Need insert info (was Gotta decide TONIGHT!)

[SculptureOfSound]

Reading everything you wrote Ashful really helps solidify my feelings on this unit. I'm not even sure exactly how I'm going to burn, or want to burn, given the location of the fireplace. I'm thinking we could kind of zone heat the "communal space" with wood and let the gas pick up any difference needed in the bedrooms (thermostat is in bedroom hallway and there is a double door that can close the hall + bedrooms off from the kitchen and other communal space)... do I try to heat with wood entirely? I just don't know as I've never heated with wood before and I don't know how difficult comfortable heating throughout is going to be given the layout. So, that's another reason I think the Ashford is a plus - it will be able to adjust to however I decide to heat.

One question about the flames, I know cat stoves don't get the same kind of secondaries as tube stoves, but do you get these kind of dancing ghost flames like in the video, and if so, how long do they tend to last?

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[begreen]

Man, that fan sounds like a turbine. It must have been on high speed.

Looking at your layout I was thinking an inline fan in an insulated duct, pulling air from the bedrooms and blowing it into the stove room would help circulation.

 

[missedbass]

Cat vs. non-cat?

 

[Ashful]

... do I try to heat with wood entirely? I just don't know as I've never heated with wood before and I don't know how difficult comfortable heating throughout is going to be given the layout. So, that's another reason I think the Ashford is a plus - it will be able to adjust to however I decide to heat.

You got it. Turn the knob, it's a different stove. I started off trying to heat this joint entirely with wood, after reading of others here doing it, before realizing it just wasn't practical in a house like this. I changed, and adapted, and you will too. No biggie, that's half the fun of this, and I found a mode that works for me.

One question about the flames, I know cat stoves don't get the same kind of secondaries as tube stoves, but do you get these kind of dancing ghost flames like in the video, and if so, how long do they tend to last?

Yes, you can have flames not too different than that in an Ashford 30. Your dialed burn rate will dictate vigor vs. duration. I'll turn it up for good flame show for a few hours on a Friday or Saturday evening, and then dial it back down at bedtime, so I guess I don't really know how long it could be stretched in a given mode.

Cat vs. non-cat?

Oh no, you didn't!

 

[missedbass]

Couldn't help it!

 

[Corey]

I won't disagree with your conclusion, but your reasoning behind it is a little flawed. Yes, radiant intensity falls off with distance squared, but normal surface area upon which it is incident is increasing by the same distance squared. In the end, there is no net energy difference, only a heat flux (distribution density) difference. So, distance to incident objects is not a factor, when deciding the pros/cons of radiant heating.

The broken up space is the dominant factor, here. Much more important would be the quality of the objects upon which the radiant energy is directed. If un-insulated masonry (such as putting a radiant stove inside a large fireplace), you are going to have very poor performance. DAMHIKT.

I see your technical point - basically saying a stove at a given temperature would put the same amount of energy into a box, regardless of size of the box. Fine in the theoretical world, but trying to heat anything other than one single open space, and/or a space where human comfort is a requirement with radiant just doesn't work well.

Huddle around a campfire on a cool evening - and note how close you get to a relatively raging fire and how cold your backside gets. You get the radiant heat from the fire, but all the convective heat is going straight up into the sky. That is radiant heat in action - it helps, but pretty miserable overall.

When you start getting into convection heating, that is more the range of a central heating system...furnace with a blower. One small concentrated source of heat, distributed very evenly (if done right) to your entire house. Walk from room to room, turn your back on the furnace, sit beside it or far away - all pretty much the same, even temperature.

Sure, I love a big blast of radiant heat on a cold winter day... feels like a can of sunshine opened right in your living room. But that is the catch, radiant heat is mainly for heating people in close proximity to the stove. Convective heat is mainly for heating spaces near and far, around corners, out of sight, etc. You need (and will always have) some of both. But when the 'chilly when I get away from the stove' syndrome kicks in, you need to boost up the convective heat.

That is why, given virtually identical layout to the OP, I mentioned would likely want a big blower on the stove to circulate heat.

 

[Ashful]

I see your technical point...That is why, given virtually identical layout to the OP, I mentioned would likely want a big blower on the stove to circulate heat.

Yep, not disagreeing with your conclusion, convective heat provides an advantage, for this application. I was just correcting the reasoning behind it.

BTW, most think the hot campfire face, with cool backside, feels very nice. That "can of sunshine" you mention. Of course, it does less for those in the next room.

 

[SculptureOfSound]

So how much difference do you think the CFM value of the fan would make? For instance, a 120cfm fan vs a 180.

Obviously, I can use other fans to help move the air around, but I wonder if I'd end up getting less heat into the room/losing more heat to the masonry with a lower CFM fan when the fire is really blazing

 

[Ashful]

So how much difference do you think the CFM value of the fan would make? For instance, a 120cfm fan vs a 180.

Obviously, I can use other fans to help move the air around, but I wonder if I'd end up getting less heat into the room/losing more heat to the masonry with a lower CFM fan when the fire is really blazing

For daily heating, absolutely no difference, as most run their fans way below max speed, usually closer to minimum speed. They get mighty loud near max speed, whether that be 120 or 180 CFM, and you really don’t need much forced air to keep the heat distributed when running 24/7.

Now, if you’re coming home from vacation to a stone-cold house, it might make some difference in how long it takes to move that heat around, but how often is that an issue? We always parallel run stoves and furnace for an hour, in that situation, anyway.