If the budget will support it, a BK stove would be a good idea here. No need to go up to the 8" flue with the King. A 6" flue Sirocco 30, Ashland 30, or Princess would do the job very well.
Well if it helps.
This summer I removed a PE Super 27 from the basement and replaced it with a BK Princess Ultra. I didn't think the 27 could heat my home. It did ok but 6-8hr burns. Just no viable. The wife had two children to feed never mind a wood stove.
Say it again: 8" flue and a BK King.
That BK will heat the house no better than the PE. Feed less often? Sure. More heat in the upper floor? I doubt it.
Its been mentioned a few times indirectly already but it bears repeating:
"Heat" does NOT rise. This is a common misconception. Hot air does rise (assuming it can displace falling cold air) but heat will radiate equally in all directions and naturally wants to flow from regions of higher heat to lower heat (cold) until equilibrium is achieved.
What this means is that the radiant heat from that stove on the lower level is going to be trying to heat not only the walls and ceiling but equally trying to warm the floor and the dirt underneath. Some heat will ocnvect through the ceiling to warm the floor of the upper level, but the primary way for warmth to get upstairs is the rising column of warm air going up that staircase (sounds like a split level/ raised ranch type of layout?).
You want to make sure that the slab is well insulated from the ground below and reallly work on developing good air circulation between the two levels. To make this work just with the warm air going up the staircase you somehow need to get the cold air down at the perimeter upstairs to get that warmth to flow to the farthest rooms.
We often get members with basement installs report frustration heating evenly, for good reason.
Go big, get a convective (blower) stove, and do everything you can to keep the air moving.
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