wonder coal by ussc/ woodchuck

[cal_jrp]

i just wanted to get some advice from you guys on my stove set up. the one in my main living room is a wonder coal. from what i was told, if a stove is good enough to burn coal it will handle wood no problem. i am looking to heat apx 800 square feet with wood only. i have a woodchuck in the basement( the small one) and that thing seems to eat wood like crazy. i am looking to cut down on my wood use. what could i try on these set ups to help. i have a damper in the flue of the wonder coal and the woodchuck is hooked in to my oil furnace ducts. i am looking to burn only when home with the wonder coal and let the wood chuck fire while away when it gets really cold out. i am in sw pa and it doesnt get minnesota cold here to often but would like to be able to handle it just in case. this is my first full year in the home and the old home owner claimed he used 20 cords a year; maybe face cords but who knows? i spent all summer and fall insulating and sealing the thousands of cracks and crevaces, so i know it wont be as bad on wood for me as it was for him but any advice would help. reply with any additional questions you may have for my inquiry. thank you.

 

[stihly dan]

Get a new small wood stove, you will just sip the wood.

 

[laynes69]

800 square foot isn't much to heat, especially if you've tightened up your home. Even at face cords, 20 seems excessive. I would recommend purchasing a EPA certified stove. You'll get cleaner, longer burns with less wood. If you old stove is in decent shape then sell it to help pay for the stove. Someone I know heats their trailer with a wondercoal stove. Our Victorian home is many times larger and with our EPA certified woodfurnace we burn a fraction of the wood they do.

 

[blades]

Coal has a completely different burncycle than wood. Units designed for coal are very inefficient when burning wood. I would second the idea of a new stove to replace the wonder whatever happened to 20 cords unit. I can believe that between the one in the basement and upstairs that you could run 20 full cords ( not face). Look at Englander or Drolet lines of stoves both North American made and not pocket book breakers. I heated a trailer( early 80's mfg, less than adequate insulation) for 7 years (900 sq ft) on 4 cords or less with a stove( had secondary burn) that was a precursor to the units available now. Currently In a 2000sq ft ,1960 built ranch( so side wall insulation is not great) 95% of my heat is supplied by a Englander NC-30. I have a similar furnace in basement to yours. It is a wood hog. Consumes volumes of wood for marginal returns. There are a few wood only designed furnaces available most are around $4k+ for anything worth its salt that will supply a 8 + hour burn/heat ( hot air units inside)

 

[cal_jrp]

wood chucker

well my other issue is i bought a soapstone heater second hand. all wood problems solved eh. well after looking it over i decided to take it to a cerified repair shop, now they are dragging their feet on it and i dont think they really want to piss with it. but after being already $800 into it i would just like to get the damn thing in my living room and running safely.
now that englander, do they make any left side loaders with 1000ft sq heating capacity? or anybody similar worth while?

 

[darkbyrd]

I have an old coal chief (burning wood) that is doing the job for my 660 sq ft. I'm sure I could do better, but I like its small footprint and clearances, and the price was right. When I have more space, I'll certainly upgrade, and maybe put the coal chief in a man cave.

 

[blades]

well my other issue is i bought a soapstone heater second hand. all wood problems solved eh. well after looking it over i decided to take it to a cerified repair shop, now they are dragging their feet on it and i dont think they really want to piss with it. but after being already $800 into it i would just like to get the damn thing in my living room and running safely.
now that englander, do they make any left side loaders with 1000ft sq heating capacity? or anybody similar worth while?

Englanders are all front loaders for wood units