Last summer we bought a old (1896/1921) farm house. It has an existing Monarch Add-A-Furnace. For those of you that are unfamiliar it is a wood burner that ties into a forced air furnace and uses the ducts to distribute heat through the house. Well, this one isn't connected to any duct work as the house has a boiler and radiators. There is just a large grate in the floor of one of the rooms. The Monarch has seen better days and is starting to really show it's age, from a wear and efficiency standpoint.
So, I need some help selecting a replacement.
The house - like I said, east part of the house was built in 1896 - west part 1921. The main part of the house is about 1900 sq feet and two stories with a basement. The stove is in the basement of the west side addition. The west side doesn't have radiators. I guess they just relied on the kitchen stove?
Since this is an old house the plan is not very open and there isn't much insulation in the house, yet.
Heating would primarily be for the first floor as we like the bedrooms cooler.
I think the stove would need to stay in the basement (unfinished) because of wood storage and flue connection.
I want something that I can use as a primary heating source.
Do I need something with a fan? Or would radiant action be just as effective?
As a side note, I am planning on installing a thermal solar collector for domestic hot water later in the Spring. If that can generate enough heat I was planning on tying it to the boiler system - so I might be interested in a water jacket stove so I can distribute heat to the east side of the house.
Thanks!
So, I need some help selecting a replacement.
The house - like I said, east part of the house was built in 1896 - west part 1921. The main part of the house is about 1900 sq feet and two stories with a basement. The stove is in the basement of the west side addition. The west side doesn't have radiators. I guess they just relied on the kitchen stove?
Since this is an old house the plan is not very open and there isn't much insulation in the house, yet.
Heating would primarily be for the first floor as we like the bedrooms cooler.
I think the stove would need to stay in the basement (unfinished) because of wood storage and flue connection.
I want something that I can use as a primary heating source.
Do I need something with a fan? Or would radiant action be just as effective?
As a side note, I am planning on installing a thermal solar collector for domestic hot water later in the Spring. If that can generate enough heat I was planning on tying it to the boiler system - so I might be interested in a water jacket stove so I can distribute heat to the east side of the house.
Thanks!