Wood Stove Sizing
One measure of a stove's size is its heat output measured in BTUs. Various wood stoves
have ratings of 35,000 to over 100,000 BTUs. The BTU rating of the wood stove you buy
should be sized to the number of square feet you're heating.

A rule of thumb for figuring this out is 35 BTUs for every square foot of heated space. For
example: A 1,200 sq. ft. ranch would require a stove rated around 42,000 BTUs.
(35 x 1,200 = 42,000)

If your home has more than one story, plan on heating only the floor where the stove is
located. Although heat rises, it doesn't rise fast enough to comfortably heat upstairs
bedrooms and the bath. Consider supplementing the heat in these rooms with small
space heaters.

backboiler
- bill 6-22-2009 2:29 pm [add a comment]

We heat the main areas of our place with a gas stove and have convectair units in all bedrooms and bathrooms. They were easy to install and seem to be efficient.
- steve 6-22-2009 4:44 pm [add a comment]