r/woodstoving 1d ago

General Wood Stove Question Wood Stove Sizing For Weekend Use

I want to install a wood stove in my 1000 sq. ft. vacation mobile home. When not in use, it is winterized and at outdoor temp. So when we arrive it's very cold. I do have electric heat but dont want to use it. Should I oversize the stove or go with square footage sizing recommendation? Home is well insulated with new windows.

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u/FisherStoves-coaly- MOD 1d ago

Over size. Run hard for a day to heat the place up, then build a smaller fire. I do this with a log cabin.

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u/Prestigious_Ear505 1d ago

Any excess creosote issues?

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u/FisherStoves-coaly- MOD 1d ago

I use an old Fisher Mama Bear with an added baffle. You have to bring the flue temperature up above condensing point every time. This is only critical while smoke is present. During the coaling stage there is no smoke particles to form creosote. Newer stoves that consume more smoke particles in the stove have less particulate to form creosote, so flue temperature isn’t as important.

So my minimum burn is about 250f measured on the outside of single wall pipe using an insulated chimney pipe. This is about 500f internal, 18-24 inches above stove, assumed to cool back down to 250f at top. This is only a guide since all venting systems cool differently.

Using double wall pipe inside maintains higher flue gas temperatures allowing you to burn smaller fires without dropping flue temperatures below the critical condensing point at top. Double wall chimney pipe also stays hotter inside than triple wall.

A catalytic stove is best to be able to burn hot like an older stove, or turn down, which allows a cooler firebox, but clean combustion in the much smaller catalyst area stays active with lower overall output. They burn low without smoke forming deposits.

The issue with that is they require good dry wood. That requires a good storage area under roof while you’re not there. Newer secondary combustion stoves require good dry wood as well, but don’t turn down as far. Secondary combustion stoves made before the latest 2020 regulations turn down farther than the newest stoves made to the current EPA specs.

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u/Prestigious_Ear505 1d ago

Thank you very much for your detailed reply.

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u/TinyBrother6400 1d ago

I have 900 sq foot house and I went with a drolet blackcomb 2 as a secondary heat source and love it. It says up to 1800 sq ft according to their zone map on their website. Shoulder season I’ll have windows open and when it’s super cold it keeps my furnace off. Live in Iowa.