New house, adding a wood stove

I am in the process of closing on a new to me house in ~3 weeks. It only has electric baseboard/cadet heaters in it and I want to install a wood stove. I found this group last fall and its been great and full of lots of good info so naturally I am here for more guidance.. I want to use a stove to heat my entire place year round when needed with very little use of the electric.. I am in the Pacific North West so its not to extreme here.

I want something with long burn times so I feed it less, does that mean a bigger burn box? how big? My house is only 1000 Sqft (but it will be mine this time)

I need to install a chimney, how hard is that, I've googled a little bit but really, how hard? Straight up and out the top should be doable, I read that the straighter and longer the better?

I have an interior wall in the middle of the house picked out, on wood/pergo floors, and I believe the inspector sees and old brick chimney behind the same wall but no cap on the top of the house? I don't want to start opening stuff up to find that it is not usable, unfortunately I am going as cheap as I can..

I will be burning Doug fir mostly as it is super easy to get around here, and I have 4-5 cords seasoned already that I am bringing from my current house.

Any pointers are much appreciated!!

 

Congrats on the house purchase.


I went through the wall for my chimney so I have no advice to offer.


I'm sure smarter minds than mine will be able to help.

 

Can't help a lot but here goes.
"I have an interior wall in the middle of the house picked out, on wood/pergo floors," In my area, the hearth requirements are: 1/2" cement board with 1/4" tile (slate, ceramic or granite) on top. I believe the total required R factor was .41.
My house is 2 stories 900 square down stairs with the up stairs closed off, and also electric baseboard. Years ago I got a 1 month electric bill of $600. Some thing had to be done and I had a stove installed. I am not sure what you are talking about, " I believe the inspector sees and old brick chimney behind the same wall but no cap on the top of the house? I don't want to start opening stuff up to find that it is not usable, unfortunately I am going as cheap as I can."
I had an unused clay lined chimney that had been deemed unsafe. I had an SS liner put in. Not real cheap but passed inspection. So with that said, I would think you could put a liner in the chimney and safely use it.
My electric bill may very $20 between winter and summer so I would say I am around 90% heating with wood.

 

Seems to me that in a moderate climate, a cat or hybrid stove capable of long low burns might be in order. What's the budget? I'm biased toward Woodstock since we have an Ideal Steel - though it would probably be overkill for 1000' in your area. Maybe a Fireview or Keystone? Www.woodstove.com

 

Yup, bigger firebox means longer burn times...to a point. With your smaller house and lil milder climate, you wont need a huge stove to do the job for ya though. A cat stove can go low and long...if you have the budget for it.
Do it once, do it right...go straight up through the roof with class A chimney pipe...most/many stoves call for ~15' of chimney height...including the stove pipe.
bushpilot can probably give some good input here...

 

"old brick chimney behind the same wall but no cap on the top of the house? "
The chimney has been capped off in the attic / no roof penetration any more ?

If there is an old chimney there, it may or may not be of much value. It may not have a clay liner, it may or may not be usable. Sometimes you're better off taking it out and if it is brick it's pretty easy. You might have a chase to use, it might even be in a good spot. It also might make a good closet and just put a new chimney elsewhere.
Access to the attic should be revealing without opening anything up. Course, sheetrock is fairly easy to repair, too.

Catalytic stoves do a pretty good job of flattening out the burn curve and squeezing some more burn time out of.

 

1000sqft is small, easy to overheat. I’d recommend a small cat stove for its low and slow burn capability. I chose one for the same reasons, plus my endless winter shoulder season. Works great for that and handles an overnight at 0F no problem.
Woodstock and Blazeking seem to dominate the cat stove market.
I also agree with the above advice of a straight up Class A chimney when possible/practical. Stoves are spec’ed out with minimum chimney height requirements. Too tall can result in excessive draft and over firing.

 

Old house, 1944, has been updated and somewhere along the years the old fireplace was sealed up and is now behind a wall.. The chimney at the roof is no longer there as it only reaches the attic from the crawlspace.. I don't want to go through opening that up and find its not usable, thinking just install a class A (had to google that) straight up no bends or angles.. As far as the type I prefer a wood burner as I enjoy the collecting/chopping/hauling/hunting/stacking parts of firewood.. I'm weird like that I guess.. And its only $20 for a permit to cut my own so its cheap.. And good exercise..

1000 sqft is small yes, single level house.. Best I could do after my sons mom decided to walk out on me..

Budget is a few thousand I guess, I was thinking up to $4k for the burner and chimney.. Maybe the install.. lol

Almost hit 70 degrees today, I should be able to wait for a good sale somewhere this summer.. The off season right?

After I get the keys and moved i'll get some pics.. Couple more weeks, I am super bored at work right now so my mind is wondering about how to be a better pyro!! lol

 

I am in the PNW as well, and burn a lot of Douglas Fir and Pine. They both work great when dry. Good job on getting a jump on that. billb3 describes it well (I think) about a catalytic stove flattening the curve. I don't use a cat stove, but my 30-NC does fine heating about 1500 square feet, in a colder part of Eastern WA. I heat 100% with it, no other heat (other than the bathroom) installed. I plan on having about 5 cord put away each winter, and burn about 4.

I am not a chimney expert, but I have done it. I went straight through the ceiling on a cathedral ceiling. I bought all new Duravent doublewall chimney, and have no regrets. Don't cheap out on the chimney, and follow exactly the installation instructions. Stick to one manufacturer. Just so you know, my new chimney cost me more than my new stove. Be prepared. Go cheap on the stove if you have to, and upgrade later, but don't go cheap on the chimney/stack.

When I say go cheap on the stove if you have to, don't buy junk. There are good inexpensive stoves, that are very basic, and will heat your place fine. Go that route if you need to, rather than a stove with all the bells and whistles. Tube stoves are generally cheaper than cats, for a reason, but mine heats well, and we have some cold winters.

Chimney ehight for my stove was required to be 15 feet, floor to top of stack. Some manufacturers start from the floor, others from the stove top. I had a bit under 15 feet on my first try, and then decided to add another 3 foot section, so I am just under 18 feet from the floor. It works fine. A little more is better than a little less, especially when trying to light it on a warmish day.

If you want a long burn time with Douglas Fir, you will have to have a cat stove. I can get 8 hours from my tube stove, but that is just barely. Personally, I don't care much about burn times, as what really matters is whether the house is warm. Neither DW or I mind loading the stove when it needs it. Ours will keep the house in the upper 60's all night if we load it before going to bed, with coals in the morning, and that is good enough. A bigger box will increase the burn time, all else equal.

You have a few months to work this out, which is great. I would start with the stove decision, and go from there. Clearance, chimney requirements, wall or floor protection, etc. is all affected by the stove choice. Also, I am guessing we are going to soon see some pretty good prices on tube stoves in the Spring. No inside scoop, but typically the NC-30 show up somewhere for a good price, and this will be the last year for that stove if I am not mistaken, due to the new EPA regs. Probably some other deals coming. Just my guess.

Good luck with the new place, and congratulations.

 

Speaking of chimney...I meant to mention this before...I am a fan of Selkirk Supervent...I have put up 3 chimneys now using it and I think it is an excellent product, especially for the price. And as for the price, you wont beat Menards price on it...they have it on sale at 11% off this week, but beware the 11% is in the form of in store credit check...which as others here that don't live near a Menards have done, you could sell the rebate check in the classifieds here.
Anyways, the first one I put up 11 years ago I bought at Lowes...cost me about $900. The last two I have done were bought at Menards...$5-600 total...the last one in 2016 IIRC. They are all still in place and helping to heat their respective homes right now.
https://www.menards.com/main/heatin...pipe-class-a-vent/jsc6sa3/p-1444453719459.htm
https://www.menards.com/main/heatin...kit-class-a-vent/jsc6dcsk/p-1444453718234.htm
This should be about all you'd need if you can go straight up...1 ceiling kit, 3-4 pieces of pipe...shouldn't run much more than $500 even with shipping...maybe another $100 if you want to go with telescoping double wall stove pipe...which is not a bad idea.

 

+1 on the two Selkirk chimneys I’ve installed and used.

 

All the above, and for Selkirk Metalbestos SS double wall. Installed 3 thru-the-roof ( "roof supported" ) straight up Selkirks over the years.
The last two have been in place for 19 years.
Instructions, support, product quality are excellent for any handy DIY.
Selkirk is expensive; an average 20' roof support system will be more than an average wood stove as said.
Their telescoping double wall pipe makes vertical installs reasonably simple.

 

Thanks for the info guys!!

I was also told that I should go to the state fair and look for last years models on clearance.. Basically left over stock I would think.. My coworkers are the king/queen of sniffing out a deal.. Anyway, I have time, and will bring this thread up when I get a little more serious on the time line..

 

Bingo! This is a good guide. Proven.

As far as what stove to purchase? Here we go on opinions! Ha. Much of the decision depends on how much time you will be away from the house? Or are you home all the time?

 

Here is my 2¢. worth. We have fairly mild winters down here too. We heat about 1200 sq ft. We have a tube stove, Drolet Blackcomb with Dura vent and Dura Plus stove and chimney pipe. Installed both myself. Have done a couple more as well. As stated above, DON'T go cheap on the pipe. I spent the extra $$ and got the triple wall SS chimney pipe, black double wall stove pipe, looks good and safe.
There is a company in Quebec CA that has a great selection of stoves, great people to deal with...
Your expert in heating | Wood and Pellet | My Fireplace Products

And check out these guys for your pipe. They are based in Ohio and they sell and install pipe. When I placed my order, I realized I needed to move my stove farther from the wall for clearance, which changed the pipe layout. Told the guy about it, he got measurements from stove top to ceiling, told me about the angles I needed and what length pipes to fit. Worked out perfectly. Here is their link...
Wood Stove Pipe, Chimney Kits, Chimney Pipe | Discount Chimney Supply, Inc.

Hope this helps, congratulations in the house, sad for the split up.

 

Believe it or not...triple wall is approved for wood stoves, but not preferred.
Its not insulated...uses air gaps only...doublewall (class A) is insulated and therefore will stay hotter inside, which also means cleaner inside, and maintain draft better.
Both approved for 2" CTC.
Triplewall is also 2" larger in overall diameter because of the extra layer...that can be a deal breaker if you have a tight install.

 

The DuraPlus series of DuraVent brand is insulated between inner and middle pipe with air gap between middle and outer pipe, I installed a new ceiling support box that the chimney pipe mounts too. Had plenty of room. It's 10" diameter outside, so it could be tight in some installs.

 

Oh, wow...you did spend some $$ on it then, huh?!

 

Yes sir...I hadn't joined FHC back then, and after seeing how the mobile home company had installed the original fireplace, I figured I could do a lot better. I did what research I could, and have as much or a little more in the pipe as the Drolet Blackcomb stove. But it's SS, so no rust on the outside.... Had to redo the collar and flange after installing the metal roof.

 

Find a deal on good pipe.. Put in chimney.. Then if budget is a concern Englander NC 30 type stove.. Usually had on sale around 700ish. Check floor for weight might need to beef it up and consider raising hearth to 16 inches high..