- Jun 15, 2009
- 55
Hi Everyone
I’ve hit a wall with my next decision to move our winter heating needs away from forced air electric to wood. As I did with project #1 – replacement of our superior BR36 with a Lennox Ladera (aka BIS Nova) – I’m back to get some valuable insight from all of you. This site has been great and I really appreciate all the comments and feedback from the pro’s and DIYers and have even begun offering advice back to some of the newcomers – it's like a renewable resource that just keeps giving. In advance, sorry for the verbose posting!
A little background … we have a large space to heat and a bit of an awkward layout. The building is over 3k sq/ft with most of the living space on a main level and a ½ story upstairs with 3 bedrooms and a loft open to the main level. The “great room†had a superior BR36 in it which I replaced at the tail end of last winter with a Ladera. The season pretty much came to an end as it was being finished so I haven’t had a good chance to see how well it will perform but I know it will be limited. Have had a couple of burn in fires and it's already 10X better than the old superior that's for sure. It certainly wasn’t my first choice but rather out of necessity given the clearance restrictions I was faced with and our current chase being set up against a load bearing wall. For the price and the other variables I’d like to think it was a good choice for replacing the smoky BR36 which I loathed each time I fed it. (even tried to make a grate heater for it!) Anyway the install is just about done with just the remaining facing to be completed up to the cathedral ceiling and a trim piece over the louvre which I plan to do over the labour day weekend. Here are some before an after shots – sorry for the B&W – kids got the camera into B&W mode and I couldn’t figure it out.
Given the limitations of the Ladera I was also looking at getting a freestanding stove to go in the adjoining room. There was much debate between DW and I on simply getting the BR-36 out of there and placing a stove in it’s place but we (DW) wanted to retain that fireplace look and feel. We won’t be able to heat the building with the Ladera and I’ve always wanted a stove so the question is size and placement which brings me to project #2. Placing in the basement is a bit of a non-starter for me as I don’t particularly like the thought of doing the stairs to get a load in not to mention negative pressure implications (possibilities) and the price of venting (a 35 foot run or more perhaps?) We don’t spend much time down there anyway as it’s not finished (another project on the list) and our kids are still small. Longer term I think a pellet stove might work there if we decide to heat that lower room and use it as family. Not heating that lower room however creates an issue for the master bedroom and the media / sun room because these rooms are always cold. My thought is to put a stove in the far corner where the DVD library holder currently sits (see pic - the thing with the candles on it) but I’m afraid of getting burned out of the room with a larger stove such as a Napoleon 1900 or anything with a ~3 cu/ft firebox. The roof pitch is 4:12 I believe so it would be sitting above the lowest point of the roof - slightly lower that where the Ladera venting exits the roof - nut no where near the highest point of the cathedral ceiling. There is a large cold air return on the floor in that room, in the opposite corner (see link) and I’ve also just installed a LUX clean air thermostat which allows me to cycle just the furnace blower every x minutes (handy) - the default is 9 minutes but you can change it.
I was leaning more to something with a ~2.5 cu/ft firebox like the 1400 or 1450 or the newer regency CS2400 (to match the modern looking Ladera) but wanted to get some opinions. Here is a virtual tour of the place before it got furnished (broken link removed to http://www.virtualproperties.ca/r6032/) The lower level is about 35 X 14 while the room above has about 1/3 of it set as a covered porch – now screened in but not heated. I have about 4 cords of mostly sugar maple and birch ready to go and about 1 face cord worth of oak that’s been sitting around for 15-years …. It’s good and ready with no rot. We’ll only be burning 3 or 4 days a week around the clock (weekends) so I think I’m good for wood.
I’m I going down the right track here with placement and size ?
Would something larger be better?
Any other thoughts or suggestions ?
My wife is pretty much set on the CS2400 but I haven’t been able to validate it’s performance as it’s still pretty new. Have exchanged some postings here with CS1200 owners who really like it but it’s a lot smaller at 1.7 cu/ft think vs the 2.3 cu/ft of the CS2400. She won the aesthetic battle with the fireplace so before we decide on anything I plan to dig my heels in on performance first. I would like to be able to reduce the electric furnace usage to almost zero when we are there on weekends and holidays but also want to albe to sit in the room.
Comments/suggestions ???
I’ve hit a wall with my next decision to move our winter heating needs away from forced air electric to wood. As I did with project #1 – replacement of our superior BR36 with a Lennox Ladera (aka BIS Nova) – I’m back to get some valuable insight from all of you. This site has been great and I really appreciate all the comments and feedback from the pro’s and DIYers and have even begun offering advice back to some of the newcomers – it's like a renewable resource that just keeps giving. In advance, sorry for the verbose posting!
A little background … we have a large space to heat and a bit of an awkward layout. The building is over 3k sq/ft with most of the living space on a main level and a ½ story upstairs with 3 bedrooms and a loft open to the main level. The “great room†had a superior BR36 in it which I replaced at the tail end of last winter with a Ladera. The season pretty much came to an end as it was being finished so I haven’t had a good chance to see how well it will perform but I know it will be limited. Have had a couple of burn in fires and it's already 10X better than the old superior that's for sure. It certainly wasn’t my first choice but rather out of necessity given the clearance restrictions I was faced with and our current chase being set up against a load bearing wall. For the price and the other variables I’d like to think it was a good choice for replacing the smoky BR36 which I loathed each time I fed it. (even tried to make a grate heater for it!) Anyway the install is just about done with just the remaining facing to be completed up to the cathedral ceiling and a trim piece over the louvre which I plan to do over the labour day weekend. Here are some before an after shots – sorry for the B&W – kids got the camera into B&W mode and I couldn’t figure it out.
Given the limitations of the Ladera I was also looking at getting a freestanding stove to go in the adjoining room. There was much debate between DW and I on simply getting the BR-36 out of there and placing a stove in it’s place but we (DW) wanted to retain that fireplace look and feel. We won’t be able to heat the building with the Ladera and I’ve always wanted a stove so the question is size and placement which brings me to project #2. Placing in the basement is a bit of a non-starter for me as I don’t particularly like the thought of doing the stairs to get a load in not to mention negative pressure implications (possibilities) and the price of venting (a 35 foot run or more perhaps?) We don’t spend much time down there anyway as it’s not finished (another project on the list) and our kids are still small. Longer term I think a pellet stove might work there if we decide to heat that lower room and use it as family. Not heating that lower room however creates an issue for the master bedroom and the media / sun room because these rooms are always cold. My thought is to put a stove in the far corner where the DVD library holder currently sits (see pic - the thing with the candles on it) but I’m afraid of getting burned out of the room with a larger stove such as a Napoleon 1900 or anything with a ~3 cu/ft firebox. The roof pitch is 4:12 I believe so it would be sitting above the lowest point of the roof - slightly lower that where the Ladera venting exits the roof - nut no where near the highest point of the cathedral ceiling. There is a large cold air return on the floor in that room, in the opposite corner (see link) and I’ve also just installed a LUX clean air thermostat which allows me to cycle just the furnace blower every x minutes (handy) - the default is 9 minutes but you can change it.
I was leaning more to something with a ~2.5 cu/ft firebox like the 1400 or 1450 or the newer regency CS2400 (to match the modern looking Ladera) but wanted to get some opinions. Here is a virtual tour of the place before it got furnished (broken link removed to http://www.virtualproperties.ca/r6032/) The lower level is about 35 X 14 while the room above has about 1/3 of it set as a covered porch – now screened in but not heated. I have about 4 cords of mostly sugar maple and birch ready to go and about 1 face cord worth of oak that’s been sitting around for 15-years …. It’s good and ready with no rot. We’ll only be burning 3 or 4 days a week around the clock (weekends) so I think I’m good for wood.
I’m I going down the right track here with placement and size ?
Would something larger be better?
Any other thoughts or suggestions ?
My wife is pretty much set on the CS2400 but I haven’t been able to validate it’s performance as it’s still pretty new. Have exchanged some postings here with CS1200 owners who really like it but it’s a lot smaller at 1.7 cu/ft think vs the 2.3 cu/ft of the CS2400. She won the aesthetic battle with the fireplace so before we decide on anything I plan to dig my heels in on performance first. I would like to be able to reduce the electric furnace usage to almost zero when we are there on weekends and holidays but also want to albe to sit in the room.
Comments/suggestions ???
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