Wood heat for a small house

[Myrth]

The house I am buying is a ranch on a crawl space. The crawl is not easily accessible.

The house is small. It is heated by a propane furnace. I want to add the ability to heat with wood. I have been reading about rocket mass stoves, but I don't think there's enough space for one.

A previous home was similar in design. It had a wood burning fireplace and entertainment center built-in on one living room wall, which took out 2 feet of floor space along that wall. The new house is just big enough to put a similar unit on a living room wall. That wall will also house the TV, sound system, and hundreds of books.

I know that traditional fireplaces waste most of the heat, but I managed to make it through the aftermath of some bad storms, with no power and no furnace, using just a fireplace. It was not ideal, but it kept us warm and it kept the entire house above freezing (so the pipes did not freeze).

What I am wanting to do is to install a far more efficient wood burning fireplace/heater that takes up no more space than a traditional fireplace. I want to be able to heat my house in an emergency and I want the ambiance of watching a fire.

I am looking for suggestions.

[matt walker]

Myrth, I am obviously a big fan of heated mass, but I understand it doesn't work for a lot of homes. I think there are some wonderful box stoves out there that will do exactly what you want. Unfortunately, they are not cheap, and the correct flue pipe and installation will run almost as much again as the stove. That said, they will certainly keep you warm when the power is out, and you may find you like it so much you use it as the main source of heat. I really like the products that Woodstock is making right now, and their reputation is fantastic. Here's a link to one of their smaller stoves...

http://www.woodstove.com/keystone

[pa_friendly_guy]

There are many options out there and prices vary all over the map. One thing to consider in a small space is required clearances to combustible walls, floor and ceiling. Fire regulations require 3' to a combustible wall, 18" in front by the door to a combustible floor and 18" above where the pipe goings into the ceiling. The regulations make sense when you examine them. The front space is for sparks, the top space is to avoid the flue over heating and causing a fire and the side spacing just gives you a safety area around the stove to combustibles. That amount of clearance can really take up a lot of space in a small room. By putting a thin sheet of metal on 1" non-combustible spaces [ I used copper pipe cut to length and nailed through the center of the pipe ] you can effectively double the distance to the wall or ceiling there by cutting the required clearance in half. The 2nd alternative is to add a non-combustible wall such as brick. Since your crawl space is difficult to access that could be a problem with out ripping up the floor. Free standing fireplaces can be installed either inside the room, or through the wall out side the house and use a triple insulated flue pipe that is approved. You can cover the flue with siding so it blends in with the house. The efficiently of these units is not good at all. A heatelator and glass doors can improve the efficiency, but they are very inefficient. The costs of these units as well as the option that Matt suggest is very expensive. You maybe better off the add a small room addition designed for the purpose of holding a wood stove or RMH built from the ground up with good support and proper clearances that could supply heat for the entire house. Just another option to consider.

[mannytheseacow]

Myrth,

I realize that you asked about woood heat, but I'm not sure if you are aware of the solar heating options. If you have a southern exposure you could heat your floors and water fairly efficiently and cost effectively with solar. I've had a solar system up for several years and it's working great. But I do love my wood heat, too. Check out Gary's site if you haven't seen it: http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Sp ... eating.htm

[Myrth]

Thanks for the thoughts! Some interesting links.

One other thing I have discovered in my research are some improvements in zero clearance fire place efficiency. A few wood stove companies now have zero clearance wood burning units. I am researching them now.

[pa_friendly_guy]

That is HUGE. Zero clearance gives you so much more space in a small room. There are units like that in many Mobile Homes today. The efficiency is much the same as a normal fire place but it fills the bill for your needs. I am a big believer in doing what works. Let us know how it works out.