Wood Heat BTU's

[CREATIVE1]

I'm in the process of sizing a wood stove for the Victoria Cottage.  It's been expanded slightly, mostly two feet longer and the wing 14 feet not 12 feet wide..  There are 850 square feet downstairs and upstairs, with two connected lofts and a bedroom, 525 square feet (with 4 foot kneewalls).

The stoves I'm looking at are 55,000 to 70,000 BTU's.  The stove would be centrally located, with floor and wall registers and interior windows for air circulation.  We are also installing radiant cove heaters, after pricing out our options.  We aren't allowed to just heat with wood.

I've read that you don't want to get a stove that is too big for the space, but I've also seen posts that some of the smaller stoves don't always heat a home toward the upper end of the square footage recommended for the stove.

Thoughts and experiences?

[JRR]

It's been years since I heated with wood.  I would like some day to return to this fuel before I'm too old to deal with it.

Remember its not the stove, but only the burning wood that provides the heat.  If a larger stove is "adjustable" enough to support a low firing rate, I would think that generally "larger" may be better ... larger, that is, until it's so large that it takes up too much room space ... or the large flue becomes a problem.

[CREATIVE1]

I also have a stove pipe that is exposed all the way up to the roof, with a stone wall behind it.  Would that affect calculations?

[JRR]

I would guess that the stove pipe would be an additional radiation source when the stove is fired.  Of course it would also be an additional heat sink if filled with outside cold air during non-firing periods.  Perhaps some air flow trapping device can be installed near the roof line.  I bow to the experience of others on this subject ...

[ScottA]

Alot will depend on the stove efficiency and the wood you burn. How cold does it get where you live? How well is the house insulated? So as Peg would say, it depends.

[CREATIVE1]

Near Hoodsport, Washington.  Low would be about 22 degrees.  House will be to 2006 code, with maybe some upgraded insulation in the floors over the crawl space.  Low-e windows and passive solar.  Stone floors downstairs.

[ScottA]

The 55k btu should be fine if you burn dry wood. Green wood or wet wood will not put out as much heat. Hardwood is better than softwood. Use a cieling fan to bring the warm air back down to the floor to keep the temps more even. Your climate is pretty mild so most of the time you won't need a super hot fire. Be sure the stove is air tight so you can keep a low firing rate.

[CREATIVE1]

Any recommendations on brands?  I'm looking at Vermont Castings and Napoleon, and maybe a soapstone model if affordable.

[ScottA]

http://www.jotul.com/en-us/wwwjotulus/

[MountainDon]

I/we fell in love with the VC stoves back in the late 70's.

From what I've seen of them they're still well made and expensive. Made in the USA although now owned by Canadians.

[Redoverfarm]

Personally I have a Hearthstone soapstone stove and I really like it. I have the Mansfield model which is rated at 80,000 BTU with a heatlife of 14 hours. It is sized to heat 2,000-2,500 Sq ft although I don't get the full effect in it's present location.  You can damper it back on the draft control to limit the burn time but still seems to put the heat out.  In addition I installed a fresh air draft which helps keeping the glass clean.  Althoug it is not a instant heat like a cast iron stove as it normally takes and hour or hour and a half to get it working at optima heat. But then again it holds the heat better with the soapstone.

[CREATIVE1]

The Hearthstone is the soapstone model I was looking at.  Sometimes you can find a used stove.  They look really neat too.  Not the most important thing, but never hurts.