Woodstoves: We've heated our cabin with a woodstove for the past 3 years. Couple of points to consider - every bend in the pipe cuts the draft by a percentage. Straight up is best. Also, heat rises. We have 1152 square feet that we heat well with a cheap vogelzang boxwood stove. Its the bigger one, BX42 I believe. I placed it downstairs right next to the door to aide in feeding the thing. The wood stays outside with the bugs where it belongs and I just open the door, haul in a small load and put it right into the stove. The upstairs stays toasty - sometimes too warm because the stove doesn't seal real tight. If the stove was upstairs, the downstairs would be chilly and the upstairs would broil. But I caution you, hauling load after load of wood up the stairs is going to get old fast.
...I want to come back to this woodstove thing again
-
We've already wrestled a few rounds with my original floorplan. Let's just say that the basic layout is going to stay, allowing for tweaks.
Midwest Dave has some good thought in his post. It's the "forest for the trees" kinda stuff that I seek. Here's my thoughts and questions:
- I don't have my heart set on the ability to see the fire burning as ambiance. The woodstove's primary function is to heat.
- Knowing this, and considering the simple and practical points that Mid-Dave makes about heat and stove logistics within a 2-story structure, I have to reconsider our stove location and think of it more as a furnace
- I'm displaying the 2 floor plans again below to help visualize.
- Is there any way that a woodstove could be installed in a 2-story structure with this floorplan, and still provide heat to all the rooms (excepting the garage stalls)
- ...or....at least one bedroom and the entire upstairs
- Finally, and I want you to assume that this becomes reality to help simplify the woodstove heating system, we will not have utility power (only solar) and the wood stove can only function passively. No blowers.
-
-
-
First Floor (grade level) 
-
-
Second Floor (attic space converted to living space) 
