In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

Building a house, need stove recs

Discussion in 'Modern EPA Stoves and Fireplaces' started by pjcalla, Jun 19, 2019.

  1. pjcalla

    pjcalla

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    My wife and I are going to be building a house soon, and I want to heat with wood as much as possible. It will be roughly 2,300 sf, with 1,600 on the main level and the rest upstairs. The downstairs will be a big, open space, with the kitchen, dining and living room. The stove will sit in the corner of the room. It will have 10' ceilings on the main, and 8 on the second floor. Our builder averages 10% better energy efficiency compared to the standards, so it will be a well-built, sealed up home.

    Anyway, I have been away from FHC for a while now, and just wanted to see what people are putting in theses days. Woodstock still the way to go? My wife likes the enamel or soapstone look, so I guess that needs to happen. Pretend there is no budget.

    Thanks.
     
  2. Chazsbetterhalf

    Chazsbetterhalf

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    Welcome back pjcalla. You know these guys so they will be here for ya. Hopefully you will post pics of the build as I know that I will enjoy it. Do you have wood that has been css you are going to bring with you.
     
  3. pjcalla

    pjcalla

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    Oh yeah, I have dry wood. Lots of 3 year ash, locust, maple, oak, etc. I started hoarding about the time I joined in 2016, and haven't burned much. I'm guessing I have about 6 cord, with more to process from the woods. The new property has 2 acres of mature woods. The neighbor has tons of down ash, and doesn't use wood to heat. She told me to take it all.
     
  4. Chazsbetterhalf

    Chazsbetterhalf

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    Man that sounds sweet. I take it where the wood is now it isn't that far from where you're new home will be.
     
  5. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    I'll stay out of the stove recommendation part of this...although I'm betting you will hear from many Woodstock fans here.
    I just wanted to mention your install...build your house around the stove...so to speak. If you can put it in a relatively central location, with easy access to bringing in wood, it will make wood heat even more enjoyable. The central location will help limit the issue of the stove room being hot, and the far end of the house cold.
    Also, run your chimney pipe internally through the house as far as possible (straight up from the stove) it will work better, stay cleaner, and generally means less (zero?) smoke spillage when reloading.
     
  6. Canadian border VT

    Canadian border VT

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    If you like Woodstock, What's not too like, want a soapstone, I'd get biggest they had! Progress hybrid I believe.,
     
  7. Backwoods Savage

    Backwoods Savage Moderator

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    Sounds like a perfect setup for a Woodstock Progress! But beware, even with the progress that size home will still eat a lot of wood. 2300 sf I would not be surprised if you burn 5-6 cord per year. Time to get to cutting!!!!

    Congratulations on the new home!
     
  8. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    4 cords max would be my guess...especially if his builder is good at paying attention to the insulation/air sealing details...I am heating 1200 sq. ft basement (only partially finished) 1200 ft main floor (decent insulation) and 700 ft (ish) upstairs (with so so insulation) with a whole house forced air wood furnace (generally considered to be less efficient than a good stove) and I normally only use 4 cord...maybe a bit more this past winter, due to the heating season length...certainly not more than 5 cord total...the house stays 70-73*-ish all winter long. And our climate would be similar here I would think...
     
  9. Highbeam

    Highbeam

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    Since you need 4-6 cords this year, having 11-12 stacked means you will have plenty of extra should you use more than expected. Also have a start on drying the future wood.

    I keep 11 cords stacked but only use 5 per year.

    I’ve had a stone stove. In the Woodstock lineup I would be looking at the IS if I was you. Biggest stove from Woodstock.
     
  10. Rich L

    Rich L

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    Hearthstone one if you can find one.Monster,monster heater.It's modern kin is the Hearthstone Equinox.8" pipe a pipe damper is a must for extended burns.
     
  11. billb3

    billb3

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    A nice big open space should handle a nice big stove and there really is an awful lot of nice big stoves and to narrow it down you really have to know if there is a preference for cast or steel, catalyst or non-cat.
    Right now I'm liking the steel stoves with cats that have nice output control and really do well squeezing every last drop of BTU out of the wood sending less of those BTU up the chimney. BK and Woodstock both have several nice ones. I'd have a Ideal Steel or Absolute Steel here in a heartbeat if the house wasn't so small. Unfortunately either one of those stoves would be like buying a Kenworth T880 when what I need is a wheelbarrow.

    Does the builder have any typical BTU requirements ?
     
  12. moresnow

    moresnow

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    Consider buying a stove that will give you appropriate burn times to fit your lifestyle or schedule. I would lean towards a good size if not large Cat stove. Even the big Cat stoves can be easily turned down for acceptable low heat output if that's all that's required by your new tight home. Definitely re-evaluate the corner install if you are still in the planning stages. As mentioned centrally locating the stove is recognized as ideal.
     
  13. Highbeam

    Highbeam

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    Oh and don't forget that for some reason, some of the woodstock stoves still require a particular R-value of hearth instead of just ember protection. In this day and age I can't help but see this obstacle as an engineering failure.

    The IS requires an R of 0.41 which is more than 4" of poured concrete.
     
  14. billb3

    billb3

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    Aw c'mon, a type 2 hearth pad is around 1.6 and that's what many people get just for ember protection and aesthetics.
     
  15. fox9988

    fox9988

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    I'd definitely look at a Woodstock or BK. I couldn't be happier with my Keystone after 7 winters.
     
  16. Lakeside

    Lakeside

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    IMG_20190616_140324.jpg We are in the process of building a house that size right now. I purchased a wood stock progress hybrid but it hadn't arrived quite yet. I did get the hearth mostly built with 4 inches of stamped and stained concrete on top as seen below. I still have to do the rock work along the edges and the wall. Looking forward to the winter.
     
  17. Highbeam

    Highbeam

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    I have no doubt that many people are willing to live with this limitation. It’s easy to miss though and could be a big problem if you did miss it.
     
  18. Backwoods Savage

    Backwoods Savage Moderator

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    Bill, it would seem the AS would be a good fit for a smaller home. Or a Keystone or Fireview too but I think the AS might be a bit more controlable.
     
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  19. Suburban wood snob

    Suburban wood snob

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    Regardless of the stove brand or size I wouldn't recommend it to be your only source of heat.
     
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  20. Backwoods Savage

    Backwoods Savage Moderator

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    Why?

    The only reason I ask is that our wood stove is our only source of heat. Yet I know that some insurance companies would balk if you wished to do that. We've been this way now for 40 years and so far, so good. NO problems with it at all.