Insert for fireplace.

[Knotdodger]

Who here has a wood fireplace insert ??? And if so , Do you think it heats better than your fireplace did with out the insert??? I just dont want to shell out the $$$$$ if it is not much better. It would have to be noticable anyways. Thanks for any feedback.

Rob.

 

[boostnut]

I'm on my 3rd year with a Jotul Kennebec insert and can say that there is no comparison between it and an open fireplace. Buy an insert and stainless liner for your chimney and shut your gas or oil furnace off (depending on the size/layout/efficiency of your house). Do a search here and check out **********, you'll see just how much you're missing out on without one.

 

[Tree Slayer]

Put a jotul insert in last winter it makes way more heat then the fireplace with quarter the amount of wood. I also have a stove in the finished basement.

 

[Wood Scrounge]

BUY BUY the insert TODAY don't wait. HUGE diffrence, I just have a cheap Dutchwest and it works great. I would guess it is a 80% improvment over the hole in the wall that was there before.

 

[Quadrafire2]

Quadrafire Insert 3100I

BUY BUY the insert TODAY don't wait. HUGE diffrence, I just have a cheap Dutchwest and it works great. I would guess it is a 80% improvment over the hole in the wall that was there before.

Quadrafire Insert 3100I

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We have had this insert stove for 7 years. My house is a 5 bedroom farm ranch with 2800sqft. The stove is located on the first floor in the den, it heats up the adjacent kitchen and dining room. It also heats up the upstairs two bedrooms and 1 bathroom. I use doorframe fans to move the air from the den to the kitchen, and from the kitchen to the hallway where the hot air rises to the upstairs bedrooms.

I can fit 6 6"x17" logs and they last 8 hours where after 8 hours there are some red coals left at the bottom just enough to start another fire. At this point the stove is just warm. I have the dual blowers and use them 24/7 with the stove 24/7. We have 3 more bedrooms on the first floor and I keep the thermostat there at a constant 62°F ( a little cold but we got used to it fast). We have a 3 zone oil heating system, one for the upstairs and two for the first floor so as long as the outside temperature does not drop much below 30°F, only the first floor bedrooms zone is on only once in a while.

The Quadrafire has two levers, one for the flue and one for the air intake. When I first load the wood I leave the door a crack open (with the door handle down) for about 20 to 30 minuets to let the fire catch, then I close the door and let it run for another 5 to 10 minuets. Then I close the flue lever all the way and close the air intake ½ to 2/3 of the way, depending how cold the house is. For the first 45 minuets I run the blower ¼ speed and after the 45 minuets 2/3 to ¾ speed again depending on how cold the house is.

One interesting observation, I have a two zone central air system so I experimented with running the central air fans to move the warm air to the rest of the house. To my disappointment after 1 hour the temperature on the first floor bedrooms actually dropped one degree! I do not understand why but that is what happened.

I tried to give as much information as possible for any new woodstove users to get a feel on what is involved, I hope that helps.

 

[Sprig]

Yup, go for an insert, huge differences in heating in my experience. Fireplaces (open) are pretty to watch but suck (literally) more air out than they heat, so shop around there are some nice 'airtight' units out there for reasonable, if ya like to watch the flames go for glass fronted, do your homework and you won't regret it imho. Just the savings in wood usage alone will make you happy i think.



Serge

 

[Knotdodger]

Right on!!!

I use quite abit of wood right now. And the wife does like to look at the flames. And stand in front of the fireplace. It has doors but nothing airtight. Plus I love to cut wood.. hehe Cant get enough. Dont mind spliting it either. My fireplace is 34" long by 28" high . 1500 sq ft. Thanks for the replies.

Don't mind the saw. The stone is 5ft tall 8ft. long. It's the only pic I have on the computer at the time.

 

[Knotdodger]

Please excuse my ignorance about inserts.. I just wanted to hear it from real people rather than advertisments. I don't know anyone who has one.
It's funny because when I was growing up , We heated with wood only alot. I did all the spliting with a maul. My dad worked me like a dog.. I hated it at the time.. {for years and years}. We moved to Colorado, and we cut for a living there. Now I am back in michigan all growed up 40 plus. And love cutting and spliting {with a maul still} and stacking . I actually look forward to it.. funny isnt it?? O.K. I will quit rambling...hehe

 

[Wood Scrounge]

Please excuse my ignorance about inserts.. I just wanted to hear it from real people rather than advertisments. I don't know anyone who has one.
It's funny because when I was growing up , We heated with wood only alot. I did all the spliting with a maul. My dad worked me like a dog.. I hated it at the time.. {for years and years}. We moved to Colorado, and we cut for a living there. Now I am back in michigan all growed up 40 plus. And love cutting and spliting {with a maul still} and stacking . I actually look forward to it.. funny isnt it?? O.K. I will quit rambling...hehe

I hear you, I grew up hating wood but about 4 years ago I started missing it. Now I can't get enough, I'm like a crack head about it.
Plug that hole in your wall with a nice insert with a blower and you will be very happy.

 

[FLCM]

+1
On the Jotul Kenebec. With the insert there's no comparison to an open fireplace, the heat output is much higher. You will need a ceiling fan to work in conjunction with the blower. It moves the heat out of the room faster.

 

[jerry wayne]

gas man come late september - fill tank with hank hill to 80% - gas man come december - tank still 62% - gas man not look happy - owner feel sorry for gas man - owner will ALWAYS have insert:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[hanko]

BUY BUY the insert TODAY don't wait. HUGE diffrence, I just have a cheap Dutchwest and it works great. I would guess it is a 80% improvment over the hole in the wall that was there before.

I didnt think dutch west was a cheep stove. I think I paid around 1200 for mine, mid size free standing. It apears to be of quality, and heats my 1200 sq ft shop on 2 cords a year, maybe a tad more but not much

 

[Knotdodger]

You live in michigan I see ,, Hanko.. Where did you pick yours up at????

 

[Wood Scrounge]

I didnt think dutch west was a cheep stove. I think I paid around 1200 for mine, mid size free standing. It apears to be of quality, and heats my 1200 sq ft shop on 2 cords a year, maybe a tad more but not much

I have the little insert and it was 890 brand new, I did not mean to imply "cheap" poor quality just low price. I am very happy with it; I have said this before I think it puts out more heat (at peek burn) then my big VC defiant.

 

[bruce56BB]

knot, here's a link to our stove.
http://www.hearthtalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=28
it is a mid 90's earth stove. i've been running it for 3 years now and love the wood burning experience.
as for heat output, open fireplace vs insert there isn't much of a comparison.

 

[hanko]

You live in michigan I see ,, Hanko.. Where did you pick yours up at????

I got it at heat and sweep in Okemos, which is by lansing

 

[hanko]

I have the little insert and it was 890 brand new, I did not mean to imply "cheap" poor quality just low price. I am very happy with it; I have said this before I think it puts out more heat (at peek burn) then my big VC defiant.

I kinda thaught the price was pretty comparable to the other one they had. my brother has had one for 10 years, my son bought one on recomendation from him so as both were happy i bought one for my shop. I paid I think around 1500 for everything, chimney, the whole works. I cant imagine anything working anybetter. I heat my 1200 sq ft shop on aprox 2 cords a year. The ones with enamel are better looking, but hey its for my shop and office. I wish i had one in the house instead of the wood eating beast furnace I have now.

 

[curdy]

Ditto what everyone else said about a HUGE difference in heat output. I'd recommend making some phone calls to local stove shops and seeing if they know of anyone switching over to gas and removing their wood inset, or upgrading. While you're probably better off doing this in the fall, there can be people doing it now too.

I did this and picked up a really nice insert for $150. If I put this on a retail floor for sale I could probably get $800+ for it.

 

[bowtechmadman]

I have an insert in fireplace at cottage and it does work well...I'm pulling it out, don't use the cottage in the winter and would prefer to have full view of the fire, rather than the improved heating efficiency.
Cottage is in Baldwin if you would be interested in the insert.

 

[A. Stanton]

I bought a Pacific Enery fireplace wood insert. Best money I've ever spent. Without too much razzle dazzle, here's the facts: efficiency of fireplace 20%, efficiency of insert 70%.
You can bet your bottom $ that those poor people in the mid west affected by those ice storms wish they had an insert or stove right now.
By the way, burning part time, my oil consumption went from 960 gallons to 540 last year. Mild winter last year, but none the less, I couldn't be happier.