Recommendations for a totally new hearth setup

[Ashful]

That's a ton of really good info! It seems like at this point its a matter of usage preference. In essence, do I want to keep a fire going consistently with low output and get a BK, or pump and glide with a smaller stove to use as mainly supplemental heat, for fun, and emergencies. The latter option definitely fits more to my style. A "nice fire view and a chill chaser" is exactly what I'm after.

The small stoves you guys mentioned would certainly fit the bill, but this thing is going to be the centerpiece of my house. It really has to be pretty, especially since at least 60% of the year it'll be sitting idle.

My father in law really likes the VC line of stoves and suggested I take a look, and as much as I hate to say it the Intrepid II would be a good compromise, at least on paper. Cat stove, longer burn times, low turn down ratio, relatively low clearances, and its gorgeous. Someone please talk me out of this.

First, good job at getting the concepts down pretty quick. Most folks need to buy a stove, and spend some time with it, to get where you already are.

Second, as your father-in-law has noted, VC was once a great company with excellent product. Unfortunately, that time may have been three decades and four owners ago. Do a little reading on VC on this forum and elsewhere, and it will almost certainly be enough to sway your opinion against VC. Very pretty stoves, but a horrendous reliability record, backed up by an even worse customer service record.

If you like the VC look, but want a better quality product in a small package, there's always the Pacific Energy Alderlea T4, Jotul F100 (or F3 CB), or several other "pretty" stoves from which you can choose.

 

[jaybz]

I've been reading here religiously, and it's certainly helped me dodge a few bad decisions already!

The Alderlea has the same min. rating (12,400 BTU) as other stoves with lower clearances. The F100 is definitely near the top of my list, and the F3CB is still too large.

It's obvious any stove is going to get the house too hot, I'm in the middle of a snowstorm and still happily running only a 12k/btu unit below 70% capacity at the moment.

This is the part where I start getting dumb ideas. Has anyone ever thought about having a blower run in reverse to distribute heat through ductwork? In my case I'd be bringing the heated air directly through the floor below it to heat some thermal mass (maybe a water tank, concrete slab, gravel) with the intention of it slowly releasing heat back into the space once the fire has died down. It would, in theory, keep the house warmer longer in addition to keep the fire from overheating the space while its burning. I know the concept is popular in the passive house community, I don't see a reason why it wouldn't work as intended here as well. Thoughts?

 

[Ashful]

I've been reading here religiously, and it's certainly helped me dodge a few bad decisions already!

The Alderlea has the same min. rating (12,400 BTU) as other stoves with lower clearances. The F100 is definitely near the top of my list, and the F3CB is still too large.

It's obvious any stove is going to get the house too hot, I'm in the middle of a snowstorm and still happily running only a 12k/btu unit below 70% capacity at the moment.

This is the part where I start getting dumb ideas. Has anyone ever thought about having a blower run in reverse to distribute heat through ductwork? In my case I'd be bringing the heated air directly through the floor below it to heat some thermal mass (maybe a water tank, concrete slab, gravel) with the intention of it slowly releasing heat back into the space once the fire has died down. It would, in theory, keep the house warmer longer in addition to keep the fire from overheating the space while its burning. I know the concept is popular in the passive house community, I don't see a reason why it wouldn't work as intended here as well. Thoughts?

Yes, many have done this. In general, it works pretty well when the ductwork and air handler are all located within the conditioned space. When the air handler or a large fraction of ductwork is located in unheated space, then the losses are often too high to make it work as a means of moving heat around the house, but in your case it may provide the losses you desire to prevent overheating the space containing the stove.

Don’t sell your house short, in terms of being a thermal capacitor. It’s amazing how many BTU’s it takes to heat a few tens of thousands of pounds of house by a few degrees. The “pump and glide” technique will likely work out fine for you. You can run a stove way above the ~8.4 kBTU level at which your central heating is currently operating, if done in 6-hour stints with breaks between.

 

[jaybz]

It bothers me to no end when I see air handlers and duct installed in unconditioned space when there's a better option just feet away. But that's a rant for another day. But yes, I totally agree.

That's an excellent point. I should really see exactly how good of a thermal capacitor my house is before I get crazy with solutions. I'll try that method for a heating season and see what happens.

Thanks for the help! I hope to return back in a year with an update.

 

[Ashful]

Feel free to stick around. We get to see begreen’s grilling in the summer, and photos of smokinj’s lawn.

 

[jaybz]

Will do! And plus, I've got to follow this up with a build thread. I got the stone veneer for the wall ordered, so we're in motion. Now it's just deciding between the alderlea t4 or the hearthstone craftsbury. Both good stoves from local dealers, so it's a tough choice for me. Im leaning towards to the t4 actually. I do appreciate being talked out of a big stove, the reduction in hearth size is going to fit the room much better.

 

[jaybz]

Just wanted to follow up, I did decide to go with the T4. Just finished the hearth pad a week ago, just in time to fire it for the first time today. Looking forward to a nice toasty house in a few hours!

 

[begreen]

Sweet. I think you will be glad you went with a stove that has a bit larger firebox. It looks nice there.

 

[Ashful]

Noice!