Just about ready to buy one of the Jotuls

[cbbaldwin]

Rank newbie here. Never owned a stove and am having to learn all about wood and that too. I have a 300-sf garage office (one insulated stud wall and two concrete block (filled with concrete) walls and an insulated garage door) that I'm wanting to heat with a wood stove. It's not an office yet but I'm making it into one. I'll be working in there from about 8 to 5 and sometimes pulling some late nights. Here's my question. I've found a Jotul dealer I like and he's given me a good price on either the 602 or the F100. About $100 difference. I've read as many posts as I could find where people weighed the differences and which one works best. My planned location for the stove is in the back corner, which has a concrete floor and concrete block walls. I like the 602's style and for some reason think I might occasionally use the cooktop on the 602--but really I can't think what for at the moment. The F100 is handsome too but lacks the old world look of the 602 that I like (I feel bad bugging y'all with this question--but from the posts I've read you all kind of enjoy it). Which one should I get? The bigger glass and slightly longer burn times have some appeal in the F100, but it might be too much in the office, too.

By the way, thank you all for a great site. I know so much more now than I did two weeks ago.

 

[begreen]

Both are small stoves. Will they be the exclusive heat in the office or will there be some supplemental heat overnight so that you are not starting off in a 50F space? If so I would lean toward the F602CB, it takes a longer stick of wood. But I would suggest having backup electric heat, insulating the block walls and especially the floor. Feet get cold on concrete even though the air may be warm.

 

[cbbaldwin]

I will be installing some type of heat pump or something that could provide overnight supplemental heat. And after reading more of the forum, I've decided I'm not quite prepared for getting a wood stove. I'm going to spend this winter and summer getting the wood thing going--someone somewhere on the forum said getting a wood stove without having your wood ready is a recipe for frustration and that makes a lot of sense. That also lets me keep reading about chimneys and other things that I need to be educated on. Thank you very much!

 

[begreen]

Sounds good. Take your time and consider the options. Maybe you'll want a larger stove in order to heat the whole house and let the office get some extra warmth as a side benefit?

 

[cbbaldwin]

It's a standalone 3-car garage and the office is the third bay enclosed with a wall and door. I suppose I could put a larger stove in the garage part and leave the door open to the office but I was also trying to create a nice atmosphere for the office--complete with the glow of a wood fire.

 

[begreen]

Check with local regs. Stoves in garages are not allowed in some jurisdictions.

 

[jotul8e2]

Check with local regs. Stoves in garages are not allowed in some jurisdictions.

Or if they do the insurance companies will not. I doubt very seriously if any insurance company permits wood burning stoves in the garage.

Your payback on a wood burning stove and ductwork will be inordinately long. I occasionally do some work out in my more-than-twice-as-big garage, and heat it as necessary with an electric oil filled radiator. I use the low, 600 watt setting and the only difficulty is finding a setting on the thermostat that is low enough. In actual dollars you might spend an average of 40 cents a day during the heating season, but probably less. Much less if you turn it back at night.

And then there is the simple matter of keeping the stove at an appropriate setting. Small stoves = short burn times. Small spaces = wide swings in temperatures.