Wood burning stove: Starting fron scratch

15 years ago

Hello everyone, I'm new to this section and I need some help. I've never had a fire place or a wood stove and I've always wanted one. I have a family room that's about 12x14 and I want to install a wood burning stove. It get's chilly in that room because it has a slab floor and it's also a 1 story addition. Where do I start? I do know that because it's a small room that I want a wood stove over a fire place. Other then that I'm a little lost. Can anyone here give me some advice as to what steps I should do 1st to things I should factor in, plus give some mistakes you made when you did it so I don't make the same mistakes.

*I'd like to be able to look at the fire.

*I'd like to be able to feel secure that when I go to sleep it will be safe (of course)

*I'd like to be able to burn at both low temp and high temps.

*I really didn't want to spend a fortune on it.

*I'm pretty handy so I'd like to do it myself but I'm not opposed to letting a contractor do it either.

*Do I need a brick or tile base and brick or tiled walls?

Thanks and I hope I hear from some of you seasoned pro's for help. If not, Merry Christmas anyway. :-)

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

firedana
15 years ago
just a few thoughts...I operate a fireplace store ...we get alot of questions like yours...most wood stoves have a glass door and are extremely effecient and use freindly.Cost is going to be determined by the stove you choose.All but the made in china stuff are UL listed and tested and are very safe when installed correctly to manufacturers specs.Most installations can be done by anyone who can read and follow instructions and has basic construction tools but a much faster installation is done by a seasoned pro.Definitely non combustable floor surface is required and wall can be just drywall if all manufacturer clearances are met.Most stove installations cost between 2k and 3k depending on stove and pipe needed.
christopherh
15 years ago
Our Regency F1100 stove (www.regency-fire.com) cost about $2200 complete with installation. My advice is to let a pro do the installation as the homeowner's insurance company prefers that. I have seen far too many house fires resulting from a DIY installation. Besides, the job can be completed from start to finish in under a couple hours when done by a pro.

The size of the stove is omportant too. If you're just gonna heat the small area, go for a small stove. I have the smallest Regency and I use it to heat my 1300 sq ft home. I have it in the living room and it heats the parts of the house I wanna heat. But the bedrooms stay cool.

Mt stove has heat shields so the clearances are much tighter to the drywall . It's in the corner of the room and the stove is 6 inches from the wall. It has a ceramic ("glass") door and I like to view the fire in the evening. As a matter of fact, the fire is more entertaining than most of what's on TV!

So go to your stove shop, or a couple of stove shops, and tell them what you want to do. Have a stove sized to your needs and location. (It gets colder here in VT than it does in VA for instance.) Be prepared for the work involved in a wood appliance. (Buying, stacking, splitting, carrying in the wood, etc.) But the fact you can turn down that OPEC addiction is well worth it!
Related Discussions
getting started with gas logs for existing wood burning fireplace
Q
Comments (6)
First, DO NOT get a ventless system. Many building codes actually outlaw them. I think they all should because the build up of fumes can be dangerous. Therefore, the choice is between a VENTED gas log system and something called DIRECT VENT system. A vented system works pretty much like your present conventional wood burning fireplace. It will provide some heat, but most of the heat will go up the chimney. It is not an energy efficient system. A direct vent system is comprised of a sealed firebox equipped with 2 vents that go up the chimney -- one to exhaust the fumes and the other to bring in fresh air to feed the combustion. It is very energy efficient, and can give off some serious heat. Direct vent systems are costly and take close to a whole day to install, assuming you already have a gas line in place. You really should consider this option if you want more than just the pleasant appearance of a flame. One more consideration: Since direct vent system can get very hot, it's a good idea to get one with a remote thermostat. Otherwise you'll wind up turning the thing on and off over and over again. But if you live in a climate zone where a kit of heat is not the primary consideration, for instance in Florida, a vented gas log system would be a reasonable option. If a really DRAMATIC dancing flame is what you're looking for, I think the Eiklor brand is the gold standard. But it will use a LOT OF GAS, and most of the heat will go up the chimney. So you're almost literally burning money with that one. I'm partial to direct vent. We have one here in North Carolina, and we love it. Make sure you find someone with a good local reputation to do the installation. Otherwise you'll wind up with buyer's remorse.
...See More
Wood burning stove vrs insert
Q
Comments (3)
This year I purchased my third insert in the past 12 months, so I've done a fair amount of investigation and shopping recently. I put one in the house that I sold and two in the house that I just bought. The main difference between an insert and a simple wood stove is the fan that an insert utilizes. Circulating the hot air into the living space is a huge efficiency advantage over just having a hot stove radiating heat. Believe it or not, the price between a good insert and stove is about the same. Of course, you can pay a little more for the blower and trim kits for the inserts, but it's not a huge difference. Try to get the dealer to include them in the deal and don't let him "nickle and dime" you on those items or the installation. Shop around and be sure to ask if the price that you are getting includes those things. The other issue is that an insert in your fireplace looks more "finished" sitting in the opening as opposed to the wood stove. If you have a standard masonary fireplace, chances are a wood stove would not fit inside the fireplace itself. Then you have the stove sitting out in the room and the fireplace opening left to deal with. My wife wouldn't go for that in her living room! And guests have commented on how nice the big glass doors make the fireplace look. There is a lot of info on the internet so do your homework and shop around.
...See More
Wood Burning Stove - Home Owners Insurance?
Q
Comments (6)
When we installed our stove all they required was a certification that it was done to code. And the installer supplied that. They want to be sure the stove is installed correctly. My agent said that DIY installations always raise red flags. Simply because most DIYers take a shortcut and don't do a complate job like proper chimneys. A vast majority of house fires caused by stoves are DIY installations. Or they aren't aware that the chimney must be cleaned on a yearly basis, because nobody told them. That's what the installer does. He tells you how to maintain a safe heating appliance. But the rate didn't increase at all.
...See More
Starting fires with newspapers in Jotul wood burning insert?
Q
Comments (3)
Lisa: I use a Duraflame Log (wax and sawdust) to start my fire in my woodburning fireplace. I get a 9-pack of 5 pound logs at Home Depot for $13. I cut a whole log into several pieces and use just one small piece surrounded by kindling and small logs. "I have to say, there is a huge build up of creosote and we have the chimney cleaned twice during the winter." I bet that you do not have a stainless steel liner installed in the chimney for the insert. Inserts that do not have a SS liner build a lot of creosote because of the low exhaust temperatures coupled with low velocity up the chimney. The reason why many people frown on using paper to start the fire is because some paper may find its way up the chimney, stick to the creosote, and ignite it causing a chimney fire.
...See More
turnage (8a TX)
15 years ago
You need to get a basic idea of how much clearance you need around the stove so you'll have an idea on where to place it. If you'll go to one of the mfg website's they have owners manuals available for download that have all the required clearances listed, both for the stove and the stovepipe.

Also, when considering placement of the stove, consider the height of the chimney. Most of the stove specs I've looked at require a minimum of 13 feet of pipe from the top of the stove to the top of the chimney. This means if you locate on an outside wall, you'll have a very tall chimney above the roof. If you locate closer to the peak of the roof, you'll have less exposed chimney but more in the attic. Hope this makes sense.

When choosing the stove size, I've found its best to rely on an experienced stove dealer rather than the mfg btu ratings. If you're only heating the one 12x24 room, the smallest stove size will probably be more than adequate. In fact this is one place where buying bigger is not a good idea.
fmart322
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks firedana, christopherh, turnage. You guys or gals helped me out some with your answers. The part about the insurance really hit home, I never thought about that aspect of it. I'm glad to see that it won't cost as much as some people were saying and I really love the idea of screwing OPEC. I can get as much free wood from a pallet factory and none of the wook is treated with any chemicals, so it's safe. The part about having a minimum of 13" of stove pipe might be a factor but I'm sure I can make it work. I'm going to check out some stores this week or so and when I see what they say I'll come back here for some more chat.

Thanks again
christopherh
15 years ago
If you're gonna burn pallets do NOT get a stove with a catalytic converter. Get one that has secondary burn technology. The dry pallet wood will destroy the cat. Tell the dealer you're gonna burn pallets.

But you should also just burn kiln dried wood occasionally. It burns HOT because it's so dry and an overfire is possible. Get seasoned cordwod from a dealer for this year and next year either get cordwood again or go into the woods and cut your own.

Wood burning stove: Starting fron scratch

Comments (5)

firedana

christopherh

Related Discussions

turnage (8a TX)

fmart322
Original Author

christopherh

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Wood burning stove: Starting fron scratch

Comments (5)

firedana

christopherh

Related Discussions

turnage (8a TX)

fmart322Original Author

christopherh

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

fmart322
Original Author