Which insert to buy

[cwayne]

Hello All,

I have been burning an old crd precision wood stove upstairs for the past 2 years in the masonry fireplace. I want to move it downstairs and install it in the fireplace down there. In the upstairs fireplace I want to get an insert.

I have been looking at the Pacific Energy Summit and the Avalon Olympic because they seem to have the biggest firebox at around 3 cubic feet. They seem to cost about the same, are not cat, and are sold in the area. Does anybody have options on the subject?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[ant]

Freedom Bay insert. it heats my house.


http://www.lopistoves.com/TravisDocs/98800200.PDF

 

[cwayne]

Upstairs is the main level

I should have clarified: The house is a raised ranch so the upstairs is the main level. The downstairs is really cold right now so I want to install a wood stove downstairs so we can actually use that part of the house too.

When I was at the Avalon dealer they said an insert is purely cosmetic, that there is no advantage over a wood stove in a masonry fireplave installation. Does that sound right?

 

[cwayne]

Freedom Bay

The freedom Bay does look nice

 

[046]

that's not entirely true... answer depends upon which insert.

some inserts have forced air, secondary burn, epa compliant, etc and can heat an entire house.

inserts have advantage of using existing fireplace infrastructure. fan noise can be a factor as fireplace location is usually center of living area.

location can also be an advantage when loading wood. don't discount pleasure of watching wood burn.

ask what typical burntimes are achieved with what types of wood? find out what's typical wood consumption for your area from other customers with identical stove.

I should have clarified: The house is a raised ranch so the upstairs is the main level. The downstairs is really cold right now so I want to install a wood stove downstairs so we can actually use that part of the house too.

When I was at the Avalon dealer they said an insert is purely cosmetic, that there is no advantage over a wood stove in a masonry fireplave installation. Does that sound right?

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Check out the Quadrafire 5100I




Nice stove!



.

 

[TheInstaller]

Fire place insert

I just installed a Breckwell pellet insert in my grandfathers house and it heats ten times better than his old wood insert and plus it has electronic controls and there is no smoke and no mess in the house.

 

[KindlingKing]

Hello All,

I have been burning an old crd precision wood stove upstairs for the past 2 years in the masonry fireplace. I want to move it downstairs and install it in the fireplace down there. In the upstairs fireplace I want to get an insert.

I have been looking at the Pacific Energy Summit and the Avalon Olympic because they seem to have the biggest firebox at around 3 cubic feet. They seem to cost about the same, are not cat, and are sold in the area. Does anybody have options on the subject?

Thanks,
Chris

I have the Avalon Olympic. Just finishing the third season with it and love it. It has a large firebox and will easily burn overnight. Get the blower for sure. It is variable speed and has a thermometer, so will kick off if the fire goes out. The stove burns incredibly clean. I typically go two weeks between cleaning out ashes and that is burning the stove 24/7. I have a smaller home (1400 sq. ft.) and it will cook us out. My wife likes it warm and the house is usually 78 degrees (even at 4:00 AM). The stove is really efficient. Even burning 24/7, I have only used three and a half cords of wood this year and I lit the fire in late Oct. It just went out last week with a couple of short fires this week since the weather has warmed up. Definitely get yourself a stainless chimney reliner. You will love the stove. The air sweep on the glass keeps it clean except when you throttle it down at night. Typically I throw a few chunks on in the morning and keep the throttle wide open for a couple hours and voila, the glass is clean again . I love it. I have heard great review on the other stoves mentioned. Lopi is another to consider. The same manufacturer makes both Lopi and Avalon.

 

[johnha]

When I was at the Avalon dealer they said an insert is purely cosmetic, that there is no advantage over a wood stove in a masonry fireplave installation. Does that sound right?

I would agree with that. I am in a split, have a woodstove in the lowest level that I've been heating with for 6 seasons.

A year ago, I put a Quadra-Fire 4100i in my fireplace on the living level (LR, DR, Kitchen). We really enjoy that unit, large viewing area so its kind of like the best of both worlds. Most of the heat comes when the blower is on though.

My natural gas supplier isn't too pleased though. :greenchainsaw:

 

[.aspx]

We bought an Enviro-Fire Kodiak and it suits us just fine. The 1700 model has a 2.5 cubic foot firebox. Both the 1200 and 1700 have blowers.