# Wood Stoves 101



## moonspinner (Jul 2, 2002)

I am considering purchasing a 24X24 cabin and pondering how to best and most efficiently heat. I have no experience w/wood stoves but have loved the heat they put out. I have read installation costs run $2-3K and can't believe it would run that high in my situation? I realize you need to build a hearth and venting but that costly?
Would appreciate your experiences/tips and would you recommend perhaps propane or another source.


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

A stove pipe has to be a certain height to draft properly and must also be a certain height above the peak of the roof for code. Proper venting costs as much a stove if done well usually. You also need to meet all the proper clearances when going through walls and roof.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

moonspinner said:


> Would appreciate your experiences/tips and would you recommend perhaps propane or another source.


Installation costs can vary greatly depending on location, house, design and square footage, diy or contracted.
I can tell you my wood stove was about $600. It is designed to heat 2000 sf but it will run us out of our 2700 multilevel house, and we have it in the corner of the lower level. You'll have to add to that items such as proper fireproof backing around the area, triple wall pipe, either an exterior chase/enclosure or modifications to the interior and thru the roof, etc..
The thing about wood stoves to me is, yes, there are the initial upfront costs, but they do tend to pay for themselves in rather short order. If your heating bill from oil/propane/gas/electric is say $300-$500 a month over the winter, how many months or years will it take to recoup your costs. After that your out of pocket is pretty much the wood you cut or buy, and nominal maintenance.

There is absolutely nothing like the feel and smell of a woodstove, imo.

ps-Is thing just a single story? 600sf?


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Essential information...

http://nasdonline.org/335/d000132/proper-installation-operation-and-maintenance-of-a-wood.html


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Look up a place that sell the stove pipe....(3' section of triple wall pipe will run you $75-90 alone)....then add up all the accessories (top cap, roof flashing, inside ceiling adapter, etc) and you'll find even you buying the stuff will run close to a grand....then add in a reasonable labor figure, and yeah, it could hit 2 grand fairly easy.


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

24' x 24' Isn't too big of a space to heat. You could get by with a pretty small, simple buck stove or similar, and won't need a blower on it. I like an old fashioned stove that has simple, manually operated air intake vents and a manually operated flue damper so I can easily control the air it gets, etc. 

Not a fan of the real modern super efficient wood stoves with the catalytic baffles, automated dampers, etc. I had one of those and it tended to smolder unless you had the ideal, perfect wood in it, and the only way you could give it much air to get it going good was to crack the door open.

Don't cut corners on the chimney system, the advice above is good, $2,000 would not be a stretch to get all of the components needed. I like my stoves somewhere pretty close to an outside door also so it's handy to get wood to them, and carpet gets trashed in a room with a wood stove.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Our stove has a fan built into the back but honestly, I don't use it. Hot air will move out and up plenty quick on its own.
X2 on locating it near a door. You need an opening to sweep out and carry wood in without dropping dirt, dust and wood roaches along the way.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Proper wood stove installation maybe expensive up front but it's cheap, cheap long term insurance.


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## Steve_S (Feb 25, 2015)

There are a few things which have been pointed out. Consider the floor it will be installed in, it needs to be fireproofed underneath for example is on a wood floor base... The walls need protection too from the heat. These are obvious but add to costs of course, albeit not crazy though.

My place is 20x25 with Cathedral Ceilings. I also have Radiant Heating in my slab (with slab temp sensor), so the stove is backup #2. I managed to get a small Mobil Home Certified Airtight flat top wood stove because it needs less clearance and does not take up a huge space, which in a 20x24 is premium LOL.... Got it on sale in the spring for $500 (best time to buy, right after heating season when everyone wants to dump stock) which was far better than the regular $800.

I'll give you a run down in point form of what I had to do to install. Note that I have a frost protected concrete slab foundation with radian PEX in it. (It's a corner installation)
1) I installed 1/2" thick Magnesium Oxide Sheeting on the wall (fire break, better than cement board & cheaper) and also great for tile adhesion & more. REF: http://www.yunionboard.com/product/magnesium-oxide-board/
2) using 1" spacer's I attached 4' high Galvanised Metal sheeting as the backwall protector. Finished with metal trims & safe edges to prevent cuts. (kids around)
3) Installed 10mm ceramic tile on the floor with trims.
4) Set stove pipe (straight through cathedral ceiling & through my "Cool Roof" which was an extra challenge) at the recommended locations with clearance, installed a clearance box through the roof as well. Flashings & trims all supplied from SuperVent(tm) Stainless double stainless insulated pipe outside with 1' above roof peak. * 9/12 pitch with Cool Roof design metal. REF Cool-Roof: http://www.houstoncoolmetalroofs.com/cool-roof-information/cool-roof-design-texas/ REF SuperVent(tm): http://supervent.com/sitecore/content/global-configuration/selkirk/products/chimney/supervent-usa
5) Inside I installed an un-insulated Double-Wall chimney pipe with a "probe" thermometer (magnetic ones are OFF by 100F if used on a double wall)

The Stove: $500 REF: http://www.flame-intl.com/product.aspx?Id=597&CategoId=1
The external pipe, flashings & fittings etc. $450 or so.
The internal double wall pipe: $250 (including damper unit & thermometer)
Mag-O board $40 for a 4'x8' sheet. (50% the cost of cement fireboard)
Ceramic Tile $25.00 Grout & mortar I had already from other tile work I did but pretty cheap.

Here's a picture after I had just finished the setup before first firing.


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## CKelly78z (Jul 16, 2017)

I installed our own stove /chimney 25 years ago, and it has worked flawlessly all that time. We installed a raised hearth with tile bottom, and mounted these heat shield stove boards on the wall with 1" spacers; http://www.imperialgroup.ca/stove_stoveboardsheatshields.cfm

We then ran the black pipe, and elbow up to a vertical section of metalbestus pipe through the wall using this isolator; https://www.woodlanddirect.com/6-Pr...MI67HF24Tx5AIVkIbACh0R_QbvEAQYByABEgK2RPD_BwE


The pipe came through the wall to a cleanout "T", and then travels up 23' on the outside of the house going through the overhanging eave, and up above the peak by a full section of this pipe. https://www.discountchimneysupply.com/metalbestos_chimney_6.html
https://tevishome.com/product/regency-classic-wood-stove/
Doing all of this myself, cost me about $1200, and then the Regency stove cost another $1200.another $1200


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

@Steve_S: I was wondering how tall your chimney was above the spot where it exits the roof.


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## Steve_S (Feb 25, 2015)

Cabin Fever said:


> @Steve_S: I was wondering how tall your chimney was above the spot where it exits the roof.


I have 2 sections of Insulated Pipe which in my case bring it to about 6" higher than the peak. Due to the design of this place, I get very good chimney draft. From the strove top to the cathedral base is 80". but I have to point out that due to roof design, my roof is 11" thick including the 2" airspace for the passive venting.

A Consideration: While I decided to go through the roof, so that I could have a straight pipe & maximize draft, it worked out BUT it does not make cleaning the chimney easy at all.... quite the pain actually. Should have gone out the side wall to a T and up, which would have made cleaning out the pipes a heck of a lot simpler with a cleanout T there. (A job to do before every heating season and in the spring). That would have also been "interesting" as I have 24" deep eaves & soffits but ohhh well....


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

The woodstove in our cabin is a Lopi Endeavor. If one installs it with double-wall stovepipe (I'm talking stovepipe, not chimney pipe here), it has a 4" minimum clearance to combustibles. Consequently, there was no need to install a heat shield behind the stove. I have placed my hand on the wood paneling behind the stove, and it is quite cool to the touch.

I made the pedestal that the woodstove stands on. The floor of the pedestal is 3/4 inch fiberboard, overlain by 1/2" Wonder (cement) board, overlain my red clay tiles.









The cabin has cathedral ceilings (3/12). I planned the location of the stove so that the chimney exited as near to the peak as possible. The reason for this was I wanted the section of the chimney that extended above the roof (6/12) to be as short as possible. This short chimney makes sweeping a lot easier.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Use a ceiling fan and you will need far less wood than if you allow all the heat to stay trapped at the top.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Bearfootfarm said:


> Use a ceiling fan and you will need far less wood than if you allow all the heat to stay trapped at the top.


That assumes you have electricity, which we don't have, in the one-room guest cabin. 

We have spent many a subzero nights in that cabin and had to crack open windows because it got so hot in there.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Steve_S said:


> I have 2 sections of Insulated Pipe which in my case bring it to about 6" higher than the peak. Due to the design of this place, I get very good chimney draft. From the strove top to the cathedral base is 80". but I have to point out that due to roof design, my roof is 11" thick including the 2" airspace for the passive venting.
> 
> A Consideration: While I decided to go through the roof, so that I could have a straight pipe & maximize draft, it worked out BUT it does not make cleaning the chimney easy at all.... quite the pain actually. Should have gone out the side wall to a T and up, which would have made cleaning out the pipes a heck of a lot simpler with a cleanout T there. (A job to do before every heating season and in the spring). That would have also been "interesting" as I have 24" deep eaves & soffits but ohhh well....



I had the same thoughts when I installed ours. I decided to run the pipe into a T and then up the side of the house.
I did not care for walking our roof pitch, and having a clean out about chest high makes thing simpler and quicker.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Our 24s24 cabin with loft is heated by a hot blast wood furnace given to us. Is not a furnace I would recommend any one buy for sure. took a lot of mods to make a new wood load door and get rid of the door it came with which had the auto matic draft control Ran the stove pipe thru the wall in the corner wher ethe furnace sets and the chimney is a 20 foot corragated drive way culvert on a slab out side.
Cut a clean out door on the bottom and rattle chain in the culvert to clean it. doubt we get a cup of soot from it in 4 weeks during hunting season.

 Al


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Stayed in an old rental cabin when we were young for a weekend, long ago. Had a wood stove and flu/chimney pipe that looked it came right out of a Warner Brothers cartoon. Thing had about 4 ninety degree bends in it and the chimney leaned like the tower of pisa. After about an hour we finally got it to draft but any breeze pushed smoke right back thru the door and into the room.
Heated well after it got going and if you hadn't suffocated by then you could enjoy it.


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## Simplyfyhouse (Feb 5, 2021)

I bought Ashely Hearth AW 1120E-P 6 months ago and it's just amazing. Buying and installing might cost you much but it is cost-effective and for the long run. Look of the wood stove make your room interior elegant. It comes with a large ash pan which is easy to clean so you don't need to worry about cleaning as well. I would prefer a *wood stove for the garage* and a small room even in the hall. to feel the warmth and make your room interior look elegant wood stove is the best option. One of my friend uses Drolet’s HT3000. Drolet is also a better option for a small room and garage.


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## weaselfire (Feb 7, 2018)

Last wood stove I installed was about $30. Got piping on closeout, stove was a freebie and concrete cap blocks for a hearth.

Get a few quotes and you'll know what's reasonable for your situation.

Jeff


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