Fireplace insert efficiency

[Gomez]

Kevin,

Agreeing with what the other posts have written, my Lopi insert has cut my oil usage by about 40%. As it's an insert, without the blower it really doesn't throw enough heat to warm the entire house. One website that might be useful is hearthnet

My setup was about $2200 five years ago. Stove & SS flex pipe. I installed it myself. I figured I was saving about $500-600 dollars/year in oil savings. So about 4 years for payback.

 

[EddieWalker]

My parents had one for years to heat their house of 2,500 square feet. When they sold that house, I got the insert from them. It took four guys to move it, or somwhere over 500 pounds.

The house I had at the time was only 1,060 sq ft. Small by any standard. It heated the entire house so well, that I would often have to open the windows to cool off the place! I never used the heater again after installing it.

I used scrap lumber almost exclusively to burn in it, which is what I had an almost unlimited supply of. When I used oak, it would burn forever and really put out more heat than was comfortable.

It had a two speed fan that circulated the air from inside the house, around the fire box and back into the house.

Without the insert, I'd estimate the fire was in the ten percent efficiency range. With the insert, I'd guess I was getting almost all the heat out of the fire!!!!!!!

 

[bebster]

I recall reading recently that an open fireplace is -10% efficient, where one with doors reaches about 25% efficiency. If I find the source, I'll send it along.