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[NewToIt]

Looking at various models right now to install myself this spring.

My question is..... can you buy a burner that is too big?

I've read that because of many reasons, you can not always trust the sq. ft. ratings from the manufacturers.  So I agree that if you are  near the 75% mark of the supposed rating, you should get the next size up.  Worst case would be have an undersized burner!!

But, can I go too big?

Thanks.

[PhinPhan]

Welcome to the message board.

At first thought I don't think going big is a bad move.

I have the Woodmaster 4400 which is rated at 5,000 sq ft and I only heat about 1700 sq ft, and it does perfectly fine.  I went above and beyond just in case I add a garage or something in the future.

[NewToIt]

Little more info....

I'm looking to heat about 4000 sq. ft. total (house and small insulated pole barn).

Use the WoodMaster brand for an example..... 4400 is rated at 5000 sq. ft. (should be ok) and the 5500 is rated at 10,000 sq. ft..  4400 or 5500?  Initial cost of 5500 is more of course, but would a smaller burner working hard be better or worse than a larger burner hardly working?

I'm OK with paying a little more now for a stove that has no chance of being undersized, but don't want to waste the extra money an a burner that is too big if it is less efficient (burns way more wood than a properly sized burner).

What if it is rated for 6000 sq. ft.?  Safe or move up to next size?  Where is the cut-off?

[ckbetz]

It's all in the set up.  You can take 2 5000 sq. ft. homes and they may heat completely different.  Start playing with flow rates, type of central heat, insulation, ceiling height and you can see why the OWB's have some ridiculous btu ratings.  I've said it before, a lot of manufacturers rate their stoves for the absolute perfect conditions so it's very difficult to only look at the square footage their rated for.  I would almost take what they rate at and cut it in half...

[Firebug]

You absolutely need to go with the larger size for it to work properly in this situation.  If you don't you will most likely be looking to upgrade next year.  Woodmaster makes a great product but I would not trust it to handle a 4000 SF home.  Go with the 5500 and you will not regret it.  If you go with the 4400 start cutting wood because you'll need a lot.

[NewToIt]

Thanks for the suggestions!

I definitely do not want to go too small, but didn't know if you could error on the too big side either.


Any more thoughts on this topic are still welcome.

[willieG]

buy too big?..i dought it...these stoves are overrated by the manufacturer most times anyway...what ever your last furnace was..make you sure you buy one with a higher rated output

unlike gas and oil stoves whos outputs never change (if it says 150,000 btu per hour..that is what it will deliver 24 hours a day)
your OWB may say the same thing..can it deliver that..possable, if you are standing there feeding it like you are stoking a steam engine but you must remember the fuel supply to your OWB is not constant like the gas or oil stove

i vote for at least one size bigger than what a good heat loss program tells you you will need and you should not buy an OWB untill you have had a good heat loss done on your home!

remember ..most dealers tell of 24 to 36 hour burn times and we all know that is bull and also most dealers i have met are just guys like us that have taken on a dealership to get their furnace cheaper and make a few bucks..they only tell you what the sales book tells them to tell you.. and from what i read on here, most warranties also suck

if you are looking to buy an OWB..there are more than likely a few near you..find out where they are and visit the owners..get the real truth from folks that have had one for a few years see what their wood usage really is adn how often they feed them..what type of house they are in and well it is insulated

there is a HUGE responsability to heating with an OWB, make sure you are ready to take it on before spending your hard earned money on one

for infromation purposes i will tell you that i use no other heat than my OWB and i have heated the last three years with only dead elm..some from the forest floot that is going punky and some from dead trees still standing i heat a 30 x 40 very well insulated shed to about 50 degrees and a 2000 square foot home that is over 100 years old but i have retro fitted most of it and i would say insulated to average standards and all my domestic hot water.. i burn between 8 and 12 full cords of wood per year (this year will be on the high end)

my stove is home made but a dealer in my area looked it over and said it would be equivelent to his middle model so i guess i would have what NC would call NBC 250

i fill this stove in all weather two times a day.. i have learned (pretty well) on how to judge how full to fill it by the weather..when it is warm i put less in but  add wood still twice daily..when  extremely cold i just add more at each filling
i find one big fill causes too many ashes at once and the coals get smothered so you have to add wood again anyway (or stir the coals to the top)

and also one final note...most dealers tell you ....you can burn gree wood and dont worry about a chimney fire...you bet! i agree, dont worry about a chimney fire..but i "gauren-damb-tee" you, you also wont get any heat!

sorry i felt like  ranting a little...bad day at work

[John D]

newtoit,I recommend you get an owb thats rated to heat double with you have as far as sq ft.I have 3000sq ft,went with shaver 250,rated for 5500 sq ft.If i could do it over id went with the 340 rated for 8000 sq ft.No one on here's evr complained there owb was to big or had too long a burn time.

[NewToIt]

Thanks again!

I've decided to find something that is "rated" in the 8,000-10,000 sq. ft. range, and will check the BTU ratings before I buy.

Now just have to figure out which one.  I've found a few made of BOILER PLATE STEEL verses MILD STEEL.... any comments on that?  I don't think I want stainless steel.