troylee
ArboristSite Guru
This is in town (pop 150) so it is natural gas, would be a lot bigger deal if it was out in the country with a LP tank.
Thoughts on fireplace inserts
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This is in town (pop 150) so it is natural gas, would be a lot bigger deal if it was out in the country with a LP tank.
steved
ArboristSite Guru
Two things...
One, is it an insert?
That's not an insert...its an RSF woodstove.
Second, if it is an insert; make sure it is plumbed correctly. They usually botch that install. Had an insert, they slid an insert in, and dropped a six inch liner into a double wall pipe and called it triple wall. That's the biggest danger, bad install causing a fire.
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One, is it an insert?
That's not an insert...its an RSF woodstove.
Second, if it is an insert; make sure it is plumbed correctly. They usually botch that install. Had an insert, they slid an insert in, and dropped a six inch liner into a double wall pipe and called it triple wall. That's the biggest danger, bad install causing a fire.
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troylee
ArboristSite Guru
It is not a new install, don't know how long it has been in, but know it has been awhile. I will get some more info on this as we get deeper into the process. I forgot to get the mfg and model number off it yesterday. That was the first time I had been in the house since 1972.
UpOnTheHill
ArboristSite Guru
Very nice place! That would be around 180k to 200k in the village here. Congratulations to you and your family. Looks like its been well taken care of. After i bought the house - If it were me, I'd pull out the existing insert, get a good look at the flue, the chimney and the stove itself. If you don't know much about these things, get a buddy there that does. Possibly re-line the flue and put a newer, more efficient insert with secondary burn capability. I'd want to feel good about the equipment and installation before I burned much in it. Just my 2 cents though. I'm known as "captain safety" around my house.
With a good sized, efficient insert, I think you'd be surprised how much of that old house you can keep warm. The floor plan looks fairly open with large openings between the 1st floor rooms. With one or two strategically placed floor fans and a ceiling fan or two, I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised.
With a good sized, efficient insert, I think you'd be surprised how much of that old house you can keep warm. The floor plan looks fairly open with large openings between the 1st floor rooms. With one or two strategically placed floor fans and a ceiling fan or two, I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Ironworker
Addicted to ArboristSite
Buy it, use it and if it works your good. I have a Lopi Freedom insert and heats my 3200 sq ft home easy.
troylee
ArboristSite Guru
Offered, countered, and mulling over our response. Will be looking up that "what have you added to your arsenal" thread, real soon.
Tough to sell during the late fall & winter months, so that's on your side
steved
ArboristSite Guru
We lost power few days and I wish I had insert instead of fireplace.
My buddy thought his fireplace (modern insulated prefab steel box) was perfect for power outages, until they lost power last spring in the ice storms...they burnt all their firewood within a day and a half (city folks, not a primary source of heat) and it barely kept the house lukewarm. I pulled them a truckbed load (he lives an hour away) and they toasted that in another two days...the big kerosene heater I took them put out more heat than their fireplace.
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UpOnTheHill
ArboristSite Guru
I'd figure out a better way to heat with real quick, but thats just me. I like to know I can heat my house and feed my family in the event of losing power for an extended period. The longest we've lost power is a couple days which was kind of fun with little kids because we were prepared.
steved
ArboristSite Guru
I hear you...he swore he was going to buy a generator as soon as he could find one after the storm (he borrowed my spare)...almost year later he still has no generator. I could keep the family comfortable for several weeks without power, food would run out before gas/propane/wood!
troylee
ArboristSite Guru
Homeowner
Hey Congrats!
Enjoy the new house with a toasty warm fire. I can hear the hum of the fans on that insert from my childhood and it brings a smile to my face
Enjoy the new house with a toasty warm fire. I can hear the hum of the fans on that insert from my childhood and it brings a smile to my face
Congrats on moving back home!
I have an insert, my sister has a free standing. My insert will heat the whole house, but the outlying master will be 20°F colder than the living room/dining room. Upstairs is warmer than the master, colder than the living/dining rooms. My sisters house is laid out a bit differently, their free standing is in the finished basement. Upstairs stays toasty warm with theirs. They burn less wood than I do, and don't need electric if the power goes out. I need to run the generator. Brother in law cut a hole in the ceiling of the basement and put in a vent that he can close, tieing it into the main return duct for their forced air furnace. That's how a lot of the heat gets upstairs via convection.
In hindsight, if I had the room in the house floorplan I would go with the free standing, but I can't complain too much about the insert. It's paid for itself the first year I had it. I have one of the larger Quadrafire inserts.
I have an insert, my sister has a free standing. My insert will heat the whole house, but the outlying master will be 20°F colder than the living room/dining room. Upstairs is warmer than the master, colder than the living/dining rooms. My sisters house is laid out a bit differently, their free standing is in the finished basement. Upstairs stays toasty warm with theirs. They burn less wood than I do, and don't need electric if the power goes out. I need to run the generator. Brother in law cut a hole in the ceiling of the basement and put in a vent that he can close, tieing it into the main return duct for their forced air furnace. That's how a lot of the heat gets upstairs via convection.
In hindsight, if I had the room in the house floorplan I would go with the free standing, but I can't complain too much about the insert. It's paid for itself the first year I had it. I have one of the larger Quadrafire inserts.
NHMike
ArboristSite Operative
Congrats on becoming a homeowner! My insert is my backup heat source for my geothermal heat. I run it just about every day like a fireplace. We lost power over Thanksging, & the insert operated like a wood stove. Kept the house at 72 for 4 days.
Ironworker
Addicted to ArboristSite
An insert is a wood stove.
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