Selection fireplace stove experiences?

Hello everyone,

we are just starting the shell construction of our building project, a Kfw55 single-family house, turnkey.

We are building a fireplace and are therefore currently faced with the choice of which wood stove to select. Due to the long delivery times and price increases, we would like to buy a stove soon.

The stove will be connected to the chimney in the living room. The living and dining rooms are connected without a partition and together have about 35 sqm. The house will have underfloor heating, an air heat pump, no central ventilation system. The wood stove is primarily intended to serve the atmosphere.

We have already been to 2 stores, but were not advised very well, rather we had the impression that they wanted to sell stoves from companies they have contracts with, which were not necessarily tailored to our circumstances.

The first stove offered was from the manufacturer Rika (model "Nex") with a nominal output of 8 kW. According to the dealer, it could also be operated with only 4 kW if you put in correspondingly little wood. Furthermore, this stove could also be ordered in 6 kW - according to the dealer it would then be identical to the 8 kW model, only the label would be different.

We actually like this stove very much in terms of appearance, but we wonder whether we were properly advised here and whether an 8 kW stove makes sense for our not very large living/dining room.

In the meantime, I have tried to research a lot on the internet, and the tenor there is rather that for our square meter conditions, a stove with low nominal output, maybe 4 kW, should be used.

I found some models from Justus, e.g. Mino Top 2.0 - at least the stove should look something like this; although this model already has a nominal output of 5.5 kW.

Now I see that Justus stoves are also available at Obi and "DIY store quality" is generally discouraged - let alone that I wouldn’t even know who would install the stove if bought from a DIY store.

Through an entry in another forum, I also came across Morsoe stoves, specifically model 7343 with 4.3 kW, which might fit and probably is not "DIY store quality."

When visiting another dealer, models from the Czech manufacturer Romotop were demonstrated, here the models Laredo F 02 and 04a with 4.0 kW each, but with a door/handle that did not seem very high quality.

Unfortunately, at this point I don’t really know where to go regarding stove purchase. What would you advise us? Does buying from a DIY store make sense and how would the installation take place? Which brands/models/nominal outputs can you recommend? Our pain threshold is about 3,000 euros plus installation/laying of flue pipe connection and combustion air connection and delivery.

I would be very grateful for guidance and also for specific recommendations.

Best regards

Sandra

The problem with fireplaces is always this: to get comfortable heat for a longer time, you have to add fuel evenly. This also means that the stove should always be fueled in such a way that it operates roughly at the intended output. Otherwise, it does not burn efficiently, you get more soot, and the lifespan may be shorter. So I would definitely pay attention to ensuring that the kW rating really matches the size of the room to be heated. For KfW55 and 35 square meters, 4 kW should easily be sufficient; there is hardly much below that anyway. We live in a 40 sqm living kitchen used for similar purposes with an affordable La Nordica Super Junior (5 kW). However, it is an older house. Initially, I did not want to spend too much to see if a higher-class purchase in this power range would make sense later (we liked the Austroflamm). However, it burns so well (and cleanly) that we no longer want to replace it. Although I just noticed that it now costs 100 euros more than a year ago.

There are many different types of stoves, just google kachelofenwelt and ofentypen. For well-insulated houses, a masonry stove is partially recommended. They are available from 2 KW output and cost from €3500. For example, you can set the desired "Nennleistung" as a filter in various stove shops online and take a look at all the models there.

We also have a wood-burning stove that mainly serves the cozy ambiance. It is the Czech brand Hein-Ofen. Our stove fitter from the region installed it. With delivery and installation, we were at 4700 EUR. Maybe you like something like that?

For 35 sqm, I would also recommend less than 8 kW and specifically the Skantherm Elements S with 4 kW. It is visually close to your favorite and heats a 40 sqm room by about 3-5 degrees with one load of wood. The large glass window also makes it very attractive visually. The installation was carried out by the seller's cooperation partner/tradesman (specialist stove retailer).

We also have a wood-burning stove that mainly serves the cozy atmosphere. It is the Czech brand Hein-Ofen. Our stove fitter from the region installed it. With delivery and installation, we were at 4700 EUR. Maybe you like something like that?

You don't have a hearth plate? Did it work without one for you?