Wood Stove Insert for the fireplace, suggestions please

[2458n]

I also have a Country Flame stove. Yes, they were bought out by someone. When I tracked the new company down I found that they had doubled the prices of the old country flame items. Bought my house in 1982 and the fireplace insert shortly afterwards. Still heating with it tonight. Bought a new piece of glass for one of the doors around 3pm today for 54.00 with the gasket. Next on the list will be a fan the old one says to oil it 2x a year. That was never done until this fall. Old fan was oiled with 3in1 and returned to service. Only comment is to get a insert that pulls air in from the outside to burn. Larger is better if you do not like getting up at night. Talking 1 degree here tonight and everything is fine.

 

[Beltzington]

I have an older Appalachian insert and it is very well built, also has an electric fan to blow heated air into the living area which quickly warms up the room. Can't comment on it's efficiency as I never used it for primary heat source. Good Luck with your search.

Appalachian Stove - Gas and Wood Stoves - Home

 

[Egon]

First check with your insurance company.

Then go on line and check them out. Most sites will have clearances required which usually come close to building code. You also have to match the chimney size recommended for the stove. Stainless steel liners work in flue chimney's. They do come in continuous coils.

I have a regency insert.

 

[Eyecatcher]

Has anyone tried the insert type that works kind of like a grate, made of pipe that curls around so the fire is built on top and air circulates through the pipe? We just had the fireplace built a few years ago, and actually enlarged the room to accommodate it. Don't want to lose the ambiance, but would like to move the warm air around. Although this is N. Fla, we burn the fire place most of the winter.

 

[Ken45101]

I heat with a Pacific Energy insert. It's been used every season for 12 years. You will be well served with a flue liner. It helps the stove operation & draw. I would advise you to insulate the SS flue liner with the proper ceramic fiber blanket. I did and the flue draws very well with almost no build-up. I inspect every year and clean every 3rd.

I agree with Pacific Energy. We have the PE Summit (stand alone) and love it. We originally was going to set it in the old fireplace, but decided to have it stand alone 5 feet away. Much better that way, we love it!

Definitely get a larger unit. The modern EPA approved stoves are smaller than the old "air tight" stoves.

 

[HillStreet]

I heat with a Pacific Energy insert. It's been used every season for 12 years. You will be well served with a flue liner. It helps the stove operation & draw. I would advise you to insulate the SS flue liner with the proper ceramic fiber blanket. I did and the flue draws very well with almost no build-up. I inspect every year and clean every 3rd.

I visited a stove shop and did extensive reading about the Pacific Energy Summit model. Will buy it this summer for heating next year. Mostly good reviews, very popular, and features large fire box with long clean burn.

 

[farmeratheart]

. How many square feet are you heating? How many cord per season would you estimate, being in MD, you're a little south, but similar climate

Heating ~2500 sq ft to 65F with about 4-4.5 cords of hard wood and about 125 gal propane in a normal year. This year's totals for both will probably be greater, but this is not a normal year.

 

[WaterDawg]

I had a masonry Fire Place like you in my basement.

I decided I wanted to heat my house with wood...not supplement, sole heat source.

I found a Vermont Castings Wood Stove on craigslist 3 hours away. I took two guys with me and we went and picked it up. It was all we could do to get it in the truck.
My local Wood Stove guy told me I could go old school and stuff the pipe up the chimney and insulate it with unfaced insulation. That's what I did and it worked fine though I will say that I had to replace that insulation every season.

I converted my entire basement which was under renovation at the time - into my wood stove room. I had the stove in front of the FP and well off to the left I had a week of wood stacked inside. 4-5 cords were outside and I'd haul in a couple of wheelbarrows every day.

I am glad I went with a Wood Stove over a Wood Insert because you get a lot more heat from it, but the best part...I was also able to cook on it. Stove was always running so if I need to cook breakfast or dinner, it was ready to go. I also kept a wood stove steamer on there for moisture control.

If you have the room, go with the Wood Stove. If you don't, go with a insert that has a battery backup so it will work if you lose power.

 

[jel1988]

If your burning oil I would assume you have ductwork. Why don't you look for a dual fuel furnace? Stoves do provide good heat but hot near the stove and cold everywhere else. Don't forget if you upgrade the furnace the chimney will need to be upgraded with SS liner. You also could use one of those exterior self contained boilers with an air handler. Either way you would heat the entire house instead of one room.

 

[Happy Gilmore]

If your burning oil I would assume you have ductwork. Why don't you look for a dual fuel furnace? Stoves do provide good heat but hot near the stove and cold everywhere else. Don't forget if you upgrade the furnace the chimney will need to be upgraded with SS liner. You also could use one of those exterior self contained boilers with an air handler. Either way you would heat the entire house instead of one room.

The house was built in 1950, it has a five year old oil fired boiler, the heat is transferred throughout the home via old style cast iron radiators. In the future I'm considering going with an outside wood fired boiler, but that's a ways off due to cost. Unfortunately with the existing fireplace I'm limited to an insert.