Wood Stoves for homes 1,000 sq feet and smaller

[ScottA]

Once you have a flue attached the draft will put negetive pressure on the stove and stop most if not all leaks.

[oblivionboyj]

Would any of you be so kind as to post pictures of your stove installations, so I can get an idea what kind of buildup I am going to need on my hearth?
Thanks

[davestreck]

Once you have a flue attached the draft will put negetive pressure on the stove and stop most if not all leaks.

So do you think the valve grinding thing is unnecessary? I realize that its not designed to be airtight, but the little wisps of smoke coming out from under the lids made me think they should seat better.

Also, the oven hit 450 after 20 minutes and held that throughout the whole rest of the burn. Gotta try some biscuits tomorrow...

[MaineRhino]

Unfinished, but it works well. It has a fresh air inlet that goes through the floor.

[ScottA]

Here's a pic of our little stove. Jotul 602, great little stove. $900 but worth it IMO.

davestreck, I'd try the stove with the flue attached before you try to fix any leaks. The draft will suck the smoke out of the stove and draw air into any loose joints.

[davestreck]

davestreck, I'd try the stove with the flue attached before you try to fix any leaks. The draft will suck the smoke out of the stove and draw air into any loose joints.

Good deal, thanks.

Also, the stove is set up to use 4" pipe. Any recommendations for a supplier of double-walled stainless stovepipe (as well as thru-wall fittings, etc) in that size?

Thanks again for the advice.

[ScottA]

You'll need to increase the size to 6". My stove has a 4" outlet also but uses a 6" flue.

[Dave Sparks]

I like the Osburn models out of Canada. I would disagree that you want the biggest stove! What you should strive for is the correct size for the job you intend to do. The worst case would be too big of a unit for the job. Modern woodstoves keep the glass clean burn extremely clean and if installed correctly with a long chimney never get smoke in the house!  Good Luck!

[Shawn B]

davestreck,  That stove cleaned up very well.

The little ship stoves are real classy and appear to be built like a mini-tank. One of the benefits of living by the coast.


Shawn

[davestreck]

They're still available new, but $2200 is a bit steep:



There are a lot of advantages to working in a boatyard that deals with a lot of old classic wooden boats (although the pay isn't one of them): lots of free wood, access to great old surplus boat gear, and a bunch of co-workers who work for beer and know all about 12-volt electrical stuff and off-grid water systems. Boats are a lot like cabins in that way. I even scored an almost-new wind generator recently!

[oblivionboyj]

Is it acceptable to build my hearth directly on the hardwood floor where I want the stove to go?
I am planing on building a fairly substantial hearth of cinder block and brick.
Up the wall I am going to build a brick sheild with an inch of airspace behind it.
A soapstone will be placed under the stove on the hearth.
I am kind of worried about 2 things.
1) not building enough hearth to protect the wood floor from the heat
2) building up more hearth than the floor can support.
I was going to try and address the second problem by installing a floor support something like this under the stove...

(this is not my house, but a picture of the support bar taken from the internet)
Any suggestions?
Has anyone ever fabricated a heat sheld to be mounted to the bottom (or back) of the stove?

[Shawn B]

oblivionboyj ,  That's what I used under my 750lb gun safe. worked well for me.


Shawn

[Proud_Poppa]

oblivionboyj:  That looks like a pretty good idea....except I'd probably use something a bit beefier than a 2X4 turned on its side between the jack and the floor joists....as in the picture. In that picture, the only floor joist that is getting much support is the joist directly above the jack.

[OlJarhead]

Just to be safe I added to pier blocks with 4x4 PT posts which supported a 4x4 beam between them which was adjusted (bolt type saddles) to just put pressure on the floor from underneath.

I did this because I used 2x6 floor joists (though it would be a cost saving measure -- probably won't do that in the future) and wanted to be sure the floor could take the weight of the stove/bricks etc.

I'm happy with it though.

[Proud_Poppa]

   Happy coincidence!!

I have the chance to buy a Fisher Grandpa Bear wood stove just like the one in our old log cabin....in fact it's the same stove....the lady who bought our old cabin wants to sell the stove! I'm "very" familiar with this stove.....my question is: Is $500 a good price for this stove? It'll easily heat 1000-1200 sq ft.....our old log cabin was 750 sq ft and the stove is really tooooo much for it.

PP

Edited to add: I just downloaded the manual for this stove...the manual claims the Grandpa Bear will heat a 1750-2250 sq ft home.

[oblivionboyj]

....except I'd probably use something a bit beefier than a 2X4 turned on its side between the jack and the floor joists....as in the picture. In that picture, the only floor joist that is getting much support is the joist directly above the jack.

Yeah, I saw that too.
I would probably use the 3x6 that was a header I just removed to replace a set of double doors in the basement.
I will start a topic for that job shortly.

Back to another question...
What is the guideline for building a hearth on top of the existing floorboards?

[MountainDon]

What is the guideline for building a hearth on top of the existing floorboards?

That may be partially dependent on the stove make/model. The VC Aspen, for example needs to be fitted with the bottom heat shield. Without the heat shield it should only be installed over bare (unpainted) concrete poured over bare earth. With the heat shield attached to the bottom it can be installed over any non flammable material. Quarter inch thick cement fiber board as a first layer over the wood floor is recommended. Then a non combustible material may be installed over that. Sheet metal is fine as well; we used sheet copper.


The hearth size (width and length) is laid out by the NFPA in the USA. Canada's figures may be slightly different.

[DirtyLittleSecret]

Dont think anyone's mentioned this, but how about a sailboat stove?  can easily head a small 300+/- cabin and can brew a cup of tea (or more).

[oblivionboyj]

Dont think anyone's mentioned this, but how about a sailboat stove?  can easily head a small 300+/- cabin and can brew a cup of tea (or more).

Yeah, it was mentioned.
There was some posts in the last 2 pages with a Shipmate.
Found one on eBay, for local pickup.
It is tempting, but since I have a free one from the bro it doesn't seem smart to spend the money when I could spend it elsewhere.

[OlJarhead]

http://www.amazon.com/Boxwood-Cast-Iron-Wood-Stove/dp/B002OMGYHA/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2WV1364FAFI5S&colid=1BOS6JGYXO0OE

Did anyone post these?

Anyone used one?

I can't help thinking it's about as cheap as you can go and if it works would make a great 'shed' stove -- as in a stove you stick in the shed, forget about and have available if you should suddenly find yourself out in the cold and in need of a stove

[Shawn B]

Yeah, that is one of the stoves I listed in the opening post. Their from Northern Tool.

[considerations]

That Shipmate is really attractive.  I have a Sardine from Navigator Stove Works.  Eventually it will heat the office.

[OlJarhead]

That Shipmate is really attractive.  I have a Sardine from Navigator Stove Works.  Eventually it will heat the office.

Those things are amazing...so small!  Perfect for small 10x12 cabins I'm thinking.

Only thing I saw that was kinda strange was the claim that 15 x volume is a rule of thumb to get BTU's for the stove required....

For my place I'd need something on the order or a 75,000+ BTU stove which sounds really odd since the VC Aspen is 18,000 BTU's and rated for cabins up to 600 square feet....

But that's really not important   I just love the stoves and would love having one like the Little Cod!

[Shawn B]

The species of wood and the moisture content will greatly effect the BTU rating. It might make more sense to rate wood stoves in another fashion  Maybe capacity of the firebox

Shawn

I too would love to have one of those small maritime stoves. Might be perfect for a porch stove 

[OlJarhead]

OK I broke down today and picked up a Montgomery Ward wood cook stove for $225 at a year sale.  It appears to have never been used (and the own claims it was never used) and while it has some rust in spots and some chipped porcelain I'd say for $225 it had to be a steal.

Of course I have no idea but I just couldn't resist! 

It's a 4 burner stove with what appears to be a water resevoir on the side (he also thought that is what it is) but no tap on the tank.  Has an oven, firebox and shelf etc...not a fancy 1800's stove but something that should work as a cookstove...

But I can't find a single thing about this stove on the net!?

Montgomery Ward
No. AS-15-69B
Ser No. 2412

That's all I can find on it so far...pics to follow.