. I deeply regret selling my King, but two smaller stoves do better with my house floor plan. Everyone is gonna have their favorite stove, so take it for what you want. I have available to me almost any stove made and I choose Blaze King.

 

[velvetfoot]

Yeah, that's a bummer. What does "air tight" mean? An older non-epa jobber? If so, replace with an epa model, like above. Where is the stove now, upstairs or downstairs? You'd want it on the main level, avoiding stairs, I assume. You still have to move the heat around in that 2400 ft2 (not counting basement?) ranch.

How do you get your wood now? Is it already split? It'd have to be stacked, and then moved when you want to burn it. You still have to move pellets, though.

Is there auxiliary heat now? If, say, it involved hot water, you could always put in a pellet boiler with a bulk bin and feeder so you wouldn't have to touch pellets, but that's super major bucks-maybe with a grant or something?

Maybe a cold weather heat pump?

 

[webby3650]

And with pellets exceeding $5 a bag...

 

[bfbill650i]

The ataxia is supposed to "plateau"...........................when? God only knows .............no treatment as of yet for type I have, (lake girl)

Stove is down in basement in "wood room", Air-tight is what you assumed, 2400+- includes basement, It comes dried 1 year and split from my step-dad who is getting older!!, I have oil furnace but never ever use due to being told the former house owner burnt 4-5 hundred bucks a month in heating oil, she liked it WARM!(velvetfoot)

Just so people know I really like what I read about regency f5100, pricey and closest dealer to me is 5 hours away!

 

[velvetfoot]

It can't be good to have to trek up and down the stairs to feed it-unless one considers it therapy.

 

[webby3650]

The ataxia is supposed to "plateau"...........................when? God only knows .............no treatment as of yet for type I have, (lake girl)

Stove is down in basement in "wood room", Air-tight is what you assumed, 2400+- includes basement, It comes dried 1 year and split from my step-dad who is getting older!!, I have oil furnace but never ever use due to being told the former house owner burnt 4-5 hundred bucks a month in heating oil, she liked it WARM!(velvetfoot)

Just so people know I really like what I read about regency f5100, pricey and closest dealer to me is 5 hours away!

Where are you reading? I've only heard about unimpressive burn times. This hybrid technology is very new. I sure wish I would have listened when they said "boy your gonna wish you hadn't"... It cost me cost me lots of money to find out its underdeveloped technology. I'd hate for you to find out the same.

 

[begreen]

Yes, it's dicey trying out most stoves in their first year. Bugs can show up in the best of stoves. Regency has been pretty responsive to early complaints about their hybrids. Their fixes seem to be good from reports here.

 

[Grisu]

First let me say I am sorry to hear about your disease. My best wishes that it will "plateau" earlier than later and you can avoid the wheelchair. I assume you have already figured out how to keep the stove going should it come to the worst?

Stove is down in basement in "wood room", Air-tight is what you assumed, 2400+- includes basement, It comes dried 1 year and split from my step-dad who is getting older!!,

Wood supply sounds good although if it contains hardwood species like maple, oak etc. it will probably benefit from another year of drying. That will be especially important when you move to a new, EPA-approved stove.
Was your current stove able to keep the house warm on just 7 cords? If that's the case, you may only need to burn 4 to 5 cords in a new stove for the same heat output. An XL 4 cu ft stove like the Regency 5100 may not be needed; a 3 cu ft stove could probably do that. That said if you are looking for extra long burn times I would take a look at the BlazeKing King rather than the 5100. You will have very good control of the heat output and with its large firebox you can probably expect burn times of up to 24 hours. It needs an 8" flue which I assume is the same as your airtight stove. If budget is an issue there are also several affordable 3 cu ft stoves out there that would keep you warm: e. g. Drolet Myriad/HT2000; Englander 30NC. Some other but more pricey options are Pacific Energy Summit, Lopi Freedom, Hearthstone Manchester, Jotul F55. However, all those would benefit from a 6" flue.

 

[begreen]

I'm very sorry to hear about the ataxia. If it gets worse, is a basement stove the best idea? Who will feed it if you are wheelchair bound? What size chimney is on the current stove and how tall is it?

 

[Lake Girl]

bfbill, might want to check what federal/provincial government incentive programs there are for heating/insulating upgrades - especially with the old oil burner. Do you have natural gas availability? With potential accessibility issues, it may be time to look at central heating upgrade.

 

[bfbill650i]

To answer some ?s the flue is 8 inch in the "wood room" and 7 inch on the other side, I'm talking about a HUGE masonry chimney. Its about 25 feet tall. No natural gas here!! We are lucky we have trees here in the boonies! LOL! I plumbed my wood burner into the existing central air ducts going to my never used oil furnace. And no I haven't figured out a plan for the worst case yet ................ that's why I'm here!!

P.S. I'm really handy yet!! If I am not sure , between my carpenter bro and brothers in law I (we) can pretty much do anything according to code.

 

[Grisu]

To answer some ?s the flue is 8 inch in the "wood room" and 7 inch on the other side, I'm talking about a HUGE masonry chimney. Its about 25 feet tall.

Does the chimney have a (insulated?) stainless steel liner in it? You will need one for a new stove. What are the inner dimensions?

I plumbed my wood burner into the existing central air ducts going to my never used oil furnace.

Has that ever been inspected if it is up to code? I would look into a dedicated wood furnace if you want to go that route.

And no I haven't figured out a plan for the worst case yet ................

I hate to say it but I suggest figuring that out first. Wood heat is labor intensive. Spending $$$ on a new stove and then not being able to use it won't help you. Your heating needs don't seem to be so bad. Maybe upgrading the oil furnace to a more efficient model and tightening up the house some more will be the prudent thing to do in the long run.
In Germany, at least, they have pellet furnaces/boilers that can be fed automatically from a large tank-like hopper by suction or augers. That needs to be filled only one or two times per winter. (e. g. (broken link removed to http://www.windhager.com/int_en/products/pellets/pelletslagerung-102/)) You would need a generator, though. Maybe a system like that can also be found here?

 

[begreen]

By US mechanical code the current setup is not legal, not sure about Canada. I second the suggestion for a good EPA wood furnace based on current info.

 

[bfbill650i]

No liner yet if I need 1 I will do so............. as for the "plumbing" part I think people are a bit confused I only attached duct wok from the wood stove bringing heated air over to the network of existing duct work for the oil burner , I can't see how THAT could be against code OR ilegal

I'm not trying to get sympathy (but much appreciated) only ideas I may use...................THANX!!

P.S. I like the idea of the bulk hopper and a pellet stove , must look into cost..............keep the ideas coming please!

 

[Lake Girl]

Might want to send a message to Pascal Maertens from Mont-Laurier, QC. He is a dealer of Piazetta pellet stoves (they do have a ductable option). Not sure what other lines he carries and I realize he is 12 hours away but, he will be current on what is on the market and code requirements. He has gone out of his way to help others on this site so may be able to offer prudent advice. The draw-back is his first language is French ... not sure about you You are so far East, you have almost run out of province!

 

[webby3650]

If you go with a pellet furnace or boiler, keep in mind that you have far more money invested in the setup, be dependent on electricity and supply of pellets. With the current pellet prices it will cost upwards of $10 a day to hear your house. If it will even be able to keep up with the demand in your climate. All the while all that burch will be rotting away in your backyard.

 

[begreen]

No liner yet if I need 1 I will do so............. as for the "plumbing" part I think people are a bit confused I only attached duct wok from the wood stove bringing heated air over to the network of existing duct work for the oil burner , I can't see how THAT could be against code OR ilegal

I'm not trying to get sympathy (but much appreciated) only ideas I may use...................THANX!!

P.S. I like the idea of the bulk hopper and a pellet stove , must look into cost..............keep the ideas coming please!

In the US no return air duct is allowed within 10 ft of the wood burning appliance. Was this inspected or run by the insurance company?

In northern Europe and some parts of the Northeast they deliver bulk, just like oil. Check your local area for bulk pellet delivery. If so you may be able to get a much better rate than the per bag price.

 

[Grisu]

No liner yet if I need 1 I will do so............. as for the "plumbing" part I think people are a bit confused I only attached duct wok from the wood stove bringing heated air over to the network of existing duct work for the oil burner , I can't see how THAT could be against code OR ilegal

Check 918.6. http://ecodes.biz/ecodes_support/fr...replaces and Solid Fuel-Burning Equipment.pdf Could be different in Canada, though. Nevertheless, you want to be careful that your system does not create enough suction to reverse draft and pull CO from your stove into the HVAC system.

 

[Grisu]

All the while all that burch will be rotting away in your backyard.

In most other cases, I would totally agree with you. But when the OP may be bound to a wheelchair in the future, the birch will be rotting in the backyard regardless while the stove gathers cobwebs. Given the prognosis, I would probably stick with oil and try efficiency upgrades. As for a stove, I would at most invest in a budget one (Englander, Drolet) that will have paid for itself in a few years so there won't be a loss no matter how the disease turns out.

 

[begreen]

As for a stove, I would at most invest in a budget one (Englander, Drolet) that will have paid for itself in a few years so there won't be a loss no matter how the disease turns out.

If you go this route consider putting the stove on the main floor.

 

[bfbill650i]

In the US no return air duct is allowed within 10 ft of the wood burning appliance. Was this inspected or run by the insurance company?.

Yes when I first insured the house an inspector was sent and he passed everything. All I did was replace the existing round duct with better flowing square duct work (10x12") from the wood stove.

 

[Lake Girl]

bfbill, currently have wood stove or wood furnace??

I agree with Grisu in looking at longer term options for investment of money. Can always look for catalytic wood stoves on Kijiji for a short investment and keep burning wood until it is no longer feasible.

Pascal hasn't been around since May but found phone contact info from another post.

regards
Pascal
from
Rona Mont-Laurier Hardware store in Québec Can.
you can give me a call to
home 819-623-5336
work 819-623-1245

From their website, they carry a variety of both pellet and wood stoves: http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.ronamontlaurier.com/&prev=search
They carry Pacific Energy, Jotul, Drolet, Piazetta so should have solid advice on pros and cons of both wood and pellet systems ... along with specific knowledge of Quebec code requirements.

 

[Lake Girl]

Not an expert on wood stoves but the Rona page above lists two companies I haven't seen before: Scan, Denmark and JA Roby, Quebec. The Scans are not your straight forward wood stove http://scan.dk/uk/home?hidden=true
Roby has a wood furnace option http://www.jaroby.com/en/produits.php?new=1