Problem with free standing wood stoves

[sunfish]

Double...

 

[Whitespider]

There's all sorts'a problems with 'em... or there's none... depending on your preferences. The reason I really do not care for 'em for in a home (and I've had several), is the same reason others like 'em. I don't care for the "hot room" syndrome, the stove room itself... you may enjoy sittin' a few feet from a red hot chunk of iron, I don't (OK, so it ain't red hot). And that ain't meant as a slam on anyone... heck, dad loves to sit so close to his I can't believe it don't singe all his hair off. I only had one stove installed in a living space, all others were in the non-living space basement.

Eventually I learned to convert 'em to a warm air/forced air furnace arrangement and that's what suits me. I like the more even heat throughout the whole house from such a setup (and the wife hates sittin' on a cold toilet seat anyway). Now, admittedly, there are a few times when I come in after along day in the cold and I'll go sit right next to the furnace for a few minutes... it does feel good. But it ain't often enough or long enough to justify changing my preference. And, while I'm in the mood for admitting things, the glass door on the "stovace" was nice for those same times... and, now that I've got that stove in the shop, some of the wives have commented on how pretty the fire is when they come out to collect their men.

Personally, I don't like a "free-standing stove" (of any sort, smoke dragon or elitist) for primary home heating... I'm not "comfortable" with that sort of "zone" heat. And I don't like fans and whatnot moving the air around either. But that's me, not you. That's the beauty of where we live... in the US-of-A we have choices (not that other places don't have choices)... I can have what I like, you can have what you like... for now, anyway.
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[sunfish]

Our house is only 1200 sq feet, one big room with two bedrooms off to the side. No basement. Free standing stove works very good here and we burn only a couple cords max, usually less.

I do understand there is no 'one size fits all' answer here.

 

[maine]

In my cabin in Maine I put my drinking/cooking water in a thermos at night, just in case. The perpetual pot of stew and kettle kept unfrozen on the stove though...

I also heated bricks on top of the stove, wrapped them in towels and shoved them down by my feet in the bed at night.

You wind up doing all sorts of interesting things to keep your reality from freezing solid.

Including burning anything down to pencil size, any species, scrounged however.

here in my cabin in maine i get discouraged if the temps are under 50 when i get up in the morning.

however last week it got down to -20F over night and the pipes in my bathroom froze.

wokeup to a flooded bathroom at around 41F inside temp.

need a bigger woodstove :/

 

[Wannabe123]

Or more wood in the one ya got

 

[Whitespider]

I do understand there is no 'one size fits all' answer...

Never has been... never will be...
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[Ambull01]

Our house is only 1200 sq feet, one big room with two bedrooms off to the side. No basement. Free standing stove works very good here and we burn only a couple cords max, usually less.

I do understand there is no 'one size fits all' answer here.

This is probably my best option. I need to knock down all the non supporting inside walls.

 

[sunfish]

This is probably my best option. I need to knock down all the non supporting inside walls.

Yes, makes a lot easier to heat.

 

[Del_]

We have a nice open floor plan perfectly suited to a free standing wood stove. The only 'hot spot' is sitting or standing next to the wood stove. For instance sitting here at the computer I'm 15ft. away and she's napping on the couch 20ft. from the stove. Flickering flames are the only light in the room except for the computer dual monitors.

 

[Ambull01]

Yes, makes a lot easier to heat.

This may be the curse of Americans. You know how we usually think bigger is better. For homes we like houses that are bigger than we actually need. Everyone needs their own space/privacy. Walls separate every room. A curse to heat and cool.

 

[sunfish]

This may be the curse of Americans. You know how we usually think bigger is better. For homes we like houses that are bigger than we actually need. Everyone needs their own space/privacy. Walls separate every room. A curse to heat and cool.

Yeah, I never understood the huge house thing myself.. I built our house 25 years ago and have never had a payment on it. Easy and cheap to heat also...

 

[sb47]

Since a free standing wood stove puts out more heat then a fireplace.
When your talking BTU's to the amount of wood fuel you use, it's no comparison.
Wood stove's allows you easier cooking with the flat top directly above the fire box.
There is a safety issue with them because, after all, it's a extremely hot steal box in your house.
Small children horsing around and a hot stove in the same room is a recipe for disaster.
I love my stove, and prefer it over a fireplace.

 

[anlrolfe]

My Sister & BIL had a combo wood furnace that failed after a power outage. The fire boxes of these type units depend on forced airflow to prevent potential damage.

Growing up our primary heat source was wood now its my secondary. Neither depended on electric power just some crumpled paper, a match, chainsaw and strong back. I've got a fundamental problem with combustion blowers, circulating pumps and feed augers... these are just one more thing that's gonna break.

For those with lots of space, out buildings that combine the OWB / wood shed make perfect sense but depend on power for circulating pumps. Depending on the system you also have combustion air fans and furnace blower(unless radiant). Many use the cheaper PEX w/o the oxygen barrier and will soon encounter corrosion and mineral problems. Put simple pumps $V@%! valves $V@%! and if it moves, it will break and that just $V@%$!

 

[sunfish]

My Sister & BIL had a combo wood furnace that failed after a power outage.

Just another reason to like a 'non electric' free standing wood stove...

 

[slowp]

I have become anti-central heating. If a room has no plumbing, and is not being used, why heat it any more than what goes through the door crack? I use the unused rooms to regulate the temperature by closing or opening doors. I also haven't used the hot tub as much since I got the wood stove. If I get cold working outside, I can put a chair in front of the stove, sit down with hot beverage and warm up.

This house is considered to be small in today's world, but it has the main room in the center and that's perfect for the stove. Each room has its own electric heat and control so I can easily cheat on those few cold mornings and heat up the bathroom.

Having heat during a power outage is a big advantage, although the power is pretty reliable here. If I move, I've decided that high ceilings are not a good thing. This house only has a 13 foot peak in the big room, but that required buying a tall ladder just to change the smoke alarm.

 

[sb47]

Insulation and air transfer are the main key's in keeping a house warm.

I have become anti-central heating. If a room has no plumbing, and is not being used, why heat it any more than what goes through the door crack? I use the unused rooms to regulate the temperature by closing or opening doors. I also haven't used the hot tub as much since I got the wood stove. If I get cold working outside, I can put a chair in front of the stove, sit down with hot beverage and warm up.

This house is considered to be small in today's world, but it has the main room in the center and that's perfect for the stove. Each room has its own electric heat and control so I can easily cheat on those few cold mornings and heat up the bathroom.

Having heat during a power outage is a big advantage, although the power is pretty reliable here. If I move, I've decided that high ceilings are not a good thing. This house only has a 13 foot peak in the big room, but that required buying a tall ladder just to change the smoke alarm.

I agree.
Insulation and air transfer are the main key's in keeping a house warm, along with building materials used.
I have experienced this several times.
By adding insulation and stopping air leaks will make a tremendous deference in how well a house retains it's heat.
Same goes with your A/C in the summer.

 

[slowp]

That's another advantage to living in the temperate rain forest. Our A/C is a fan in the window at night. I do have a window one that I got when we had a week of hot weather, but I think I used it twice last summer.

 

[Chris-PA]

That's another advantage to living in the temperate rain forest. Our A/C is a fan in the window at night. I do have a window one that I got when we had a week of hot weather, but I think I used it twice last summer.

Same here - we sometimes run a window unit in the basement to keep the humidity down.

 

[anlrolfe]

My main floor has a good circular flow. Living room kitchen and dining room a nice little loop. The only other is a side enclosed porch thats not heated. The bedrooms are all upstairs and we have plenty of quilts & comforters. I have done a lot to insulate this 1920's house. In some places I've injected low expansion foam and much stuffed loose fiberglass into the walls. I found that I could drill (3) 1-1/4" holes per stud cavity high mid and low and stuff away. A piece of electric steel fish-tape to even out the fill as I worked up. I'm triple thick in the attic w/ old rock wool and fiberglass joist high covered and criss-crossed w/ 8" batting. Even without the wood heat my electric is the cheapest in the neighborhood. I've had the power utility swap my gas meter twice and electric once since I've lived here. Guess They think I'm up to something.

 

[Ambull01]

I have become anti-central heating. If a room has no plumbing, and is not being used, why heat it any more than what goes through the door crack? I use the unused rooms to regulate the temperature by closing or opening doors. I also haven't used the hot tub as much since I got the wood stove. If I get cold working outside, I can put a chair in front of the stove, sit down with hot beverage and warm up.

This house is considered to be small in today's world, but it has the main room in the center and that's perfect for the stove. Each room has its own electric heat and control so I can easily cheat on those few cold mornings and heat up the bathroom.

Having heat during a power outage is a big advantage, although the power is pretty reliable here. If I move, I've decided that high ceilings are not a good thing. This house only has a 13 foot peak in the big room, but that required buying a tall ladder just to change the smoke alarm.

I'm kind of cursed to have the chimney in a side room. It's right next to the second floor stairwell. Damn heat goes straight on up. I wish heat would sink and cold air rise. That would solve my issues.