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kitchendetective

Woodburning stove questions

kitchendetective
15 years ago

I usually post on other GW forums, but I have a question that may belong here. DH wants to install a wood burning porcelain stove in our game room and another in our master bedroom. It would take a bit of installation modification to our 3 year-old home, but nothing radical. We have tons of cord wood, so that part is no problem. He is looking at this brand, probably because the photo includes a Labrador Retriever and other photos show babies. I didn't add a photo here because of the size. Attached is a link. Does anyone have any experience with these, or ones like these, or recommendations?

Here is a link that might be useful: Marine stove

Here is a link that might be useful: Marine Stoves

Comments (5)

  • Chris Newell
    15 years ago

    Hi there, The first thing is that it is almost universally banned to install wood stoves in bedrooms. You guys should check with your town building dept for local regulations. Also it's important to follow local regs for insurance purposes, not to mention you and your family's safety!

  • christopherh
    15 years ago

    What are the clearances? How large is the hearth? What about the chimney? Are these stoves EPA rated? What area do they heat? Is this a primary heat source or a decoration? Who is gonna install them?

    Now I don't know about any universal ban on woodstoves in bedrooms as many people around here have fireplaces in the bedroom, but I wouldn't want one of those in my bedroom. I can't imagine hauling firewood throughout the house. The wood DOES leave scraps as you carry it sometimes. That's just a fact of life with a woodstove.

    And Chrisnewe is right about insurance regulations. Red flags go up all over when they find out a woodstove is installed. Our company wanted some proof it was installed correctly. When they found out it was done by a professional installer who was certified, they were happy. And our premium didn't go up. And if you don't tell them you have a stove, and there's a fire, they might not cover your loss.

  • nhyankee
    15 years ago

    Unless you live in a really small house, I think you would do better than the Marine stoves which are very cute but designed to be used on boats. I think their largest stove might heat 500 SF, maybe. They also take very small wood pieces which would require lots of extra work. More of a novelty item than a serious heater. As has been mentioned while finding the right 'look' for a stove is important, safety for yourselves and your home has to be your first concern, especially because it sounds like your house wasn't designed for wood heat when it was built.

    If he really wants porcelain, there are few brands. I would stay away from Vermont Castings, the company was placed into receivership earlier this year and is trying to comeback but may be a lost cause. Jotul, Hearthstone, Hampton and Quadra-fire make cast iron porcelain enamel stoves. Pacific Energy makes porcelain enameled steel stoves. My preference is the Pacific Energy but they do have a boxy aesthetic, not as pretty as some of the Jotul or Hearthstone stoves.

    If you have a Lab or any other dog don't worry about the brand, your dog will find an area near the stove to be its new favorite place.

  • naturalstuff
    15 years ago

    I have a Lab but she loves the cold weather...actually let me rephrase that: She loves snow and will stay out in it for hours .... but she does look for that sun inside coming through the windows and sit in it.

    I have a Century wood stove for 1000 sq ft I just bought and staring at for months trying to figure out a location.

    while its 51 degrees in here, its still starring at me in the LR.

  • christopherh
    15 years ago

    My chow chow loves the outdoors too. Right now it's 14 degrees outside and she's relaxing on the front porch. But when she comes inside, she'll head right to the hearth and lay down.