Wood stove installation in new construction

[MAD777]

I have a procedural question about installing a wood stove, along with constructing a new home. Assume I know nothing because that is true! I have lived my 65 years in the Miami Florida area and never had a heater. (I can however, answer any air-conditioning questions).

Next year I will build in northern New England and have selected a stove manufactured there. Is it accepted practice to have the stove delivered to my contractor, who would install the stove & chimney as part of the home construction?

By the way, I've been reading this forum non-stop for the past week and am super impressed with both the depth of knowledge and friendly behavior here. I plan to stick around!

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[begreen]

Welcome. Miami to NH, that's quite a climate change. Be sure the house is constructed, insulated and sealed well for cold climates.

The ability to install depends on the contractor and the type of installation. It's not rocket science but it does take a bit of knowledge of code, safety and the ability to read a manual. Some contractors are conscientious and may have some experience, others may sub-contract the job out taking a percentage, and others may do it themselves in spite of having little experience. If the contractor says they have done a lot of installations ask for references and check them out.

Are we talking about a freestanding stove here or a zero-clearance fireplace? How large a house?

 

[Simonkenton]

I just built a house last year. I went down to the wood stove store, 30 miles away, and bought my stove and with my helper brought the stove up to the house. I have a pickup truck and a hand-truck.
The stove weighed 450 pounds and it was a chore for 2 guys, let me tell you.
I hired a local wood stove installer guy to install the stove, and I learned that he would have been happy to pick the stove up at the dealer and bring it up to my house.
Sure wish I had gotten him to do it.

I am glad you are doing your studies on this forum as you have much to learn.
Make sure to design and build a big central room to put the stove in.

 

[Chap]

I just moved into our newly built home and we had a Blaze King Asford 30 installed as part of the construction. I worked with the local wood stove shop (even though they did not sell Blaze Kings) and had them special order the stove. They then delivered it and did the full install. Only thing I had our contractor do was to frame out a chase for the stove piping, as part of the framing process, since our stove pipe runs right up through the middle of our two story home. I also had our flooring guys lay down a tile hearth for the stove as part of the flooring install. It all worked out very nicely and I can't wait to fire the stove up. It is currently 100+ degrees today but eventually it might cool off enough...say around October....sigh.

 

[Allagash350]

I am in maine and just bought a house that I will be putting a stove in this summer. First thing I would do is call your insurance company and see what restrictions or stipulations they may have.
Second I would contact a dealer that carries the stove you want and talk to them about installation. I am sure most contractors can install one, but it is what the stove guy does every day, and it will be done right.

 

[MAD777]

Thank you so much for your replies. My gut told me that I would feel more confident with a stove specialist. I don't know much, but I do know this is not the area to screw up.

I will take your collective advice and coordinate through the stove manufacturer, general contractor and stove installer. The manufacturer is Woodstock in Lebanon, NH, so I'm sure they can give me good direction. I'm. Visiting with them later this month.

Thanks again. This will undoubtedly be the first of many questions!

 

[begreen]

Be careful to size and locate the stove appropriately to the house insulation and heated volume. How large will the house be?

 

[MAD777]

It will be pretty much a 2-story colonial with an unfinished, dry basement for storage only. About 1400 sq. ft. per level with the downstairs rooms very open to each other.

The stove will be in the living room with the chimney going straight up through the 2nd floor & out the roof with no bends.

The stove model is the Woodstock ideal hybrid steel soapstone stove. I'll be looking to it for a significant portion of my heating needs, with the propane system kicking in on the coldest days.

Even here in South Florida, a penny spent on insulation, weather tightness and good windows is a dollar saved in energy costs. The only difference is we pay it in the air-conditioning bill. Which by the way, runs 24/7 for 10 months of the year, and sporadically the other two months.

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[begreen]

Sounds good. Do you have a good supply (4+ cords) of dry wood already stacked and drying? These stoves need dry wood to perform well.

 

[MAD777]

I'm behind the 8-ball on wood at first, but will make it up in the long haul. I have to clear about an acre of heavily forested land to build the house, septic system & driveway.

That's enough wood to last me a long time, but not until it cures. So the stove will be more ornamental during the first year or two, save for a bit of standing dead wood on the property.

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[begreen]

Buy a couple cords of the driest seasoned wood you can find and stack it now. Get ash if possible. It dries faster. This will improve your enjoyment and warmth immensely this winter.

 

[MAD777]

Good idea! I will buy wood as soon as I can.

I backpack all around the USA and always enjoy a campfire or "cowboy TV" as they say. I'm looking forward to being able to enjoy that at home. I'm not much of a television watcher anyway.

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[begreen]

Nothing like a good fire to watch. It's a national pastime in Norway.

 

[jzampieron]

I'm a NH resident myself. Bought a PH and installed it last summer, complete with new chimney, ZC fireplace tear-out and custom built hearth.

I can tell you that Woodstock Soapstone is a great resource for information. I also found my local (town) fire department was a great resource. Permits for stoves in NH are through the town fire dept. ($25).

They will want to do an inspection after the appliance is installed. I also found out that they also like to do a preliminary inspection before you wall up the chimney. That's a good way to make sure your builder does it to code.

I found out the hard way that the roofers didn't meet clearances when they had re-roofed my original chimney. There was water membrane in direct contact with the old chimney. I made sure to correct that with the new chimney.

The original install thread is here: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/woodstock-progress-hybrid-install.129609/

 

[MAD777]

I hear you. The fire inspector is my friend!
And thanks for that thread link.

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[Hogwildz]

I suggest considering high ceiling in stove room, at very minimal install a ceiling fan to help move the heated air around. The more open the floor plan, the better convection loop you may get to get the heated air around the house. A loft or cathedral ceiling is a plus. May not fit your design, just putting some food for thought out there. A larger stove room is def a plus as not to get overheated in that room while you're in it.

 

[MAD777]

I had planned on a ceiling fan. Half the downstairs is completely open and another 1/4 is adjoining with a wide doorway opening (no door). For the last 1/4, I could put a small fan through a wall to "connect" that room to the stove room.

Hmmm, high ceilings. I had thought conventional wisdom called for low ceilings in cold climates. But, I can visualize the convection loop in a cathedral ceiling. Unfortunately, that's not in the plan. I am using 9-foot ceilings which will provide a bit a breathing room for the ceiling fan.

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[jzampieron]

Conventional wisdom (from the 1970s energy crisis) was low ceilings in cold climates. I can tell you that my parents built a house with low ceilings in that time period (1978) and now really really regret it. The difference between 7' 6" and 9' is huge.

My wife and I have 18' ceilings with a ceiling fan in the main room of the house where the stove is located. That wall behind the stove is 10' by itself. (see install thread)

Given the layout of our house and the location of the PH. I can heat all 2000 sq ft w/ cathedral ceilings (large interior volume) without running the stove all that hot. I'm convinced that good air flow is key. It does get a little bit cool in the family room, which is a long linear distance from the stove, but a floor fan gets it close enough if it bothers us. We prefer to sit around the stove anyway.

Tip: Be careful your floor fan doesn't induce draft into the stove. I'm glad I was watching b/c I could have had an over-fire.

One thing that I missed that I need to correct. I substantially underestimated the amount of make-up air these stoves require. I can certainly feel cold air being pulled up from the duct returns when the stove is going. I'm going to install an OAK on the PH to see if I can fix that.

You could also consider using the house blower system as a circulator. I've done that, but our 1990's furnace blower isn't all that efficient and for us it seems like the ceiling fan is better.

Something else to think about: We have two young children and need to figure out some aesthetically agreeable way to be able to run the stove without a toddler getting burned. Sounds like grandchildren might be a similar consideration for you.

Just some other thoughts.

 

[MAD777]

I'm firmly set on outside air feed. The hearth will be raised and, for sure the grandkids will be wearing electric shock collars that discharge in the vicinity of the stove (just kidding... maybe )

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[begreen]

I'm not a fan of cathedral ceilings. They do little to improve space utilization and require additional heating for unused cubic footage + power for fans. That said, I don't like low ceilings either. 7' ceilings feel claustrophobic. Our last house had 10ft ceilings and our current house has 9'6" ceilings. This is just right. With an open floor plan, natural convection works remarkably well. I only use the stove blower when temps outside are particularly cold.

 

[iceman2424]

Something else to think about: We have two young children and need to figure out some aesthetically agreeable way to be able to run the stove without a toddler getting burned. Sounds like grandchildren might be a similar consideration for you.

Just some other thoughts.

Let us know what you come up with! I am in the same boat - 5 year old, 3 year old, and a baby due any day now.

 

[firefighterjake]

I'm not a fan of cathedral ceilings. They do little to improve space utilization and require additional heating for unused cubic footage + power for fans. That said, I don't like low ceilings either. 7' ceilings feel claustrophobic. Our last house had 10ft ceilings and our current house has 9'6" ceilings. This is just right. With an open floor plan, natural convection works remarkably well. I only use the stove blower when temps outside are particularly cold.

I agree . . . with the first part at least . . . if you look at many of the older farmhouses, colonials, capes, etc. built in New England many of them had lower ceilings . . . while this may have been due to preference, to save money on lumber, etc. . . . it has also the added benefit when it comes to heating.

While I love the look of cathedral ceilings, as you mentioned, to me they are wasted space and a drawback when it comes to more efficient heating.

Our house currently has 7 foot 6 inch ceilings which may be a little low for folks over 6 feet, but it works for my wife and I who are on the shorter side.

 

[Sconnie Burner]

Let us know what you come up with! I am in the same boat - 5 year old, 3 year old, and a baby due any day now.

We use a trifold fireplace screen and lots of supervision. They learn real quick just by being near the stove and feeling the high radiating heat. And lots of talk, explanation and discussion while they stand back and watch me reload. I feel the screen adds a barrier for an inadvertent fall towards the stove. By creating a barrier when it tips and leans against the stove it will reduce the chance of an instant contact burn. A few common words used while the near the stove are a very dramatic "hot, stop, danger, no no". Always pretend it is hot, even in the summer so it doesn't become a play fixture or hide and seek hideout anywhere near it. They often learn quicker than we give them credit for.

 

[MAD777]

Well, I'm flying to Boston next week for my granddaughter's 6th birthday. I've planned a side trip to Lebanon, NH to tour the Woodstock Stove factory & flood them with questions, as you recommended. Should be a fun trip & maybe I'll get some pictures to post.

You have me watching YouTube videos of guys splitting wood. I can't let my wife catch me watching that or she'll have me committed! LOL

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[Rearscreen]

I had a 26 foot cathedral ceiling but I had radiant floor heat so I wasn't heating the air just the underside of my pinball machines. Never cold in that house. As far as the Progress, don't look back I have one and it's amazing. I have found when visiting Woodstock, they sort of downplay their stoves. No bravado. Great place to visit as the factory floor is open for you to see.