Will Ideal Steel work for 2600ish sq ft?

I guess the basement walls will be R-19 as well. Had a buddy tell me that it is code now in WI? Not sure but he has had a quite a bit of his 1970 house spray foamed and learned a lot from the guy doing it.

What exactly are you guys speaking of when you say air sealing? Are you talking about making sure everything is caulked well?

freeburn
I am totally okay with the bedrooms being cooler as that is great for sleeping. I think as long as I can get that heat to get up the stairs I'll be golden.

The price difference between a BK King Ultra (8" through wall flue system) $3500 + ($3100_3500) vs the Ideal Steal (6" through wall flue system) $2360 + ($2300-2500 for pro grade double wall, $2100 for triple wall homeowner) might make up my mind. The chimney system #'s are for 20 ft and through wall thimble and accessories using woodland directs select-able calculator, so just rough estimates. Interior pipe will add to the cost as well. I'm ok with the IS only being a supplemental heat vs full heating to save $2500 up front (more money to start finishing the garage...... er I mean more of the basement to please the wife)!! Wow the money that gets spent to get "free/cheap heat"!!
BUT the whole process from tree to ash is good exercise and fun for ME anyway!

 

yes

 

I don't think the extra money on the BKK will buy you what you think anyway.

The BKK offers higher capacity and better air control which allows longer burn times and the ability to easily dial back for a long low burn. While the larger firebox means you can load it with more total BTUs, it does not mean it can heat a bigger area which is dependent on heat output per hour. In fact, the EPA high burn BTUs per hour rating is actually a touch lower than the IS. This makes sense since the secondaries in the hybrid design allow you to crank up the IS more than a pure cat. You will need to reload more often but you will get a ton of heat.

 

Sconnie Burner, Yeah I meant by air sealing is to stop air infiltration. it cracks me up how many people complain about it but no one thinks it thru. In standard stick construction the pour concrete frame walls on top. good builders use an piece of foam between concrete and PT. Really good builders have a caulking gun and caulk it too..

think about the last time you bought any pieces of 2 by.. the longer they are the less straight they are and most are dripping wet. the nail and screw them together but as the wood dries it shrinks hence the air infiltration.. Every wood hoarder knows this..

Some will tell you that house wrap will stop wind and it might until our take a T50 (slap stapler ) and put thousands of holes in it then it is a screen. Where air goes water will follow.. wet wood molds!

Does your area have better built homes shows it would be worth your time to talk to a few.. I mean a home done right is a treasure to own and a joy to live in.. You have a great opportunity to do it right the first time.. If money is tight I would suggest put more into what goes behind sheet rock and less on the floor coverings, counters, interior doors.. lot easier to upgrade those later then insulation.. Exact opposite of how most people do it..

my house is 2600 square feet and of that 1100 square feet of it has a vaulted ceiling to above 16 feet high on 5 levels. my IS is not centrally locared and not in basement. so oil heat keep basement warm.. This year Sept til now... I have burned 4.75 cord of wood and 150 gallons of heating oil for heat and hot water. now thru Sept I will probably burn another 100 gallon for just hot water in buderus oil hydro furnace...

House is 35 years old half windows are new half need to be..

 

What makes the blaze king more attractive is that you set how much heat you want out of it and it constantly adjusts the air itself to keep the desired heat level.

The Woodstock stoves can run low as well. The difference is to get as long a burn as the BK you would have to sit there and adjust the air manually.

The BK doesn't put out more or less heat, it just does it in a way to keep the heat constant and repeatable. If that's important to you, spend the extra money. I don't think that will be important to you based on how much house you are heating. You probably won't need it running low and slow. However with that size house the blower on the BKwould help move hot air. Downside is the blower cools the temp of the stove and it compensates by using more air which chews your wood up faster.

You have to think about what stove is best for your particular situation.

 

last year was 14 cord is used 250 gallons of oil year before 12 cord oil same but house was significantly warmer this year.. my wood rack next to stove is 2 feet wide 3 high last year burned 2 to 3 a day.. this year 1 lasts 24 houirs at 20 below otherwise above 0 lasts 36 hours..

 

Shheeesh! A 1/3 the wood used and half the oil!! What home improvements did you all make again? That is really impressive!

 

better stove but a lot milder winter too.. Average temp February 2015 was 6 or 8. 2016 was 22 degrees. burn times in NC 13 like stove 4 hours and needed a match to re-light 2.0 cubic foot firebox IS over 3 current ft. IS can got 24 hours on full load with 20 at night 40 day..

 

Sconnie Burner I'm a total novice, but I think you are really on the right track. It's very realistic to consider a wood stove as a primary heating source, but not the ONLY heating. If you have gas/oil/propane as a backup, your choice of stove becomes much broader. From just numbers and online feedback, the WS Ideal Steel is a wonderful balance of heating, efficiency and value price. If I were in you shoes, I would definitely be considering this vs. a BK stove. FWIW,I chose a PE / non-catalytic stove based on local dealer support If...(not my first choice for your situation) you were considering a non-catalytic stove, you cannot do better than a Pacific Energy Summit or Alderlea T6 stove.

 

Yeah, I am impressed! now I have a chance in h e double hockey stick of getting 3 years ahead!

burning 10 plus cords a year the 4 year before this 3 year ahead thing was .. back to the splitter

 

Sounds like WI codes are now requiring R21 on above ground walls, and R19 on basement walls. So that will help! I have a buddy that is going to start doing spray foam on the side so thats a major ++. He's got the trailer and machine already and just needs to get the chemicals.

On another note, man is it hard to settle on a color combo and artwork. Worse than trying to pick a color and options on a new vehicle!! I think I like the Rich Brown Metallic for the body w/ copper for the accents. Haven't decided on the artwork yet. Will have plenty of time for that though. Thanks for all the info so far!

 

my advice there would be pick a body color you like (we went with black) all other parts are interchangeable real cheap. I mean a different color door is $150. Wife is thinking she wants a red one or dark green with top side burners red so imo 200 dollars for a wife Christmas or b day present that makes my life easier... no brainer

 

How about a can of paint? And re paint them? Or do you mean change it for the season/holiday and then change it back?

I do like the brown for sure, but the copper may be too bright. But plan on re-painting the copper stuff if we don't like it.

 

Yeah a can of paint works too. high temp of course....Yes wife wanted a Christmas theme. I read where JA600L? bought a second door as when stove runs non stop over winter it is too hot to clean properly.. wife tends to be a little ocd about clean windows.. one of my daughters projects is to paint the maple leafs on mine green and then another set fall colors maybe change them in winter to snow flakes...

You think we spend too much time up here on border thinking about woodstoves ?

 

I wanted to get a variety of holiday themed side medallions. Christmas, Hanukkah, Festivus, MLK day, Presidents day, Valentines day, Pi day, Steak and BJ day, Saint Patrick's day, and Easter plus any others that come up. My wife felt we had other spending priorities.

 

Sorry, I think you meant BDF.