My stove is too big

[lexybird]

one things for sure if the stove is too big it may put out too much heat and you may need to open windows and run fans to compensate ,but if its too small
on those january frigid nights you may find yourself shivering cold sleeping with your dogs and divorced ,i know which one id rather have
-bigger is better

 

[relax]

i vote go bigger, im up grading from a 55k heritage to a 80 k mansfield.. i need the btu;s my god its been - 20 -50 wind chill its cold...get the crown.......

 

[jadm]

Another vote to go bigger.

I didn't know about this web site when we bought our first insert. It was a great unit on days above 40* but on the cold days, it just couldn't keep up.

When we decided to go bigger I somehow found this web site and learned a lot before heading out to the different dealers in our area.

At this point I have no regrets on going too big. As others have said, on warmer days the fires I build are smaller but keep the room temp. in the mid 70s. On colder days it has no problem keeping the temps up with more frequent re loads. I also don't run into the whole coal build up thing that you read about here. Consumption of wood isn't as much as I was afraid it would be with such a big firebox since this unit holds the heat so much longer than our old one did.

 

[mike1234]

After I had decided on a wood furnace vs boiler this summer, and started to read the claims (75,000, 100,000, 125,000, 150,000 btus ....) I went with what seemed to be the biggest wood furnace I could find, thinking I could always use less wood in the box. So far it's only been down to 0 a couple of nights, but the house is 74 most of the time (it could be warmer, but I can't take anything more), vs the 68 I used to enforce on the propane furnace.
I have to heat 4800 sq ft, and it's not that well insulated, so anything else would of been a big mistake for me.
As a rookie doing this myself (my dad heated with wood 30 years ago in Denver, before the wood fireplace ban), I still think it's best to:
Go big.
Burn small if you need to.
Clean the chimney a lot.

 

[Highbeam]

Highbeam,
What is the inconvenience of 4 am and either the stove is just about out or you have some burn time left? I'd rather have some heat still in the stove. I picked mine one more than the recommended and can't say I'm unhappy with the decision. Rather have a bit more and not need than need and not have. Both for the heat and the cost of oil.

I think what he is saying, is hes happy with his choice, and he has to run it hard during the less extreme cold times he sees, but is still happy. And the only inconvenience he sees is the 4am loading once in a while, but its not a deal breaker for him I think.
Of course I could have read it wrong.

What is the inconvenience? Doing anything other than sleeping at 4am is an inconvenience. Waking up at 6 or 7 am and having to reheat the house from 65-75 because the fire went out at 4am is an inconvenience since during that heat up stage I (or the wife) will be loading every few hours. The good news is that this incovenience only happens during extreme weather a few weeks per year so as hog says, I am happy with my choice of the smallish heritage. Largely due to my local climate. Upsizing my stove larger than the manufacturer's sizing criteria would only mean less frequent filling during the extreme weather.

I'm in western washington, pretty mild. Most folks on this site, including the manufacturer of my stove are from locations that make my extreme weather pretty normal so for those folks, I would recommend moving up at least one size larger than the manufacturer's sizing information would indicate.

 

[JotulOwner]

Funny how of all the posts I've read in the last few weeks No one has mentioned that they went too big.

On the other hand, many many posts are of the "I need bigger" variety. What are some of your thoughts

on advertised vs. real world heating capacity?

That was a concern when I was shopping for my stove. At first I thought I would buy a bigger stove for a little more money. I am glad I sized it right because it is 25 degrees outside right now and 77 degrees in my stove room (which is about half of the first floor - 375sf). This thing heats the entire house (1500 sf - 2 floors) with a window in the stove room partially open much of the time. The stove has never seen more than 500 degrees F and operates between 400 and 450 degrees F most of the time when it is used. I don't burn 24/7.

Of course, manufacturers will often advertise their product's capabilities under optimal conditions. I think that Jotul was more than accurate in my case.

 

[firefighterjake]

I think I sized the stove and house pretty decently . . . I did go a bit bigger based on reading the various posts here before making a purchase. There have been times when I've thought I should have gone with the largest stove . . . but I think on these days (windy, 0 or negative temps) it is not so much the stove as it is in the weather and more importantly the stove owner -- namely being that quite a bit of my wood is not "premium" fuel -- quite a bit of punky stuff, softwood, etc. and if I'm not keeping the fire well stoked and running "hot" the temp in the house will not rise very quickly.

It also took awhile for me to realize that it takes quite a while for the heat to migrate throughout the house . . . typically 2-3 hours . . . even with fans. While the heat in the room with the stove is fantastic, one room over can be a bit cooler until the heated air has had a chance to fill the room and displace the cooler air. I think some folks (myself included) may not always give the stove a chance and expect it to perform the same as a central heating device, such as baseboard heat.