Morso Squirrel and Heat Shield?

[un.conventional]

Trying to decide on a good wood stove for a small shed conversion (240sq ft). It's 10x24 with 6.5ft walls, 10 ft roof pitch, R-15 insulation, and humongous windows (8x5ft and 5ft x 5ft plus some smaller ones.)

We live in far upstate NY (similar climate to Southern Vermont). Want to be able to get it quite toasty (72F) even in the depths of winter.

So we were thinking of splurging on the 1410B even though a Cubic Grizzly/Capybara would technically cover it.

Worried about the clearances though. Looked through the manual and didn't see any info about reducing clearance with a heat shield? With such a small space that feels important.

Welcome any feedback as a wood stove newbie re: reducing clearances and also suitability for the space (hope it's not overkill.) Thanks!

 

[begreen]

I think you need to go larger, especially if the hope is to take it from below freezing to 72 in a day. Look at the Drolet Spark or Deco Nano for a bit more heat and better clearances.

 

[un.conventional]

Oh wow OK! We were using the BTU calculator on TinyWoodStoves.com (https://www.tinywoodstove.com/btu/) but maybe that's not very accurate?

Thanks for the feedback. I like the Drolet Spark but takes up a lot more space...

 

[begreen]

It takes a lot of extra BTUs to raise the temperature and the mass of a building interior up 40º in a short period of time. This is quite different from maintaining the interior temp ±5º. Once the temperature is at a steady 70º just reload with a few splits and the stove will run like a smaller stove.

 

[stoveliker]

Question is whether this is a weekend cabin as I think Begreen inferred, or a tiny home for more permanent arrangements (as was my impression from the first post).

 

[un.conventional]

Question is whether this is a weekend cabin as I think Begreen inferred, or a tiny home for more permanent arrangements (as was my impression from the first post).

We're going to be living in it full-time this winter. In the future we're not sure if it's going to be rented to a tenant or used for short stays and retreats (2-7 days). Hadn't thought about the implications of those two different uses in terms of bringing the house up to temp, thanks for that.

 

[begreen]

Question is whether this is a weekend cabin as I think Begreen inferred, or a tiny home for more permanent arrangements (as was my impression from the first post).

Yes, many details are missing, including the insulation and glazing in this space and whether it will be used 24/7 as a living space or occasionally. Also missing is whether it will have supplemental heat like an electric space heater. Will there be plumbing in the space?

If it's a 24/7 space then the new Jotul F602v3 could be a nice fit with its low BTU output over an extended time.

 

[begreen]

Rereading the thread, the details are there. It will be a bit hard to heat due to the glazing. Heat loss through large windows is significant. They are often in the R2 range for insulation value. Good sealing cellular blinds or insulating curtains could help.

The Jotul sounds like a better fit, except for...

In the future we're not sure if it's going to be rented to a tenant or used for short stays and retreats (2-7 days).

I would be hesitant to have a guest running a wood stove. It can be a recipe for problems.

 

[kborndale]

We're going to be living in it full-time this winter. In the future we're not sure if it's going to be rented to a tenant or used for short stays and retreats (2-7 days). Hadn't thought about the implications of those two different uses in terms of bringing the house up to temp, thanks for that.

I would never put a wood stove in a short term rental (or a long term unless I knew that the tenant knew how to run one) as there is just too much that could go wrong. Do you have your wood yet? Get that first so it can dry.

 

[un.conventional]

Yes we have our wood already as we have a wood stove in our house (which is being remediated for mold this winter.)

Windows are double glazed but yes, imagine tons of heat loss.

Now thinking about how to have a second source of heat so that we can help the wood stove to warm up and also have an option for potential short stays to use (doesn't have to be deep winter adequate on its own as I imagine we won't have many winter rentals and can always top up with an electric space heater.)

 

[stoveliker]

If you have electric, a single cold weather minisplit might work well. Not a regular one but one of those that can work well in 0 F.

I know hyper heat by Mitsubishi can do that, but there are more.

Mini Split Challenges in Frigid Cold Weather - Keeping Your Mini Split Working Through the Winter

Keep your mini split working through the winter. The experts at eComfort.com tell you how extremely cold winter weather affects the efficiency and performance of mini split systems, and the importance of drain pan heaters and wind baffles.

www.ecomfort.com

 

[begreen]

Yes, a mini-split would be a good choice and will offer cooling in the summer.
The advantage of the small Morso will be simplicity and relative ease of use. The down side will be short burntimes and the short pieces of firewood required to run it. Vent it straight up with at least 12' of flue.

 

[un.conventional]

OK looks like we're getting at 12,000 BTU Pioneer Mini Split and then the Morso Squirrel. We have a neighbor we get our wood from who can do the shorter cuts. Think we're on the right track?

Oh and 12' of flue - good to know - why?

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

OK looks like we're getting at 12,000 BTU Pioneer Mini Split and then the Morso Squirrel. We have a neighbor we get our wood from who can do the shorter cuts. Think we're on the right track?

Oh and 12' of flue - good to know - why?

Having enough length of flue ensures there is enough draft to run the stove effectively

 

[un.conventional]

OK we're doing the mini split so we have for short rental guests and also to help get the place up to temp when it's not been heated for a while.

Now my question is once again - is it possible to reduce the clearances in the manual with a heat shield? I don't see anything written about that but it's usually possible right?

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

OK we're doing the mini split so we have for short rental guests and also to help get the place up to temp when it's not been heated for a while.

Now my question is once again - is it possible to reduce the clearances in the manual with a heat shield? I don't see anything written about that but it's usually possible right?

I would double check with more so but yes usually a proper heat shield with air gap can reduce clearances by somewhere around 50% but never anything less than 12 in