Hi All- I have a 3700 sq ft home in rural NH. It's a manufactured house built in 2004 so reasonably well insulated and sealed. House had an oil boiler when we bought it and it performs well by providing both DHW and hydronic heat via baseboards. I have also installed a Woodstock Soapstone Ideal Steel wood stove that we love! The wood stove almost heats the entire house so we just keep thermostats for the 1st and 2nd floors set at 63 degrees or so and it's almost always above 70. So here's my dilemma; I work from home and recently decided to set up my office in our mostly finished basement. The prior owner finished the basement himself but didn't insulate. Currently there's only a ventless propane fireplace/heater that merely takes the chill off at best. I love the idea of an outdoor wood boiler to completely rely on wood and avoid the cost/price volatility of heating oil. But the two quotes I received from HVAC contractors have the cost to install hydronic baseboards and another heating zone at $3000- $6000 on top of the roughly $12000 to purchase and install an outdoor wood boiler.
So all that has me coming back to basics with the idea of installing a wood stove in the basement. I plan to insulate it but I'll have about 800 feet to heat. Being familiar with Woodstock Soapstone, I really like their newest "Survival" wood stove. It's rated within the range of what I need, they're also here in NH so I can pick it up myself and the price is decent, (i.e. about $1350). The downside is that it only takes 16" logs whereas the Ideal Steel has a 22" firebox and I cut my logs at 19". Seems like a big pain to cut and store two different sizes. I could just cut everything at 16" going forward but it'll take a year or so to use up the 19" and I don't have any 16" that's seasoned. The alternative I'm thinking about is a Jotul Black Bear. Looks like it will take my 19" logs and is equally rated for the basement area I need to heat. Just thought I'd put this out there to see what you all think about my situation and thought process. We just welcomed our 6th child so budget is tight but I'm also mindful that "only the rich can afford cheap shoes". Grateful for any comments or insights. Thank you!
So all that has me coming back to basics with the idea of installing a wood stove in the basement. I plan to insulate it but I'll have about 800 feet to heat. Being familiar with Woodstock Soapstone, I really like their newest "Survival" wood stove. It's rated within the range of what I need, they're also here in NH so I can pick it up myself and the price is decent, (i.e. about $1350). The downside is that it only takes 16" logs whereas the Ideal Steel has a 22" firebox and I cut my logs at 19". Seems like a big pain to cut and store two different sizes. I could just cut everything at 16" going forward but it'll take a year or so to use up the 19" and I don't have any 16" that's seasoned. The alternative I'm thinking about is a Jotul Black Bear. Looks like it will take my 19" logs and is equally rated for the basement area I need to heat. Just thought I'd put this out there to see what you all think about my situation and thought process. We just welcomed our 6th child so budget is tight but I'm also mindful that "only the rich can afford cheap shoes". Grateful for any comments or insights. Thank you!
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