Help with Hearthstone Stoves

Not many of us have experience with the cat version of the heritage. I know hearthstone didn’t want to add the catalyst and put it in a poor place as an emissions compliance device. I would expect problems with the cat as you use it. There are cat stoves out there that were supposed to be cat stoves and designed to take full advantage of them. Bk and Woodstock make those cat stoves. The current noncats are a mature technology made to burn at higher outputs with simple reliability.

If you really like the stone look I would recommend a PH from Woodstock over a Mansfield. The PH is pretty small at just 2.8 cubic feet but is very efficient.

with such a large home I would also recommend you look into a backup heat source. Could be a furnace, minisplit heat pump, or even a gas stove somewhere else in your home. If keeping up with a wood boiler was getting difficult I can imagine a stove big enough to heat your home could be a lot of work too. I actually think everyone should have a backup heater for unforeseen absence like hospital stays, jail time, vacations.

 

We are close! Yes, I live about 5 miles south of Clare. And yes, dealer was in Harrison as you mentioned. When I check my moisture, it is always on a freshly split chunk of wood and in the center.

 

I will definitely look into the stoves that have been mentioned by everyone. This forum is literally a wealth of information. The old stove I got rid of when I put the OWB in heated our house as hot as we would ever want it. My general wood consumption with that one was 3 to 4 cord depending on the weather temps. One winter we had 3 weeks it never got above 0°F and that was my only 4 cord winter. Don't know what brand that stove was, but it was an amazing and beautiful stove.

 

I'm thinking so as well. I appreciate your input in this! Very insightful!

 

So, I sat up till 1:30 am this morning researching all the stoves mentioned so far. I'm leaning heavily towards the BK 40. There is a dealer right here in Clare. I looked at it the other day when I stopped in to look at their inventory, but didn't give it much attention because a salesman there "gently" steered me away from it as being too big. I'll stop back in on tomorrow and take a second look.

 

If you have BK related questions fire away. A few of us BK users here that can fill you in.

You will need to meet or exceed the venting requirements listed for the King. A must.

What do you have for venting?

 

Salesmen are often incentivized to move certain stoves or certain brands of stoves. I’ve heard them called spiffs. So even at the expense of the customer the salesman will push these stoves. You really need to know what you want before ever going to a dealership, just as you would with buying a new truck.

The bk40 will not be too big. I’ve seen them in mobile homes. The BK’s strength is that it can be turned down to a very low output and run for 40 hours or cranked up and blow through that huge load of fuel in 10 hours at high output. It is a top performer and highly effective but like my princess it’s just not very pretty. The stone stoves are pretty.

You need 8” pipe for the king. A rather strict requirement.

 

He could surely make do with a model that used a 6"liner...cuz the King is huge, no?

 

The king is big, huge even, but is very controllable so the physical size represents a large fuel tank more than a stove that will make too much heat.

If he wants to make use of the 6” liner the king is not an option. Some people have done it but the manufacturer says no.

Heating 3000 SF in Michigan with just wood on a 6” flue is tough with a single stove. Temperatures will swing.

 

Its only 2000 that is being actively heated...that's why I said I think there are still "large stove" options that would work on the 6"

 

Or a BK...sounds like those are better stoves than the HS stuff (just in general, from reading peoples experiences with them)

 

I think it’s a mistake to call a 3000 sf house a 2000 sf house unless maybe you have a 1000 sf basement below the stove that you can logically subtract out.

This is a 3000 sf heating load in Michigan that he likes at 78.

 

We will have to disagree on this then...if the house has a door for the 2cnd floor, (no idea if it does or not...but even if not, its still not the same as an open floor plan with a "loft") then it is no different than heating a ranch with minimal ceiling insulation. If part of the house has high ceilings, then the total cubic ft comes into play too...again, not saying that is what the OP has.
But yeah, agreed on that a 1000' basement has no affect on a ground floor stove.
Might not be my most well written response ever...

 

The “unheated” upstairs space will definitely be heated to some extent by the lower level stove. Door shut or not.

 

We might as well wait for the OP to chime in with more details, 'cause we are just splitting hairs now.
What it the largest stove that BK makes with a 6" flue?