Best woodstove to heat house from basement

[chevyheim]

That's correct I am currently using a dutchwest 2479. I'm burning 24/7. Last year I burned just shy of 6 cord of wood. I was amazed how much I burned. Can I expect to use less in any of the recommended stoves?

 

[Todd 2]

Did anyone catch that he has already heated with a Dutchwest 2479? All stove mentioned exceed this stove's btu output by a considerable margin.

+1
Hi Mike, Your set up sounds like a twin to mine, sq. ft. and all other than my basement is not insulated. with the insulated basement go with the 3 qb. ft stove that you like to look at and it should heat and give you the burn times you seek quite well from the sounds of what your current stove did. Dont let the soft heat from soap stone lead you to think it is not a warm heat, it is a type of heat that keeps on putting out even when the fire dies down.
I have a small secondary stove upstairs because when it really gets cold I use it. However with your basement being insulated you should have no problem with any of the bigger 3 qb. ft. stoves.
I will add that I had a Progress and I miss it, the 24-7 heat was more even, if you go steel the cast rapped stoves also give off a more even heat for 24-7 heating. For value the NC 30 is well liked and used stove and dont let the cheeper price of some stoves mislead you, there are some really good ones. Good Luck and throw some pics at us when complete !

Todd

 

[Backwoods Savage]

The basement is finished completely. The wall as are all insulated. The reason for burning wood is there is no gas available at my house. The house is heated with electric baseboard heaters.

I would like a stove that is nice to look at. It is more or less what you see when you enter the house where most people do. We do not sit in front of it often. The room down there with the stove is usually too hot to stay in long. Let me know what other info you might need to help with the install.Mike

Nimrod, that's what I was worried about with the soapstone stove. I was thinking in my head "soft heat" is that going to work for me? I am worried it won't make it upstairs. My uncle and grandparents both have hearthstone Mansfield stoves and love them, but they both have them on the main living room level where they watch tv.

Oldspark, I do have 8" chimney. I was interested in that stove just stickers shock on that unit.

I can't help but worry about the englander nc30. I usually don't buy things at big box stores so it makes me worried about the low price. Not that low price equals low quality, just makes one wonder.

Welcome to the forum chevyheim.

Mike, you've got some good answers above but I'll kick in a bit more. The first key I picked up on is that statement about how you want a stove that is nice to look at. I fully agree and wonder why folks sometimes are happy with just a black box. You home should look nice and for sure you can get some really great looking soapstone stoves, the Progress being one of the best. Hearthstone also has some great looking stoves but overall I feel the Woodstock stoves are much better built and their customer service is second to none. They also give you that nice six month guarantee.

You state that the room often gets too hot. This is another plus for the soapstone stoves. Yes, there is a difference in the feel of the heat. We thought that was baloney at first but it did not take long to find out it is true. This would allow you to use that room much more without being uncomfortable.

As for the worry about the englander, it seems that there are enough good reports about them that should ease your worries about them. Just beware that the heat will be much like you are already experiencing.

Overall, it is tough to heat a home from the basement unless it is a furnace. Some have had good luck with a small fan blowing cool air down the stairway. This will force the warmer air up.

I'd suggest you give Woodstock a call and explain your situation. There number is 800-866-4344. Web site is www.woodstove.com

Good luck.

 

[Charles1981]

I have a two story rancher. 1100 sq ft upstairs 1100sq ft downstairs. The Chimney is central and interior in the house and in the basement with 27 feet of lined masonry chimney. The stair case is also just about dead center in the house with the key being its an open metal spiral staircase with a ceiling fan above it. I have registers in the floor over the stove. With the ceiling fan blowing down the staircase into the stove room in the basement you can feel a serious up draft through the registers blowing serious heat upstairs.

The entire house stays around 75-80 degrees upstairs, the stove room is almost 87-90 degrees, and one of the outermost upstairs rooms easily stays around 73.

I think my heating abilities are more due to the layout of the central chimney, stove, and staircase with fans and registers, but it works wonders.

I know it would be very different if the stove was off in the corner of the house in the basement and the chimney was exterior and I wanted hot air to move all the way across the opposite side of the house and upstairs.

It is definitely possible, but it is also possible you may not end up with what you were expecting exactly either.

I'm also running a encore 2 in 1 (vermont castings) which most express frustration and would suggest avoiding and based on their stories i can't blame them, but air flow is the most important aspect in meeting your expectations.

 

[chevyheim]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I'm going to re-read everything to make sure I didn't miss anything.

Does anyone have the PH and burn 24/7? I'm just wondering the range of how many cord of wood anyone is burning that stove and others?

Thanks again guys

 

[toddnic]

I have a PH and will be burning 24/7 during the winter. I am currently burning in the evenings/nights to keep the house warm overnight and in the mornings for the family. Our layout is a 2400 sq. ft. ranch (all on one level). We have absolutely no problem heating the house. I will be using around 3 1/2 cords this winter to heat our home. What is nice about the soapstone is that it stays warm well after the fire has died down. There are some good resources online and on this site regarding the BTU's of wood versus other fuel sources. You can get a good estimate of how much wood you are going to burn just by calculating the BTU's of your other heat source. I would also recommend giving Woodstock a call. They can give you a lot more detail about the PH as well as additional recommendations. You can find them online at www.woodstove.com.

 

[chevyheim]

Thanks Todd, I am currently burning about 5.5 cord per year. My first year anyways. I was hoping it would be a lot less. If I burned 3.5 I'd be ecstatic.

 

[begreen]

When was the wood split and stacked? If the wood is well seasoned you could be burning less.

 

[chevyheim]

When was the wood split and stacked? If the wood is well seasoned you could be burning less.

The wood was all cut last year and most all split this spring. The stuff that wasn't split this spring I stocked first so it will sit longer before being burned.

 

[begreen]

If there is oak or hickory in the mix it might be better to set it aside for next season.

 

[chevyheim]

If there is oak or hickory in the mix it might be better to set it aside for next season.

There is about 25% oak in there. Mostly all maple.

 

[begreen]

The wisdom here is that oak needs a couple years to season well. Out here the same is true for madrona. Burn it in one year and it will be ok, but wait for 2 years and it is awesome. If you take a moisture meter and resplit some of the oak splits then test the freshly split face for moisture content it should read at 20% or less.

 

[chevyheim]

The wisdom here is that oak needs a couple years to season well. Out here the same is true for madrona. Burn it in one year and it will be ok, but wait for 2 years and it is awesome. If you take a moisture meter and resplit some of the oak splits then test the freshly split face for moisture content it should read at 20% or less.

Ok I think I may invest in a moisture meter then. Might be nice to have while being a newbie at this to make sure my wood is proper

 

[aansorge]

What size flue do you have? This blaze king requires an 8...(broken link removed to http://erie.craigslist.org/app/4083987669.html)

 

[chevyheim]

I do have 8" now

 

[aansorge]

The king waits....

 

[aansorge]

I'm currently seeing how long a burn I can get on my new to me King. I got a 24 hour burn yesterday with a light load, a 35 hour burn before that with a good solid load, and this time I packed her pretty tight and shooting for 40 hours + . This won't be happening in the dead of winter, more like 12 to 24, but this thing really sips the wood. Don't expect to see the fire much though at low output slow burns. All you see is black!

 

[BrowningBAR]

Did anyone catch that he has already heated with a Dutchwest 2479? All stove mentioned exceed this stove's btu output by a considerable margin.

The 2479 is a 2.8 cu ft stove. About the same size as the Princess or the Progress. The liberty isn't much larger at 3.1 cu ft.

 

[teutonicking]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I'm going to re-read everything to make sure I didn't miss anything.

Does anyone have the PH and burn 24/7? I'm just wondering the range of how many cord of wood anyone is burning that stove and others?

Thanks again guys

I burn a PH 24/7. I went through a lot of wood last year burning from early October through parts of May. I used about six cords. But I am also heating 3400 square feet. There are others on the forum who burn a PH 24/7 and use a lot less wood. I think in your situation you will likely be fine with 4 cords.

 

[rideau]

The Progress Hybrid is a beautiful stove. It heats my over 3000 square foot three floors in Southern Ontario, I cannot see you having any problem heating two insulated floors. If it is insulated, don't see any difference heating a basement and first floor, than a first and second floor. The PH will easily heat 2400 square feet in New Hampshire, Woodstock's conservative statement. You should be golden with a PH in PA. Can't see you using 4 cords,,,would expect less. Also, the PH has been tested by Woodstock with wet wood...high 30's%...and does just fine. Not recommended, but you can burn it if you need to. Look at their website at the PH blog for info on the wet burn, if you'd like.

 

[begreen]

The 2479 is a 2.8 cu ft stove. About the same size as the Princess or the Progress. The liberty isn't much larger at 3.1 cu ft.

Exactly. I'm not trying to discourage a King, but a Princess, Summit, Liberty etc. would all match or exceed the old Dutchwest's performance.

 

[firefighterjake]

You've already got some great advice here brother . . . so I just wanted to say welcome to the forum . . . and burn safe . . . because you know you will never hear the end of it if any brothers or sisters have to respond to your house for a chimney fire.

 

[assisi]

Hey guys,

I'm new to the forums. I bought a house in the country and it came with a dutchwest 2479 non cat stove in the basement. A Few of the cement pieces inside are cracked and I got prices to replace them and will now be getting a new stove based on those costs.

My home is a raised ranch 1100sq ft on the first floor (basement) and 1400 on the second (main living) levels. The woodstove is located at the far end on the home under the living room and kitchen. The main stairwell is located in the center of the home with the door open to let heat rise. There are holes cut in the floor to let the heat come up from the basement.

My question is what type and size stove would heat my home the best? The stove I have now does an ok job and I like being able to burn larger logs in the large box.

Currently I was thinking:

Woodstock progress hybrid
Hearthstone Mansfield

The big thing is I don't know if the gentle heat of the soap stone is best for my situation. looking for any input.

Thanks in advance. And what an awesome forum you have here!

Mike

 

[stovelark]

Hi Chevy, Living in a raised ranch myself, getting the heat upstairs is sometimes an issue. If you already have vents in the floor, that should help you out. I'm with BG, the soapstone stoves would be nice as well as the big BK's. I'm not sure you could go wrong with any stove mentioned, as long as your fuel is well seasoned. Any of these stoves will do you well. Good luck in the looking, that's the fun part.