BK Ashford 30 in unfinished basement

[NewToVT]

Thank you.

OP, bkvp is what his name suggests.
Seems an Ashford would work and your concern is not a problem if you adhere to the manual (as you should anyway).

They beauty is that you can run it a bit harder now but if you insulate you can run it at lower output.

The other concern about basement installs is negative pressure, where your home functions as a chimney (drafts warm air up) which can lead to smoke roll out (or CO).

Hard to say if this would be an issue. If the upstairs and the ceiling to the attic is well air sealed, it may not be an issue.

If something can burn my house down if I use it wrong, I’m going to follow the manual to the letter 😁

We just had a bunch of air sealing done in the attic, so hopefully the latter won’t be an issue.

I think we would consider insulation down the road, but we’d want to do it right and sheetrock over, and that’s not in the budget right now as that would not be a DIY for us.

We don’t like it very warm anyway, so if the stove can take the basement from its current 54 F to something closer to 70 F and provide a little warmth on the main level to offset some of the heating there, we’ll be happy.

 

[NewToVT]

I was wondering the same. Possibly just needs new gasketing/cementing? Or, warped panels inside from over firing?

Care to share some more pics OP?

The chimney sweep said it was a knockoff of a Vermont Castings. I can take some close up pics later and post.

 

[stoveliker]

It was an insulation contractor who suggested sprayfoam at the rim joists. If spray foam isn’t good, and fiberglass isn’t good, what should go there?

We just spent a bunch of money on air sealing in the attic (by a different insulation contractor), mainly because VT has a really good rebate on that, so we were going to wait a bit on any basement insulation, rim joist or otherwise, but good to know for the future.

It would only be a problem if the outside has a vapor barrier applied to the rim joist, such as foam board

 

[NewToVT]

Here are the close up pics of the old stove, for those who asked.

We’ve never used it, as per warnings from the chimney sweep.

 

[BKVP]

Is there a safety label anywhere on the stove? Would have mfg info, date of mfg, sometimes clearance drawings/specs, and agency that performed safety tests?

BKVP

 

[BKVP]

Is VT running a stove changeout in your area? I'd check because that might be a pre EPA and eligible if there is a program near you.

BKVP

 

[all night moe]

What's the chimney sweeps cause of alarm? Granted it's not a modern stove, but what's unsafe?
Interior pics? Are the panel joints good?

 

[stoveliker]

The whitishness suggests overfiring.

 

[begreen]

Here are the close up pics of the old stove, for those who asked.

We’ve never used it, as per warnings from the chimney sweep.

View attachment 334229View attachment 334228View attachment 334227View attachment 334226View attachment 334225View attachment 334224

It's a Taiwan clone of the Vigilant. They weren't known for the tightest stoves. Definitely see if there is a VT changeout program.

 

[NewToVT]

Is there a safety label anywhere on the stove? Would have mfg info, date of mfg, sometimes clearance drawings/specs, and agency that performed safety tests?

BKVP

I did not see anything on the stove, but seems like begreen has identified it.

 

[NewToVT]

Is VT running a stove changeout in your area? I'd check because that might be a pre EPA and eligible if there is a program near you.

BKVP

There’s currently a $400 credit for eligible stoves in VT, which the dealer takes off the price of the stove at purchase.

 

[NewToVT]

What's the chimney sweeps cause of alarm? Granted it's not a modern stove, but what's unsafe?
Interior pics? Are the panel joints good?

It was about a year ago at this point and he gave us a long explanation over the phone. I don’t really remember the details. We’ve never had a wood stove before so the details didn’t mean a lot to me a the time.

 

[BKVP]

There’s currently a $400 credit for eligible stoves in VT, which the dealer takes off the price of the stove at purchase.

Check with your accountant. The stove you have on order meets the requirements of the Federal Tax credit. Great if you can claim BOTH!

BKVP

 

[NewToVT]

Check with your accountant. The stove you have on order meets the requirements of the Federal Tax credit. Great if you can claim BOTH!

BKVP

Yes, that’s the plan!

 

[NewToVT]

Thanks everyone for your input, clarifications and advice! Very helpful.

I think we’ll go ahead with the order and look into fully insulating at a later date (not in the budget now).

We’ll see if we can get someone knowledgeable to look at the rim joist insulation to see if anything should be done with that now to avoid issues.

I’ll post pics once the new stove is installed and let you know how it goes.

 

[begreen]

Good plan. Note that the best results will be seen after insulating the basement. When budgeting, remember that until the insulation is done, about 1/3d of the heat produced will be going out the walls. In other words, one cord in three burned will be sacrificed to keep the worms in the earth outside warmer.

 

[Itslay90]

Good plan. Note that the best results will be seen after insulating the basement. When budgeting, remember that until the insulation is done, about 1/3d of the heat produced will be going out the walls. In other words, one cord in three burned will be sacrificed to keep the worms in the earth outside warmer.

I noticed a difference this year by insulating the walls, it really does save on wood !