Looking for a NEW Fireplace Insert.

[DFK]

Well, The Brick Man has just about finished rebuilding the old Chimney.
Now the Wife and I are on the hunt for a new Fireplace Insert.

Does anyone out there have any exsperence with the Lopi units???
The Freedom Insert is the one we are looking at. I have not even figured out if it has a "Cat" or not.
However, it does have a "Cooktop Surface".

Another unit we are looking at is the Buck Stove Model 94NC. It has a 4.4 cubic ft Fire Box.
Down side is it weighs 600 lbs. Does anybody have any exsperence with this unit???

I am open to looking at other units as well.

And the looking is on.

 

[Ironworker]

I have a Lopi Freedom insert going on eight seasons and love it, I would get another and would recommend it.

 

[DFK]

Does it have a "CAT"??

Thanks
David

 

[1967 Tempest]

We use a Napoleon 1402 insert. Works great. This is my second Napoleon insert. We had one in NH house as well. Works great and heats well. Fans are quiet but after a few days you do't hear them anyway. Down side to any insert is that the length of wood is usually 18" or less. SO when getting firewood, if you buy it make sure to ask for wood stove cut. If not a lot of firewood sellers will drop off stuff in the 20-24" range.

The napoleon is NOT a cat style. But does have a "reburner" of exhaust gases. Once the unit is up to temp, it has ZERO smoke and burns evenly. We have a SS chimney line which is highly recommended for any install. I clean the flue and cap before the season starts, and when dry seasoned wood is burned, I usually get almost no creosote. Cleaning of the stove is a breeze and the firebricks are a standard size. So replacements are easy to find. The fiberglass "tops" inside the stove did get a hole in them after 10 years. Most likely from me putting firewood in to capacity and scraping a little off every time. Replacements were reasonable and the new ones are twice as thick.

We did get some of the surround in powerder coat which has held up nicely. The stove finish is great. The door is easy to open and closes well. The gaskets are still in great shape but the glass might be a hair looses. But after 10 years and heating with wood primarily, I would chock that up to normal wear and tear. You will not be sad you bought this stove. 5 star rating from me. I would buy another in an instant.

http://napoleonfireplaces.com/products/1402-wood-burning-insert/

 

[cuinrearview]

We just finished our second heating season with a Recency i2400. If the i3100 would have fit it would have been a better match for my 2200 sq ft split level home with 70's cellulose insulation. This past winter, which was overall fairly typical, we burned just over four cord of cherry, hard and soft maple, box elder, and a little locust and 250 gallons of lp. The furnace stayed set at 68 and obviously rarely ran. I expect to use less gas next winter when I will only be burning oak, sugar maple, hickory, and cherry. IMO that little firebox does an amazing job heating my layout, and the bricks are standard except for one on the floor, but the dealer I purchased from will cut them for free if I need one. I'm not going to claim it's the best because everyone's mileage varies but I am very satisfied with the purchase.

 

[Dr. Hackemoff]

We just finished our second heating season with a Recency i2400. If the i3100 would have fit it would have been a better match for my 2200 sq ft split level home with 70's cellulose insulation. This past winter, which was overall fairly typical, we burned just over four cord of cherry, hard and soft maple, box elder, and a little locust and 250 gallons of lp. The furnace stayed set at 68 and obviously rarely ran. I expect to use less gas next winter when I will only be burning oak, sugar maple, hickory, and cherry. IMO that little firebox does an amazing job heating my layout, and the bricks are standard except for one on the floor, but the dealer I purchased from will cut them for free if I need one. I'm not going to claim it's the best because everyone's mileage varies but I am very satisfied with the purchase.

I've had the i3100 for two years, and my experience is very similar to yours, about four cords of ash/mulberry/locust/old crappy dry starter stuff. Used about 400 gallons of LP. I recommend Regency as well, but David will need to see what is available close to him. From what I've read on the Lopi, one can't go wrong with them. My daughter has a Nappy and it works great too. Probably not a lot of "bad" stoves or inserts to be had these days (when buying new).

 

[Ironworker]

Does it have a "CAT"??

Thanks
David

No.

 

[DFK]

Thanks for the Replies.
We dont have a Napoleon dealer closer that about 100 miles..... That alone may leave them out..

Our house has 1600 Sq/Ft of heated space. Sort of a mid 70's layout. The Living room, Dinning room and Kitchen are at one of the house with a open floorplan layout. The Bedrooms are at the other end of the house accessed by a center hall. All on one level.

We like to keep the front of the house at around 76 to 78 degrees. We prefer that that the Bedrooms be about 10 degrees cooler. We all sleep better in cooler temps.

Cant say that I know the Sq/Ft in the front of the house but it cant be over 1000.
I have access to more Oak and Hickory than I could ever burn in an Insert . So as long as I am able to cut and split it
good firewood will not a problem.

We recentely picked up papers for the following stoves:
Regency, Superior, Hampton, High Valley, Buck Stove, Supreme, Quadra-Fire and Lopi.

Right now, The Lopi's are looking the best to me.
The good wife wants to buy from a "Full Service Dealer" and let them install it.
She said I might mess it up. Why would she think that....

Thanks
David

 

[Ironworker]

Thanks for the Replies.
We dont have a Napoleon dealer closer that about 100 miles..... That alone may leave them out..

Our house has 1600 Sq/Ft of heated space. Sort of a mid 70's layout. The Living room, Dinning room and Kitchen are at one of the house with a open floorplan layout. The Bedrooms are at the other end of the house accessed by a center hall. All on one level.

We like to keep the front of the house at around 76 to 78 degrees. We prefer that that the Bedrooms be about 10 degrees cooler. We all sleep better in cooler temps.

Cant say that I know the Sq/Ft in the front of the house but it cant be over 1000.
I have access to more Oak and Hickory than I could ever burn in an Insert . So as long as I am able to cut and split it
good firewood will not a problem.

We recentely picked up papers for the following stoves:
Regency, Superior, Hampton, High Valley, Buck Stove, Supreme, Quadra-Fire and Lopi.

Right now, The Lopi's are looking the best to me.
The good wife wants to buy from a "Full Service Dealer" and let them install it.
She said I might mess it up. Why would she think that....

Thanks
David

I basically did that, I had the dealer install our Lopi Freedom and could not be happier. I've since replaced baffles which were under warrenty.

 

[Iron Head]

Any Lopi inserts will be fine. And I like to suggest you consider the fire box dimensions because my little Revere has a larger box than the larger Cat models.
This may not be a big deal but the box dimensions will determine your firewood size which could be a major factor with your firewood stacks.
For me, I like longer pieces because they are more stable to stack.
My Revere allows me to use 16" logs which is can be stacked up to 7' high.