Insert shopping.....

[Haywire Haywood]

Well, it looks like I'm moving. I'll be leaving the Jotul Oslo behind and the new house has a fireplace without an insert, so if our offer is accepted, I'll have to fix that situation... hopefully by winter 12-13. What inserts do you guys have and what do you like or dislike about them? The new house is right at 2000sq ft. I didn't think to measure the fireplace, so I guess that will determine the size I can use. So far I've been looking at Jotul and Pacific Energy.

Ian

 

[Chud]

I have a Fisher that I got at a yard sale for $80. It does a decent job heating the house, but I wish it had a better blower.

 

[cnice_37]

I've got the Jotul Rockland. Heats my 1800 sq ft home OK.

Burn times max out around 8 hours, typical is 6. All that plus I use about 5.5 cords but my windows are old school with a fairly well insulated home in Mass. My wife being home with our daughter, so that is 24 hour 70 degree temps.

If I did it again, I'd get an Oslo and let it stuck out onto the hearth. When we bought it was very much aesthetics based, and I feel a "real" wood stove has much better efficiency and of course a bigger firebox.

Fan rattles a bit, other than that it is a good unit, and nice looking.

It works, but I always want better, so I will add a block off plate this fall.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Here's the listing pic. Note not a lot of hearth depth. 2 brick lengths. No space to set a free standing stove. I wonder how much it would cost to put a row or two of 12" tile around the hearth. It needs a border to help keep sparks off that carpet. By the looks of the back of the fireplace (no soot), it's never been used.

View attachment 188348

 

[Ironworker]

I have a Lopi Freedom with a blower and love it 8 plus hours of burn time and have no problem heating 5 bedrooms and 3200 sq. ft.

 

[johnha]

I've been burning a Quadra Fire 4100i for 5th season.

When I bought it, had one of the biggest viewing areas available with its 3 bay windows. Downside of this is that those windows are not very good at self cleaning. Variable speed, thermostatically controlled blower.

If I had to do it over again (and your new place has the hearth space), my buddy bought a Regency hearth warmer which isn't really an insert. That heats passively like my woodstove, since as you already know, most of the heat provided by an insert is due to the blower.

Best wishes with the new place.

 

[zogger]

fireplace to woodstove

Well, it looks like I'm moving. I'll be leaving the Jotul Oslo behind and the new house has a fireplace without an insert, so if our offer is accepted, I'll have to fix that situation... hopefully by winter 12-13. What inserts do you guys have and what do you like or dislike about them? The new house is right at 2000sq ft. I didn't think to measure the fireplace, so I guess that will determine the size I can use. So far I've been looking at Jotul and Pacific Energy.

Ian

Where we live it is a very old rough cabin, built pre-"facilities" You can see the plumbing and electricity was an add-on.. Originally it had two back to back fireplaces for the heat. These have been bricked up, and a stove pipe hole put in up the wall at approximately six feet high. Works fine with a regular old used heater now. I put one of those heat proof fire proof reflective sheets on the floor to sit the stove on. We only have one heater installed in the living room, the opposite kitchen side could take another one but ye aulde ladyee doesn't want a cookstove in there, prefers the electric range. (came with electric, although today a propane option)

Anyway, consider that, just blocking off the chimney and adding a hole yourself. then you have a lot more options as to heaters. You can tile or brick out for a hearth, whatever you want.

 

[Henry and Wanda]

Get a Regency Hearthstove....I had one for 12 years at the other house and it worked good. It sets out on the hearth instead of back in the fireplace opening and more of it is exposed to radiate the heat. It is not as deep as a regular woodstove so it fits on most hearths unless they are real small !!! It had a nice blower also !!!!



Henry and Wanda

 

[Haywire Haywood]

I think I'm liking the looks of the PE Summit. I like that it loads N-S instead of E-W. I can already tell that I'm going to miss my ash pan though :msp_sad:.

 

[olyman]

I think I'm liking the looks of the PE Summit. I like that it loads N-S instead of E-W. I can already tell that I'm going to miss my ash pan though :msp_sad:.

cut the carpet to depth of two more rows of brick,,or three,,away from the hearth,,lay brick..then you will have a large enough area to put a bigger stove of your choice there

 

[Haywire Haywood]

I'd either have to be lucky enough to match the brick exactly or do something totally contrasting to keep it from looking added on or patched up. It having never been used makes it easier though.

Ian

 

[Ronaldo]

Insert

I can attest to the Pacific Energy's quality and ease of use.I have a PE Super 27 stove and have heated for 12 years with it and love it!Mine is not an insert but they are built basically the same.I too like ashpans and mine had a kit available to put the ashes down through a small hole in the bottom of the firebox-check that out.


Ron

 

[England14]

Insert for sale

Buck Stove Fireplace Insert Wood Burning

Don't forget to ask for your ArboristSite discount!

 

[adamc]

Ian,

I have a Fireplace Extrodinaire Elite 33 and love it. It sits flush with the opening of the fireplace which is aesthetically very pleasing, but the downside is that it is useless without the blower. I believe the minimum hearth depth requirement was 14". I had to extend mine, and I used fabricated hearth stones from my local stone yard. They are cast, dyed concrete that resemble natural stone. The come in a variety of colors and I cut them with a masonry blade and laid them using regular brick mortar. It was not hard to find a color that looked good, and it really reduced the amount of work to extend the hearth.

It has a very large fire box (the front section will take up to a 24" log) and I have no problems getting a solid 8 hour burn time. I can even go a little longer with good wood and good loading and still have plenty of hot coals to easily get the fire going again when I get up in the morning or home from work. My house is about 1800 square feet, and even when the outside temps are single digits, I usually don't have a problem maintaining mid 60's inside.

On paper, the efficiency of this unit was near the top of other units I considered. I also looked at the PE summit as well as a unit from Quadrafire. I like the dual doors on my unit and the air wash works extremely well (all my friends with inserts always have filthy glass, mine rarely needs cleaned). If I could change anything, I would refine the air intake damper a little, but this is a pretty nit-picky gripe. I think that the exact model I have no longer exists and has been updated, but I am not sure. Overall, I would highly recommend it.

Adam

 

[saxman]

You might look at the Lennox Country Stove collection on the web. I have their largest insert, the Canyon, and have used it the last two winters and have been well pleased. It extends onto the hearth so you get some radiant heating and it has a powerful and quiet varible speed blower. I have a very good full service dealer in the area is the main factor in going with the Lennox. Good luck in you search.

Steve

 

[olyman]

I'd either have to be lucky enough to match the brick exactly or do something totally contrasting to keep it from looking added on or patched up. It having never been used makes it easier though.

Ian

should be able to trace the person that built the hearth...and find out where they got the brick from.....and the dye you use to dye concrete,,i would think you could take some of that to dye the brick all the same color,,if the front and back wouldnt match perfect.......................just idears!!! :msp_thumbsup:

 

[Elim]

Hey Ian,

Congrats on the new place. It looks real nice! Is this a local move, or out of state? If your end up around to the WV/KY state line, and need a hand moving in let me know. I will do my best to lend a hand/back.

On the insert front. Be sure to check out the Blaze King inserts. The Princess will hold 60# of wood, and has a low burn time of 20+ hours.

https://www.blazeking.com/EN/wood-princess-insert.html

Good luck with the move.

 

[Gologit]

Is the insert going to be your only source of heat? Our neighbor has a PE insert and heats a 1600 sq. ft. house.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Congrats on the new place. It looks real nice! Is this a local move, or out of state? If your end up around to the WV/KY state line, and need a hand moving in let me know. I will do my best to lend a hand/back.

Providing this house we placed an offer on works out (they have till 5 today to respond), we'll just be moving about 20 miles across the county to a better area. Where we're at has gone down hill the last year or so and we need to get out before the neighbors do any more damage to our property value. Thanks for the offer though.

Ian

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Is the insert going to be your only source of heat? Our neighbor has a PE insert and heats a 1600 sq. ft. house.

That's my intent. We haven't bought propane for 2 years and I'd like to keep that going. The new place has a heat pump and I'd like to keep that meter from spinning. (except they're all digital now and don't spin anymore LOL)

Ian