Recommendations on a stove

[brewer69]

Stove will be located in a finished basement approx 1500 sq ft in basement and 1500 sq ft first floor, stove will be located next to an open stair way to first floor and we have a large ceiling fan to help move the air. House is approx 3 years old, super air tight as required by blower door test and insulated with combination closed cell foam and fiberglass insulation, primary heat source is a geo thermal system.Chimney is a 6 inch class A , SS straight up thru the roof no elbows, length from top of stove to cap will be approx 28ft. We have unlimited supply of red oak and ash(thanks to the ash boring beetle)which decimated the ash trees on our farm. Looking for a stove with a large fire box that would hopefully meet the requirements for the Fed biomass tax credit , open steel or cast iron, we heated our previous home with coal and wood so am very familiar with burning wood, just not up to date on the modern wood stoves. Thanks for any info or recommendations you all can provide

 

[stoveliker]

Get wood drying now. Modern stoves will not run well when BTUs are used to boil off water and push it up the flue.
Ash will be reasonable in one year when splitting not too large.
Oak will take at least 2 years.

At 28 ft straight up, plan on including a key damper to tame draft.

What style do you like?

About air movement, think about returning air. Warm air moved up but you'll need cold air to go down. If that happens at the same stairs, it'll mix and result in less heat going up.
I have done this

Post in thread 'Moving heat from basement'

May 1, 2023

I heat from the basement, and if I include my basement squre footage, I have 2500 sqft.
825 in the basement and 1700 above that. Late 70s. Brand new triple pane windows, fantastic sealing and insulation (R57) in the attic. Mediocre wall insulation.

My basement walls are insulated, but the floor is unfortunately not.

Heating my home above the basement is easy. Only when it gets to be 5 F do I have to push the stove (as in 8 hr reloads), still keeping my main floor around 70 F.

However, I second the comment above that heating from a basement benefits from consistency, i.e. you heat...

• stoveliker

• 

Finally, you likely need an outside air connection. Is your basement stove ground? OAKs should remain horizontal or slope down so draft reversal doesn't make them into a chimney.
If you can't add an oak reaching air at the level of the connection to the stove, you may be in trouble.

 

[EbS-P]

Is it water or forced air from the geothermal?

How many zones

 

[brewer69]

we have a make up air system, so I think that should be sufficient, if not it is a walk out basement we can just crack open a window

 

[brewer69]

Geo is a Water Furnace with 2 -220 ft geo wells, works great, 2 zones

 

[EbS-P]

Some thoughts. I like having my primary stove where I spend the most time.

30 series blaze king. Not cheap but ideal for constant low heat output.

 

[stoveliker]

If it's not a walk out basement, I wouldn't put a stove in there. Walking down the stairs with firewood will get old. And things will get messy. Saw(bug) dust, bark, splinters, etc.

I actually like having all that contained in my (walk out) basement rather than on my main living floor.

 

[brewer69]

It is a walk out basement, with a large concrete slab at the exit door, slab is under a sunroom so stays dry great place to stack a cord or so of wood at a time

 

[brewer69]

Thinking a Blaze King Princess or Sirocco 30 (not sure what the difference is in these 2,) Hearthstone Manchester, Lopi Liberty or a Kuma Ashwood, any thoughts or recommendations , pricing on these close enough to not be a factor and I believe these all meet the criteria for the Bio mass tax credit. Thanks for any info

 

[stoveliker]

Others can speak about the other stoves.

The BK will be nice; the thermostat allows confidence in that the stove won't change its burn (running away or otherwise) when you're upstairs.
I have a BK 30.2 model in my basement and I can tell you that I will not go back to a stove without thermostat.

Straight double wall internal flue is ideal for a stove with low exhaust temps.

You will need a key damper. BK can't advise that but it will be needed.

 

[BKVP]

OP,

To answer your question...
Other than appearance, the most significant difference between the SC30.2 and the PE32, is the depth below bottom of door opening. The SC30.2 is about 3" and the PE32 is about 6". This translates to fewer ash removal intervals and less likely coal or ashes spilling onto the ash lip while loading or pushing around wood inside the firebox.

BKVP

 

[stoveliker]

@BKVP

What is the difference in height of the door opening between the 30.2 and the Princess models? (Given that the firebox volume is comparable, having a 3" deeper belly for the Princess may mean 3" lower opening height? - though I did not get the impression that is the case from pictures...?)

 

[BKVP]

You are correct, the difference is negligible. What is different is the entire dome assembly sits higher in the SC30.2.

That is why the FBV is so similar.

BKVP

 

[brewer69]

Thanks BKVP, I assume the Sirocco 30 and the Ashford 30 would have the same belly depth? Any new and exciting features on the 2026 Blaze Kings you can fill us in on Thanks again

 

[BKVP]

Thanks BKVP, I assume the Sirocco 30 and the Ashford 30 would have the same belly depth? Any new and exciting features on the 2026 Blaze Kings you can fill us in on Thanks again

No changes to current products. 2 new units for the Fall, if certification goes well.

BKVP

 

[brewer69]

No changes to current products. 2 new units for the Fall, if certification goes well.

BKVP

Thanks BKVP, either of the new units going to be hybrid?

 

[EbS-P]

either of the new units going to be hybrid?

A hybrid BK! That’s blasphemous

 

[BKVP]

 

[BKVP]

Thanks BKVP, either of the new units going to be hybrid?

No sir. You can go get a PEJ1001 from 1983 if you want a hybrid Blaze King.

BKVP

 

[brewer69]

Thanks again BKVP , think I am going to go with the Princess, 22ft of 6 inch SS class A with no elbows and 5 ft of 6 inch single stovepipe, would you recommend changing stove pipe to double wall, clearances are fine for the single wall, but want the most efficient setup for the stove, should I install any kind of damper to tame the strong draft, thanks again for all the help

 

[stoveliker]

Yes to double wall; you have a tall flue, and gases cool down on the way up. You may end up with exhaust that's too cool near the top (resulting in creosote deposits) - especially living in MD where it's not as cold as the far North, so you'll be running lower a lot of the time.
Double wall retains more of the heat you need to avoid that.

BKVP is not able to recommend a key damper. If you have 22+5 ft of flue then surely your draft is above the specs in the manual, and yes, you will need a key damper.

 

[stoveliker]

View attachment 337330

teepee fires in a BK?
That's an awfully non-BK way to load wood in a stove...

 

[EbS-P]

teepee fires in a BK?
That's an awfully non-BK way to load wood in a stove...

The person who lit that fire for that picture doesn’t heat with wood. And to get coal bed and no soot on the walls….. talent!