A Square Peg in a Round Hole

[Benchwrench]

That sheds a whole new light on the topic. You need a wood furnace or boiler if the intent is to heat 4000 sq ft. Or at least, multiple stoves. That is a really big home.

I agree it is somewhat large to heat. However, I really would like to stick with a traditional heating source rather than a basement contraption that vents into rooms. I enjoy the whole aspect of gathering 1/4 rounds and feeding the fire, hearing the appliance click with heat expansion and watch the flames while roasting my cold tootsies, (so is it OK to call my feet tootsies on this website or what?) all the while sipping a cup looking out the windows watching the cardinals in the snow.
You know, my wife might not be too keen to a couple of heating appliances since the location of both would have to be within 12' of each other due to the floor plan layout. But I'll check again

I really like the aesthetics of a wood burning stove/insert but after the feedback here from all you guys, you bring up a very valid option and that is to look towards a hearth stove application. I think I need to pursue this further and see what kind of options there are out there for this elevated hearth.

Thank you all.

 

[begreen]

How is the house currently heated?

A stove is an area heater. We'll need to get a better idea of the area this location is trying to heat. Can you post a floorplan sketch?

 

[BrowningBAR]

That sheds a whole new light on the topic. You need a wood furnace or boiler if the intent is to heat 4000 sq ft. Or at least, multiple stoves. That is a really big home.

I agree it is somewhat large to heat. However, I really would like to stick with a traditional heating source rather than a basement contraption that vents into rooms. My wife might not be too keen to a couple of heating appliances since the location of both would have to be within 12' of each other due to the floor plan layout.

I really like the asthetics of a wood burning stove/insert but after the feedback here from all you guys, you bring up a very valid option and that is to look towards a hearth stove application. I think I need to pursue this further and see what kind of options there are out there for this elevated hearth.

Thank you all.

With 4000 sq ft you will really need more than one wood stove. The Buck 94 and the Blaze King King stove are the largest stoves that come to mind with a fire box over 4 cu ft. But, even then, you will note be able to heat 4,000 sq ft.

 

[Benchwrench]

Yea, I want to post a couple picts of my hearth area. I'll try and pencil a floor plan or try to copy my blueprints somehow.
BTW, currently utilizes a traditionally ducted gas fired HVAC .

 

[RoseRedHoofbeats]

To burn 24/7, you'd need more than one stove for all 4,000 sq ft. However, you could certainly do half and half- Make fires when it's convinenent, figure out your stove, see how well it does, how much wood you use, stock up wood for next year (if you're anything like most of us were the first year you got wood, you're a tad short), and then buy another stove in the spring or summer when they're dirt cheap. Let the furnace kick on when it gets really cold, or use an electric space heater in your bedroom, do a lot of baking to keep the kitchen warm, stuff like that. How much of that 4,000 sq ft do you really need to stay heated all day and night?

Or maybe I'm just boggling at the idea of 4,000 sq ft after living in less than 1k for four years. =P But you could certainly get something for this job, then start working on a second woodburner for next year.

~Rose

 

[DanCorcoran]

"...currently utilizes a traditionally ducted gas fired HVAC . "

Or, just close the vents in the areas close to the wood stove and let the gas heat the other areas, if and when needed.

 

[Coach B]

Jotul 500 with the short leg kit and rear vented might squeeze onto that hearth w/o any demo or major hearth extension. Specs say the stove is 16.5" deep. Not sure if that is leg to leg or stove top, if stove top it might not fit. I'm at work or I'd measure for you. I've got mine hearth mounted and love it. You would need some kind of fireproof deal in front of the stove, however, if you stick with sideloading it would just be to please the insurance regs. It is not a huge stove but not a small one either and given your fp limitations might be the biggest one you could hearth mount w/o major construction.

 

[Loco Gringo]

It wont heat 4k sf but this is what I have and it runs us out of our 1k sf home. Looks like it would work for you without any mods. I took a few inches off of mine so that it would fit and I have a straight drop into it with no tee so worry about getting around to clean my liner. Just a thought.

(broken link removed to http://www.buckstove.com/wood/model21.html)

 

[begreen]

Yea, I want to post a couple picts of my hearth area. I'll try and pencil a floor plan or try to copy my blueprints somehow.
BTW, currently utilizes a traditionally ducted gas fired HVAC .

It sounds like a wood-fired, supplemental furnace might be able to be tied in. I recommend looking at the Caddy furnace website to see if this is a possibility.

http://www.psg-distribution.com/product.aspx?CategoId=15&Id=325&Page=description

 

[Benchwrench]

The following criteria would be ideal for a hearth mounted appliance instead of an insert;

(EDIT: it does not need to be rear venting )1. needs [not] be a Rear vented appliance ( flue no higher than 24" to centerline )

2. Somewhere around a 3.0 cu. ft. firebox, I'm looking for btu's in the vicinity of 85k-100k

wide is OK but not very deep, around 24"
( the hearth is elevated some 15" from floor and right now is only 17" deep )

Does anyone know of such an appliance?

I should be able to post a couple pictures of the FP and hearth Sunday.

Thanks guys,
Bench

 

[begreen]

Considering you would need a hearth extension anyway, I'd be thinking about dropping the center of the current hearth about 7" and putting in a Quad Isle Royale or Jotul F600.

 

[kingquad]

Considering you would need a hearth extension anyway, I'd be thinking about dropping the center of the current hearth about 7" and putting in a Quad Isle Royale or Jotul F600.

I was about to type this exact same thing

 

[tickbitty]

If you go with an insert/hearth stove that is smaller, (a bit over 2 sq feet?) you could probably find one that would look nice in there, and you can just leave the nice arch as is... it won't heat the whole house but will certainly make a nice dent in the closest rooms! https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/50201/

 

[wood-fan-atic]

I think with your dimentions, you could fit a Blaze King Princess in there, and do a pretty darned good job of SUPPLEMENTING your current heating system. Jeez, heating 4k sq. ft. and then adding a BK princess - you would see your heating bill drop dramatically.

Of course, it is also not that difficult to add to your current hearth, and put in a large freestanding stove with a rear exit (or top exit and make new opening for flue pipe higher)

 

[Benchwrench]

You guys,
I don't know what I was thinking about only considering a rear venting stove. It's a TOP venting stove that I should be looking for. A stove that would sit in the fireplace to some degree and have at least half or two thirds onto the hearth.

The only thing that seems to be a problem is the overall height of the new appliance because I have an arched FP.
If there is any way that I can find a stove with reeeeeal short legs or a very short pedestal? as I may have no other choice but to go with an insert in which the arch would forever be lost behind the trim.
However, I have faith in all the collective expertise from you guys here on hearth.com and I want to say thank you guys for such a "warm" welcome.

Below are dimensions that would work but since it's an arch, the taller the stove, the more narrow, the shorter the stove the wider it can be.
Here are a few examples;

24 1/2" tall x 18" wide
23 1/2" tall x 23" wide
22 1/2" tall x 27 1/4" wide
21" tall x 31 1/2" wide
19 1/2" tall x 34 3/4" wide

as far as Depth= the deeper the better, as I'm sure any depth would work.

Does anyone have an idea towards a fitment?
I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Benchwrench]

also, has anyone ever had to cut a pedestal (or legs) down to nearly nothing and still have a code compliant appliance?

 

[begreen]

Sounds like a Buck 74 might just squeeze in there. It can be installed straight on the hearth without surround or pedestal.

 

[tickbitty]

You guys,
I don't know what I was thinking about only considering a rear venting stove. It's a TOP venting stove that I should be looking for. A stove that would sit in the fireplace to some degree and have at least half or two thirds onto the hearth.

The only thing that seems to be a problem is the overall height of the new appliance because I have an arched FP.
If there is any way that I can find a stove with reeeeeal short legs or a very short pedestal? as I may have no other choice but to go with an insert in which the arch would forever be lost behind the trim.
However, I have faith in all the collective expertise from you guys here on hearth.com and I want to say thank you guys for such a "warm" welcome.

Below are dimensions that would work but since it's an arch, the taller the stove, the more narrow, the shorter the stove the wider it can be.
Here are a few examples;

24 1/2" tall x 18" wide
23 1/2" tall x 23" wide
22 1/2" tall x 27 1/4" wide
21" tall x 31 1/2" wide
19 1/2" tall x 34 3/4" wide

as far as Depth= the deeper the better, as I'm sure any depth would work.

Does anyone have an idea towards a fitment?
I would greatly appreciate it.

Get an insert and leave the surround off, you will still be able to see your nice arch and it will just look like a real short stove. There are some examples shown in the link I posted above. A lot of them extend onto the hearth too so you get some extra radiant heat too. And, you can get a large capacity stove in there. These are a couple of hearth.com members/

 

[karl]

Why not knock the whole brick out. Slide the insert in and then replace the brick. It looks like there's plenty of room behind it

 

[Benchwrench]

Sounds like a Buck 74 might just squeeze in there. It can be installed straight on the hearth without surround or pedestal.

I had no idea that Buck lists and designed their stoves as either a freestanding stove or as an insert. I was always under the impression that if a unit was shown with legs, then legs would have to be installed, same as with a pedestal.
What a great idea.

I was looking at the Buck 74 this morning on their website, thank you very much for that tidbit of info.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Sounds like a Buck 74 might just squeeze in there. It can be installed straight on the hearth without surround or pedestal.

I had no idea that Buck lists and designed their stoves as either a freestanding stove or as an insert. I was always under the impression that if a unit was shown with legs, then legs would have to be installed, same as with a pedestal.
What a great idea.

I was looking at the Buck 74 this morning on their website, thank you very much for that tidbit of info.

The Model 91 is also a freestanding stove and an insert. Too early in the morning to figure out if that would fit in your fireplace dimensions...

 

[Benchwrench]

Get an insert and leave the surround off, you will still be able to see your nice arch and it will just look like a real short stove. There are some examples shown in the link I posted above. A lot of them extend onto the hearth too so you get some extra radiant heat too. And, you can get a large capacity stove in there...

I love those types of pictures utilizing a FP and installing a stove, I was checking out the gallery here on hearth.com to show my wife some of the ideas all you guys come up with. However, I never thought about the idea of leaving off the trim if I bought an insert.
The only insert (that I am aware of) that would fit is a QF 51i-acc.
(broken image removed)

this is one of those inserts with side windows and has a large 3.0 firebox.
However the one shown is last years 5100-ACT model.
I am always open to ideas and I like yours and of course I need to consider aesthetics, unaware of what an insert would look like without the trim.

 

[Benchwrench]

The Model 91 is also a freestanding stove and an insert. Too early in the morning to figure out if that would fit in your fireplace dimensions...

Yea, I know it's too early for this much brain power (which ain't much).
However, I just checked out model 91 and find it a beautiful and LARGE @ 4.4 cu.' wow. Why did they have to make it a cat?
I am so uneducated regarding cat stoves that I shy away from that which I don't know.
( back to the kitchen for a cup o' java...)

 

[HollowHill]

The new woodstove from Woodstock, Progress Hybrid, with the plinth base might fit the bill. Great introductory price. (www.woodstove.com). Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[BrowningBAR]

The new woodstove from Woodstock, Progress Hybrid, with the plinth base might fit the bill. Great introductory price. (www.woodstove.com). Good luck with whatever you choose.

Which won't fit in his fireplace.