If you can take some photos so we can get a visual then it will help. There are a few things to know in a free standing wood fuel stove; clearance to combustibles and needed R value for the hearth and the distance from the door to the edge of the hearth. You might can also scrounge on the chimney parts as I did if you decide to install a Class A stainless chimney.
Welcome to FHC if I havent said so already. Since you live in a milder climate really consider a cat stove. The more even heat and low and slow of a cat stove can help keep your house temps in check and when you want to unleash the beast you can. Non cat stoves tend to have higher peaks and valleys when it comes to stove temps. Im personally a non cat guy but I live in a colder environment than you. Personally I may go cat or hybrid in the future so only time will tell. Get that chimney checked so we know where youre going from here. Enjoy the journey and put up lots of wood even before you make the decision... you could always find a reason to burn wood outside if you dont install a stove and who doesnt like playing with chainsaws and putting up btus!!
Is that an order? I never needed a better reason to collect wood than that. I do have good solid room around here, my stacks are fine to tha extent. One more summer and I should be good to go with high quality wood to some extent. Either way its an excuse to be ready and now more so than anything. Im hoping it will likely be a medium heat, like nothing super hot. The size of the house may make me open a window or let heat into the garage. It just depends on my keeping it warm while needing a bit of a break in the warmth. Wasted BTU's? Not really concerned about that since I just hope that the stove can heat well enough to be used in all rooms, just an air fan to move things around and get the cold moist air out of the rooms. Since I don't have premium hardwoods so much, Im looking at medium heat for the time being and just need to learn on the drafts so its keeping the heat slow and low style. Thanks much for the advice!
I agree with a Woodstock stove, however my choice would probably lean towards a steel stove. I have the IS and that heats approx. 2000 sq ft. In his case, a AS would be a better fit, it's a smaller catalyst stove with high EPA ratings and less expensive compared to the cast iron stoves. As far as his masonry chimney is concerned, I believe a proffesssional needs to have a peek at it to make sure its structurally sound and big enough to take an insulated liner. It's less expensive and would work in the situation he's in.
Ok an Update!!!!! Had a local chimney sweep who installs stoves and pipes and whatnot that he says the chimney I have is best to come down. This didn't get me down since I don't mind the news but the better part of this is that Im ok to have a stove! His recommendation is to just have the stove pipe go up through the roof and then it will literally stand by the existing chimney until I bring that down. Sounds like a good summer job for me. I am still elated at this point. Ive always wanted a woodstove and at the rate that I find wood, Im more than likely to do great on heating my house within about 90 percent of wood heat. On another note he sells Napoleon stoves, I looked this up and saw a great stove called the Timberwolf 2200, they also have one 2100 as well. At this rate when the winter bill is up to 300 a month, Im likely to be very comfortable along with the amount of wood I will get to spliting and stacking!:stacke::stacke: Luckily already have some so the first part is done. Less to worry about and more to learn and talk about this stuff with you tootsie warming wood-stove folks! He will send a quote and his thoughts later so soon as that happens I'll get pictures where this will likely be and the cool products that come with it. Can't wait!!!
Awesome! Its a fun journey! I bet youll be out getting even more wood than youve already been getting.
Removing an old masonry chimney or fireplace can be fun. For one, you get to spend more time looking at the great outdoors. For another, you can make a party out of it. Once your done, the stove can be installed in just a few hours. From start: To finish:
Actually im just placing it next to the chimney but what might be a good idea is to get the existing chimney out some summer later and figure out just to make it a blank wall and more room. I'll post pics where it would be soon.
If only I could permanently use this to heat my water but hey might just use it to get some mac and cheese cooked up when the power goes out. This is another good excuse to have this, there are houses that run on one local power company on my street and mine runs on the widespread one(big one). During our last snow, over 100,000 people were left without power for 5 days for some. Im hooked up to that power company and when they get outages it can be a long time if stations dont pick up the slack. So far I haven't had many outages. One since moving in that lasted about 6 hours. With electricity being my only sourcd for heat I knew i could do better.
You will never worry about power outage again with a wood stove....No matter what you will be warm...
So this is where the existing chimney supposedly comes down. I can see it in the attic but being walled up here, I'm not sure what is behind this as far as a chimney goes for oil furnaces. The plan would be to take this out in a few years and make it more spacious as this is weird to even call it a hallway. About a square yard of room or so! This is where it would likely be...set. The wall is perpendicular to the front door as I walk in so I would just be happy to see the stove as I walk in every day and load it up. Stove pipe exit. On an interesting note, the chimney sweep told me he was thinking it would be best on this wall and not the opposite wall where the roof slopes. The chimney would have to be held up by strap supports whereas the top of the roof doesn't need that. I asked if the heating would be best on the opppsite wall because its facing more rooms in the house but he said it doesn't really matter so much when you have a fan to circulate the heat. Any recommendations? Have fans myself but maybe the built in fan kit that comes with the stove I like would be more beneficial here.
If it were my I would put it near where you plan to eventually expand. Since you plan to double your square footage it would end up in the center of the house.
This would be likely it. Im thinking if I extend my house the whole roof will need to be redone. Or resized. then I can ask if the stove is able to be more centered as my daughter gets older. That'll be fun. I think about taking out a part of that wall that the stove would be at so I could have a view of the living room while im cooking. No good to miss good games while fixing yummy snacks and enjoying hot tootsies.
If you want that stove to serve you in a power outage you need to ignore that fan. With a power outage it will not be working. I located my stove as centrally as I could because its main purpose, for me, is keeping the whole house above freezing and the room where it is located at a comfortable temperature. The one I bought is way too small to heat the entire house fully, it is mainly for emergency freeze protection. The manufacturer only rates it as big enough for 1500 sq ft and it is in a 2500 sq ft home. We all know how optimistic a manufacturer can be but if I can keep the whole place above maybe 40ºF during a power failure, water pipes will not freeze and break and I will be fine in the stove room in a T-shirt.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised and maintain quite a bit above 40f. Not evenly distributed, but I bet not even as low as 40 in the coldest rooms.
Anything would be better than a backup that doesn't work on electricity which would be nothing... . I have the option of having those fans that just sit on the stove that are heat power driven. But I have no idea if that is effective as a whole but interestingly in a power outage I tend to move around. So cognitively Im aware of the house cooling down and I make my own hot air so my options could also be to talk to the chimney sweep about this particular stove and what could I do for it to run best in an outage. I took a look at those thermal generators that and they are pricy but in a pinch, they could give me the benefit of having a fan that isn't much larger than a table fan. The dividends would likely pay off if I have more outages.... so the coefficient is lacking now.
