Wood Stoves--too many choices!

[derspielmann]

Five years ago, my husband and I purchased a 1950's ranch home with 3 bedrooms; approximately 1000 sq ft. The windows are terrible, but it was much cheaper to purchase a new furnace and air-conditioner rather than install new windows...at least in the short term! We have had nothing but problems with the electronic ignition on the furnace (Lennox Merit CR26), and have tried everything from electric space heaters (electric hazards) to a ventless gas heater (oxygen depleater) to maintain a comfortable temperature.

In our rural location, it will be much cheaper to heat the house with wood than natural gas, and thus we are looking to purchase a direct vented wood stove. My husband has researched the matter extensively and has decided a Woodstock Fireview is the stove for him. This holiday weekend I have given the matter considerable time, and am confused and intimidated by the number of choices available. Being the money-conscious wife I am, could a better choice be made?

Important considerations:
quality construction (few customer complaints)
large firebox
efficient burner

Aesthetic considerations:
old-style, preferably on legs
viewing window

In offering suggestions, please give make, model and an estimated price range.

Many thanks in advance!

Frau--Derspielmann

 

[begreen]

The Woodstock Fireview is a great stove. Sounds like a good decision. An alternative might be a Pacific Energy Alderlea T5 or Heathstone Heritage.

As to the furnace, can you provide a little history on the ignition problems? There is no reason to put up with the ignition issue. Contact Lennox. You bought what you thought was a premium unit, now it's time for them to stand by the unit. If you are not getting satisfaction at the local level, go higher.

 

[derspielmann]

Basically, Lennox has refused to address the problem on ALL levels. My husband filed a lawsuit against Lennox International in 3rd Judicial Circuit Court of Mercer County, Missouri, in July, 2007. We are not by any means rich, and the action was pro se (do-it-yourself terminology in the legal field). Lennox replied by hiring fancy attorneys for hire from Kansas City--Armstrong Teasdale LLP, who fillibustered the complaint with motion after motion to dismiss. After a valiant struggle, and lots of input from attorneys online and in our locale, it was suggested that he drop the suit and refile in small claims court to gain any type of satisfactory judgment in the near future.

Apparently, these antics are commonplace for corporate America.

The suit against Lennox International has been dropped, but my husband has to regain his strength before he cares to fight them all over again in small claims court.

As for us here and now, the Lennox furnace is undependable and the weather only promises to get colder.

Frau--Derspielmann

 

[DriftWood]

Go for it , get that soapstone , you will be happy when it is sub 0F out and the furnace stays off all day and night. The first year I use wood 24/7 in the 1980s the furnace stayed broke and we never needed it.

This is what we have now.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/3106/

 

[stonehouse]

I went with the Jotul Fireview.
The woodstock was what I wanted, but I got the Jotul local for about $500 less locally.
The ashetics are working for me. It has an old style.

 

[derspielmann]

Please forgive me for being so--well, so BASE! Although I understand the soapstone has superior heating qualities to any other material, I would really prefer something with warmer colors; perhaps something with browns as opposed to grays. Is it possible to substitute a different colored stone into these stoves? If so, what would you suggest?

Thank you!

Frau--Derspielmann

 

[stonehouse]

Read the websites for metal finish options.
Soapstone is gray, so that's what you get.
There's tons of stoves with colored finishes, but soapstone ain't as pretty as granite, and heats completly differently.
Once you get the heat you won't care about the color as much.

 

[begreen]

Take a look through the Woodstock gallery. The stove can be bought with black,charcoal, grey, blue or brown porcelain enamel.

(broken link removed to http://www.woodstove.com/pages/gallery.html)

Just poking around and I see they do some custom colors too:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/soapstone/

 

[DriftWood]

I went with the Jotul Fireview.
The woodstock was what I wanted, but I got the Jotul local for about $500 less locally.
The ashetics are working for me. It has an old style.

http://www.stonehousemultimedia.com/house/Stove.jpg

Logic test here:

Floor protection is needed in frount of my stove. YES or no

Fill unknown stove with wood go to bed. yes or NO

Fill unknown stove with wood And let it go full blast then go to bed. yes or NO

Anything that can go wrong it will. YES or No

Anything that can go right will, if the proper planning and precautions are made. YES or no

WE can learn from our mistakes. YES or no

I will never have a chimney fire, yes or NO

I need to clean and inspect a unknown chimney. YES or no

The best plan is to not let a problem happen. YES or no

 

[begreen]

Yeah, this is a bad example. the fireview would be serious overkill in der frau's house.

Stonehouse, where the heck is the hearth in front of the stove? Dude, that is really risky business.

 

[stonehouse]

oops

 

[stonehouse]

I'll get a hearth tomorrow. I promise.

 

[derspielmann]

Heating bills for this 1000 sq ft house during the winter months range $300-$400 per month. To reiterate, the windows are not insulated well. Would the Fireview be "serious overkill"? I don't know enough about the stove.

Again, another issue is the color. I know--very base. I would not be opposed to a cast iron or steel model, either all black or colored enamel paint. It is just that I do not care for the gray color of the soapstone--are there any brown toned alternatives? I could not find any in the links posted, just colored enamel paint.

Frau--Derspielmann

 

[begreen]

How large is the room where the stove will be located? How open is the floor plan?

For stoves, did you look at the PE Alderlea T5 (Or the Classic) stove or the Hearthstone Heritage?
(broken link removed to http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/fswood.htm)

As for the windows, go and get some indoor, shrink to fit storm window kits from your local hardware store. Try to stick with a good brand like 3M. They really work.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

begreen is correct, that setup is not even close to code,

as for our poster, she is asking about a "direct vent" woodstove , which to my knowledge doesnt exist.

you will need a chimney, along with a hearth that is extended about 17 inches farther in front of the stove than the picture posted above. dont panic though , you have come to the right place, the pro's in here will get you straight as to what you will need.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Derspielmann, we've heated with wood most of our lives and would certainly hate to be without it. We installed a Woodstock Fireview this past summer so I can not say for sure what will happen when really cold air moves in.

You listed the following for important considerations:

quality construction (few customer complaints)
large firebox
efficient burner



1. Quality construction. I highly doubt you can find any other stove that is built with more quality construction than a Woodstock stove.
Customer complaints: This would be difficult to nail down as only the manufacturer would be privy to that information. However, we researched several stoves before purchasing from Woodstock and one thing that really stood out was how Woodstock will go out of their way to make certain your new stove is right for you and works properly. I won't give specifics here but will say that I visited with some Woodstock stove owners and was told some stories about Woodstock that just about blew my mind. I've never heard of any company doing what Woodstock has done. They are first class all the way.

2. Large firebox. At present we do wish the firebox was a bit larger. However, I'm not so sure the soapstone would handle a larger firebox as it gets so warm. Depending on how much heat you require though, this stove gives off a lot of heat and the soapstone takes a long time to cool off. In early fall it is difficult to keep it cool enough in the house! Our temperature has went down only to 11 degrees so far at night but we had no problem keeping the temperature up in the house. We also are still learning the best way to operate this stove but feel we just about have it down pat now.

3. Efficient burner. When loading new wood into the stove you definitely will get smoke. However, after 10-15 minutes (longer if starting the stove cold) you engage the cat. and then you will not notice smoke coming from the chimney. You also will be amazed at how fast the temperature of the stove rises once you engage the cat.

I don't recall the efficiency rating of the stove but that is available from the Woodstock website I believe. Most told me that we can expect to burn 1/3 less wood than we had been burning. Perhaps even less. It is too early to tell for certain but my early estimates does bear this out that indeed we should burn much less wood this year. btw, we believe in keeping our house warm. I do not like wearing long sleeved shirts or sweaters in my home during the winter. Why should I be cool rather than comfortable?

btw, it is interesting that we have a unique problem in our household. I have a medical condition that makes me very sensitive to cold whereas my wife it the exact opposite. I like it really warm and she has a fan blowing on her to cool off! I love it!

4. Aesthetic considerations: old-style, preferably on legs and a viewing window. You have just described a Woodstock Fireview completely! We looked at many stoves over the past year and though many are great looking stoves, none can compare to the beauty of a Woodstock Fireview.

There is still one thing about our stove that we do not understand though. They call our stove brown. If you look at their brochure or website, they picture a stove with blue soapstone and what appears to me to be a gray. This stove is what they call brown! All I can say is that it is beautiful.



One more thing about Woodstock is their guarantee. Who else would give you the time to decide if that stove is really for you? A six month period!

Please feel free to PM me if you would like more information.

 

[Todd]

Do you have to build a hearth and chimney? That will cost as much as the stove. If you go with Woodstock they can set you up with everything you need, but you will have to pull the permit and install it yourself or find a local chimney sweep or stove shop if your not comfortable with it. I do think the Fireview would be too much for 1000 sq ft, what about the Keystone or Palladian?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Todd, with all due respect, I do not feel the Fireview is too much stove for 1000 sq. ft. But it all depends on how tight the house is. If it is a modern home with excellent insulation and windows, then perhaps it would be too much. However, this is a 1950's ranch home so I feel it would be an excellent choice.

btw, our home is also small but also old with very little insulation. So far, so good for the fireview.

 

[JBinKC]

Heating bills for this 1000 sq ft house during the winter months range $300-$400 per month. To reiterate, the windows are not insulated well. Would the Fireview be "serious overkill"? I don't know enough about the stove.

I live close to 200 miles due south of you and heat with an equivalent sized stove with a house having roughly the same square footage with no roof insulation but I do have double paned insulated windows and I can't say it is overkill especially with heating bills so high.

One comment I have before you go with Woodstock unless you know enough to do the install yourself I would line up someone who is certified to install one first. Honestly, down in the Ozarks area I could not find anyone within a 60 mile radius who was willing to install a product not purchased through them that meant my first choice, in a stove the Woodstock Keystone was off limits.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

One thing I don't understand about comments on this forum. It seems most want someone who sells wood stoves to do the install. Why not just hire a local carpenter? All you need to do is to specify how you want the install done and what is required for safety reasons.

btw, if the heating bill is $300-$400 per month, I seriously doubt the Fireview is overkill. Better to be too big than too small. You do not have to pack the firebox; just put smaller pieces and fill it half way or 3/4; whatever is necessary.

 

[Todd]

Your probably right Back Sav. A drafty 1000 sq ft home may be just right for the Fireview. Plus being soapstone it won't blast you out like a big steel stove would.

 

[WILDSOURDOUGH]

I think the Woodstock is a very fine stove- their factory is in W. lebanon, NH, 30 miles up the road from me.
They build VERY high quality stoves- and they will stand behind their product !

My only concern is your ability to get dry cordwood at this time of year, most of the dealers around here have sold their dry and seasoned (DRY and Seasoned= 12 to 24 months old cut and split) cordwood before the fall began. All they have now is green wood-freshly cut and split= full of water and not seasoned.

All the Best

 

[JBinKC]

One thing I don't understand about comments on this forum. It seems most want someone who sells wood stoves to do the install. Why not just hire a local carpenter? All you need to do is to specify how you want the install done and what is required for safety reasons.

btw, if the heating bill is $300-$400 per month, I seriously doubt the Fireview is overkill. Better to be too big than too small. You do not have to pack the firebox; just put smaller pieces and fill it half way or 3/4; whatever is necessary.

My insurance company requires the install be done by someone who is certified and carries liability insurance to the effect.

 

[kjklosek]

I have a ranch house similar in size, about 1300 sqft.

Half is block walls and the other half frame with minor insulation.

Last year I struggled with a too small stove, Jotul f100 Nordic, and a poor chimney.

This year I have a Jotul f500 Oslo and a new interior chiumney.

This stove is supposedly too big for my house, but as others have said, you can burn small hot fires instead of loading the firebox and blasting away.

However the most important factor for performance is to have a good chimney that is safe and drafts well. Then a safe place to put the stove, that is centrally located. Lastly you need a good supply of dry wood to get optimum performance.

My set up works for me because of my drafty house and my new chimney. I can load this stove full. Burn at 500-600 degrees stove top for cold evenings. Or cruise at 450 degrees in the morning with a half load and pretty much maintain 68 - 72 degrees in the back of the house and 78 degrees in the front where the stove is.

The blessing with the bigger cast iron stove is that it just holds so much heat for a long time. Of course a soapstone stove is quite different but the iron will heat up fast knock the chill out of the front of the house in about 30 minutes. So far this new set up is working well for me.

The best advice I can give is just to re-state as others have said, you can always make a smaller fire but your stove can only hold so much wood. Either do the install yourself and get it inspected, or have someone who is licensed do it for you if you are unable or it is outside of your skill set.

Good luck with your choice.

J.P.

 

[derspielmann]

I am really appreciative of the advice from various people replying to my original post. Several things confuse me:
1. Cast iron heats different from soapstone
SOMEONE PLEASE ELABORATE HERE--IS ONE MORE POWERFUL THAN THE OTHER? COMPARATIVELY WHICH WILL GIVE THE BIGGER BANG FOR THE BUCK?
2. A chimney is necessary? Maybe this is just different terminology, but I always thought of a chimney as a brick structure left when the rest of a house burnt to the ground. The reason I say "direct vent" is that we do not have a brick chimney, but understand we will have to run a pipe up from the stove through the roof.
3. Permits--in my rural location, there is no such thing as building permits

In regards to the outlay of the house, there is a relatively open area consisting of:
family room with stove is 12 X 20
adjacent dining area 10 X 12
kitchen 14 X 10
A ceiling fan in the family room circulates air down the hallway and into the bedrooms.

Thank you all once again!

Frau--Derspielmann