Most of the EPA stoves require a blower to get heat. If I was going to buy one tomorrow I would go with a Hearthstone. They are made out of soapstone and you can get radiant heat. Have you considered propane? You would not have the mess of wood.
Most efficient way to burn wood
- Thread starter arrow
- Start date
- Views: 14499
joshuabardwell
Elite Member
I just want to say that I recently switched out an old Vermont Castings catalytic stove that was falling apart for a Jotul F500, and the difference is night and day. Now, I don't want to give a bad name to the Vermont Castings, because it had been abused by its previous owner so much that it was hardly performing up to its own standards, but the Jotul is just a dream. Much more efficient burning, big thick coal bed that lasts forever--in one case, I was able to easily restart 36 hours after shutting the stove down for the night! Efficiency and long burn times are par for the course with modern, EPA-rated, airtight stoves. I just wanted to throw Jotul's name in the hat as one that I am currently having a fantastic experience with.
I will say that, between catalytic and non-catalytic stoves, I will take non-cat every day of the week. Easier maintenance (not having to clean and eventually replace the cat) and much easier running. With the cat, you have to let it get up to a certain temperature, then drop the diverter to engage the cat, and if you drop it too soon, then it doesn't light off and gets all clogged. With a non-cat, there is just one air intake lever. That's it. Set it and let it burn.
I will say that, between catalytic and non-catalytic stoves, I will take non-cat every day of the week. Easier maintenance (not having to clean and eventually replace the cat) and much easier running. With the cat, you have to let it get up to a certain temperature, then drop the diverter to engage the cat, and if you drop it too soon, then it doesn't light off and gets all clogged. With a non-cat, there is just one air intake lever. That's it. Set it and let it burn.
lutt
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2010
- Messages
- 661
- Location
- Pocahontas, Arkansas
- Tractor
- Kubota ZG 22, John Deere 4200 4wd/ 420 loader, 4 wd,08 polaris 700 ranger crew
I have read thru the post, and someone may have already metioned it, but I would build the house around the wood stove and use a high efficiency wood stove. A centered wood stove in a home is hard to beat. We heat about 3200 square feet with a wood furnace in the basement, with out any other heat. The flu is almost center of the home with the bedrooms farthest away. It work real well. I am looking into a high efficiency wood furnace with water heating coil latter down the road. LUTT
joshuabardwell
Elite Member
This is 100% correct. The way most homes are designed, with the chimney on an exterior wall, is the least efficient way of doing it. Also, the heat from the stove will rise, but not fall, so either come up with a way of moving heated air into the basement, or put the stove in the lowest level of the home. There's a tradeoff there, since if the stove is not in a main area of the home, you won't be as conscientious about loading it, checking to make sure it's not overfiring, and so forth.
I think a interior chimeny is mainly better when you are building a fire because the chimney is warmer than a exterior chimney. After the fire is built there is not much difference. As long as the chimney has good draft it is fine.
Buckgnarly
Platinum Member
You lose the heat from the chimney itself. Mine radiates the heat all the way to the last few feat INTO the house, not to the outside. It does make a big more efficient difference.
kiotiken
Veteran Member
There's a lot of simple things you should do in the construction of the house that will make a much more significant difference in the amount of wood you use than the type of stove you choose. I heat 2500 sq ft and use about 3 cord per year. Here's some of the things that we've done.
1) We designed a passive solar heating room. This room has large windows obviously and is oriented south-west (south is not optimal). Then you design the overhang so that it blocks the sun in the summer when it's high in the sky, but allows it to enter the house in the winter when it's low. There are calculations that will tell you exactly how big the windows should be or how much overhang you need for your windows. Our sun room also has a cathedral ceiling and simple ducts that allow air to naturally spill into the upstairs of the house. Then you plant trees in front of the window (obviously not too close). In the summer, they have leaves and provide shade and natural cooling, in the winter, the leaves are gone. It has been sunny and -30 outside in Feb. and we've had to open windows because we didn't kill the fireplace fast enough. The room easily heats the entire house. If you add a large thermal mass (concrete floor), you'll get a big benefit well into the night.
2) Minimize windows on the north side.
3) Plant evergreens on the prevailing wind side of the house to block wind.
Our fireplace is ducted to the furnace and has a fan to draw the air. It is also ducted to the master bedroom upstairs (gravity feed). Those two things make a HUGE difference and allow the fireplace to evenly heat the entire house.
We also spray foamed all the header spaces as well as any overhangs or other area that could leak air. Man is that stuff good, but expensive.
You can keep going depending on your budget, but eventually, you'll be able to heat your house with a candle.
1) We designed a passive solar heating room. This room has large windows obviously and is oriented south-west (south is not optimal). Then you design the overhang so that it blocks the sun in the summer when it's high in the sky, but allows it to enter the house in the winter when it's low. There are calculations that will tell you exactly how big the windows should be or how much overhang you need for your windows. Our sun room also has a cathedral ceiling and simple ducts that allow air to naturally spill into the upstairs of the house. Then you plant trees in front of the window (obviously not too close). In the summer, they have leaves and provide shade and natural cooling, in the winter, the leaves are gone. It has been sunny and -30 outside in Feb. and we've had to open windows because we didn't kill the fireplace fast enough. The room easily heats the entire house. If you add a large thermal mass (concrete floor), you'll get a big benefit well into the night.
2) Minimize windows on the north side.
3) Plant evergreens on the prevailing wind side of the house to block wind.
Our fireplace is ducted to the furnace and has a fan to draw the air. It is also ducted to the master bedroom upstairs (gravity feed). Those two things make a HUGE difference and allow the fireplace to evenly heat the entire house.
We also spray foamed all the header spaces as well as any overhangs or other area that could leak air. Man is that stuff good, but expensive.
You can keep going depending on your budget, but eventually, you'll be able to heat your house with a candle.
lutt
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2010
- Messages
- 661
- Location
- Pocahontas, Arkansas
- Tractor
- Kubota ZG 22, John Deere 4200 4wd/ 420 loader, 4 wd,08 polaris 700 ranger crew
Even when we get down to coals, or shut the air down to the furnace, our chimney will hold enough heat in the brick to keep the main rooms warm for a while. Every old house in our country built around the chimney for the reasons stated in the above post. Makes pretty good sense to me. If a guy done that with the ultra modern insulated house, you sure would have something, in my opinion. LUTT
Egon
Epic Contributor
Burning your wood efficiently means a hot fire with the proper amount of combustion air. This likely means you will need a heat storage system and burns that are are designed for your situation.
Don't confuse the outside boilers that are loaded and left with less than sufficient combustion air as being efficient.
Any combustion system that requires cutting back on the proper amount of air to regulate heat is not efficient.
Don't confuse the outside boilers that are loaded and left with less than sufficient combustion air as being efficient.
Any combustion system that requires cutting back on the proper amount of air to regulate heat is not efficient.
dave1949
Super Star Member
Some of the colonial era homes around here had huge central chimney and fireplace constructions that started in the cellar as a massive block about 8 by 10 foot. Some incorporated bread baking and roasting ovens too. This pre-dated wood cook stoves, so the functionality served both heating and cooking.
Windows in a passive solar home need to be thought of as your "furnace." Correct overhang depths (~28" in my latitude) along with some other "furnace" controls are important.
Rolladen rolling shutters: Rolladen Shutters , and thermal insulating drapes are two things to consider. The exterior rolladens are danged expensive but they do several things. They shield window glass in a storm, provide insulation in the form of dead air space when closed, and can block unwanted excessive sunshine when needed. There are times in the shoulder seasons like September when the sun angle is getting low enough to put more heat into the house than is wanted. Rolladens can control that. Some passive solar homes use those crank-out awnings to achieve the same thing.
Insulated drapes or better yet, insulated interior shutters, will reduce the significant heat loss that occurs overnight through large glass areas. From 4 or 5 pm through 8 or 9 am is a long time to allow the heat loss during winter. Even the best double or triple glazed window is a poor insulator.
Passive solar--without the thermal mass to soak up and store the heat during the day--is nice but not really a complete design.
Windows in a passive solar home need to be thought of as your "furnace." Correct overhang depths (~28" in my latitude) along with some other "furnace" controls are important.
Rolladen rolling shutters: Rolladen Shutters , and thermal insulating drapes are two things to consider. The exterior rolladens are danged expensive but they do several things. They shield window glass in a storm, provide insulation in the form of dead air space when closed, and can block unwanted excessive sunshine when needed. There are times in the shoulder seasons like September when the sun angle is getting low enough to put more heat into the house than is wanted. Rolladens can control that. Some passive solar homes use those crank-out awnings to achieve the same thing.
Insulated drapes or better yet, insulated interior shutters, will reduce the significant heat loss that occurs overnight through large glass areas. From 4 or 5 pm through 8 or 9 am is a long time to allow the heat loss during winter. Even the best double or triple glazed window is a poor insulator.
Passive solar--without the thermal mass to soak up and store the heat during the day--is nice but not really a complete design.