new Vapor Fire 100 with very poor heat
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The 5200 always was a big 8” flue cat stove. Previously named the 5100. 8” flue is outdated and almost obsolete. From experience you must see the potential mistake you’d be making by installing an oversized chimney. Stick to 6” chimney and stoves. If you must use 8”, I would recommend a bk king.
The 3500 never had a cat. It’s a bandaid for 2020 emissions and I would not want such a new model stove.
You are looking at buying a stove at the worst possible time. The new 2020 rated stoves are very often new and experimental. I would recommend one of the pre2020 stoves really soon before the deadline or a stove that has not been reinvented to pass the 2020 ratings.
PE stoves are strong contenders for a regular noncat stove. BK or Woodstock for cat stoves are mostly unchanged.
The 3500 never had a cat. It’s a bandaid for 2020 emissions and I would not want such a new model stove.
You are looking at buying a stove at the worst possible time. The new 2020 rated stoves are very often new and experimental. I would recommend one of the pre2020 stoves really soon before the deadline or a stove that has not been reinvented to pass the 2020 ratings.
PE stoves are strong contenders for a regular noncat stove. BK or Woodstock for cat stoves are mostly unchanged.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
I added about one pack of r30 to mainly the hallway area. I also replaced the door seal around the basement door. The top piece wasnt even there. I have 4 small windows in the basement that are only single plane. I might put insulation over all of them. My plenum temp tonight is 92 fan speed high with the computer on med at c. Its 32 outside and 71 inside. Thursday is forecast to be 10 so it might be a rough day to say the least. I would turn the stove up to high but it doesn't really change the temp upstairs and it just burns up my wood faster.
SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
https://www.regency-fire.com/en/Products/Wood/Wood-Stoves/F3500
5500 for that stove installed in my living room not sure if im going to do it or not at this point
that would mean I would have 11k worth of wood stoves in the house. Prob still be cold.
We have two wood stoves on the same floor, in the same room almost. The house has an open first floor with about 600 sqft and maybe 500 sqft upstairs. Stove number one is a small Morso wood stove that can heat the whole house. Number two is a cookstove with a DHW coil that puts out maybe 10K BTU max into the house (it would take far too much wood to use it as primary heat!). I would not want to deal with running two stoves to heat the house full time, but a few folks on here do it. We have at least $12k (closer to $15k actual) invested into both stoves, one class A exterior chimney, and a liner for the interior 8" masonry chimney (waiting to be installed), the plumbing, and an on demand electric water heater. If I were in your shoes insulation would be my primary concern. If you still can't heat the house after a thorough job insulating the house I would put in a cookstove, but that's not for everyone.
Last winter was our first winter in the house and with the Morso. The insulation was disgusting R19 fiberglass full of water, mouse tunnels, and feces. On nights I was too lazy to get up the electric baseboard heaters kicked in. We recently had an overnight low in the teens and the house was nice and toasty all night with just the Morso loaded up with Birch. We have gotten about 3/4 of the first floor reinsulated with R23 Rockwool. The R19 upstairs doesn't seem to be in as rough shape, but it is noticeably inferior to the rockwool. I would find it hard to believe you would be unable to heat your house with the VF100 if you properly update the insulation.
I bought a little old stove about 2 years ago that I never installed its over my parents house. I might use that, I'm working on getting the model number. I don't remember what it was.
Thats funny you say that my whole addition is R19 and its hard to heat. Problem is I dont know how to fix it without gutting the rooms.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
You might try letting the blower go back to low again at some point...sounds like you have already made a bunch of improvements to the house, and I personally haven't heard of anyone having to leave the blower on high full time...at some point you will have tightened things up enough to let the VF work "normally"...
it went to low for a little while today but it has to be pretty warm outside. Its rare for it to be on low. I ran the fan on high on the Clayton too.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
Hey guys I got around to getting the name of that little stove I bought and never used. It's a Avalon 996 older but in really good shape if you ask me. It's not very big but maybe between the vf100 and the Avalon it won't matter? Eitherway it's here and not being used. It would save me the cost of another burner.
JRHAWK9
Minister of Fire
Here's some threads on this site about that stove. Like was mentioned earlier, if doing a new chimney, I'd do a 6" and hope that stove functions OK with it. This allows for you to add a more modern stove down the road.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
That's a 1.7 CF stove, so not huge, but I bet you will be surprised how much it will help put you over the hump with your heat demand.
Install a 6" chimney, use a doublewall telescoping stove pipe to connect, that way if you do decide to upgrade at some point, pop the pipe off and it will easily reconnect to the new stove, no matter the height (assuming you go straight up through the ceiling with the chimney) should take no time flat to switch out the stove then.
SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
I think after you price out the Class A and accessories the insulation and related tasks will seem like a better idea.
Im stilling waiting for them to come look at the house. They are suppose to come tomorrow but I doubt it due to a ice storm that's is starting tonight. It may take me a long time to get the house up to par for the VF100. Im looking to band aid it untill that happens so we dont have to spend the whole winter cold. I always wanted a fire in the living room anyway thats why I bought the stove to start with. It just never got installed cause it was always warm anyway with the clayton and I was spending money on other things for the house.
JRHAWK9
Minister of Fire
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
Unless I miss my guess... @JRHAWK9 is trying to look up a HDD (heat degree day) chart for your local area...
Binghamton ny
Idk what that isUnless I miss my guess... @JRHAWK9 is trying to look up a HDD (heat degree day) chart for your local area...
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