Do fireplace inserts exist for 5ft wide masonry fireplaces?

[ChrisEspo]

Hey all, I've got a new house with a huge 5ft wide masonry fireplace and I'd love to put an insert in with a big viewing window to keep as much of the ambiance as possible while heating the house in concert with an oil burning furnace. Does such a large insert exist?

 

[weatherguy]

With a fireplace that big you can just put any free standing stove you want in there and just have the liner go straight up the flue.

 

[ChrisEspo]

With a fireplace that big you can just put any free standing stove you want in there and just have the liner go straight up the flue.

The thing is, I want to keep the ambiance of a big open fireplace as much as possible, so I was hoping there are 5ft wide inserts with big glass windows.

 

[webbie]

The thing is, I want to keep the ambiance of a big open fireplace as much as possible, so I was hoping there are 5ft wide inserts with big glass windows.

No...nothing that's gonna go a big job.
You could get a semi-custom made heat exchanger from Stoll Fireplace...
http://www.stollfireplace.com/heating/HeatingSolutions

But you are talking 15-30% efficiency as opposed to 60% plus for a real stove.

 

[ChrisEspo]

Does any company make custom inserts?

 

[BrotherBart]

Does any company make custom inserts?

Costs a fortune to get one EPA and UL certified. Way to much for one of a kind fabing.

 

[brenndatomu]

Is your FP tall as well as wide? If it is, you can just about put anything you want in there as long as it meets required clearances, you have an uncommon situation here, most of us are scratching for every fraction of an inch just to get something barely big enough to do the job! There are some big inserts out there, someone will be along shortly that is alot more familiar with specific brands/models than me. You know, you could also opt to put in a free standing stove too, if you have the height to pull it off. One thing to keep in mind, even though you won't likely find a unit to completely fill that monster FP, a stove/insert will give you a large window full of flames, probably close to as much "fire" as what you would actually have in the open FP.

 

[brenndatomu]

I looked on the Hearth.com "stove reviews" (top of the page, center of the first line) to see if I could sort for the extra large stuff only, I didn't seem to be able to sort that way.

 

[Paulywalnut]

I think Joful has a huge fireplace with a stove in it. The ambiance is still there. Matter of opinion I guess.
Maybe he'll come on and show you his pics.

 

[ChrisEspo]

Is your FP tall as well as wide? If it is, you can just about put anything you want in there as long as it meets required clearances, you have an uncommon situation here, most of us are scratching for every fraction of an inch just to get something barely big enough to do the job! There are some big inserts out there, someone will be along shortly that is alot more familiar with specific brands/models than me. You know, you could also opt to put in a free standing stove too, if you have the height to pull it off. One thing to keep in mind, even though you won't likely find a unit to completely fill that monster FP, a stove/insert will give you a large window full of flames, probably close to as much "fire" as what you would actually have in the open FP.

The fireplace opening is 60 inches wide by 29 inches high. We love getting a big roaring fire going in there and watching it from anywhere in the room (29x20 room), it's just a shame that it doesn't do anything to heat the house because we burn through 110 gallons of oil/month. We'd buy an insert if we could keep most of the big roaring open fire ambiance, but everything I've seen so far in my research would cut the fire viewing window in half (unacceptable).

 

[webbie]

What BB said. No stove maker can make a custom insert which would pass UL or other regulations.

Lots of people have stoves in big fireplaces like that - they look great.

https://www.hearth.com/gall/d/965-1/castine123.jpg
https://www.hearth.com/gall/d/1191-1/heartstman.jpg

You could get the largest insert you can find and get custom surround panels made for it, but I think all that steel looks funky...

 

[brenndatomu]

Having a "full size" view of the fire is worth $400 per mo. to you?!
I was afraid you were gonna say that you have one of those short, wide FPs. Well, I think you could still fit in a large insert (or maybe two, side by side! ) Is that 29" the height of the opening, then once inside, higher to the flue damper?
I think you are already aware that a insert will provide a HUGE increase in heat output from what you are getting now from the FP.

 

[ChrisEspo]

Having a "full size" view of the fire is worth $400 per mo. to you?!
I was afraid you were gonna say that you have one of those short, wide FPs. Well, I think you could still fit in a large insert (or maybe two, side by side! ) Is that 29" the height of the opening, then once inside, higher to the flue damper?
I think you are already aware that a insert will provide a HUGE increase in heat output from what you are getting now from the FP.

Yup, the damper is at least 6 inches higher than the opening.

 

[begreen]

Some of the biggest inserts are a Buck 91 (34" wide), Kuma Sequoia (30"wide), Hearthstone Clydesdale (31" w) or FPX hybrid (31" w). You may need an extra large or a custom surround to fill up the rest of the space.
http://www.buckstove.com/model-91.html#.UtMvn1BoEeU
http://kumastoves.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=25
http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/store/wood-products/wood-inserts/clydesdale-wood-insert
http://www.fireplacex.com/ProductGuide/FuelTypeOverview.aspx?fueltype=wood&fueltab=0

 

[brenndatomu]

The auto ignite on that last one is interesting, be a real lifesaver for those who are fire building challenged! Wonder how well it works...real world

 

[ChrisEspo]

I'm surprised the biggest insert seems to be only 34" wide, in my house hunting I saw tons of huge fireplaces!

 

[begreen]

Super wide inserts would be a tiny market and a challenge to get burning cleanly. Maybe keep the fireplace as is and locate a freestanding stove elsewhere in the house, but centrally to handle the heating load?

 

[weatherguy]

What your asking is probably not doable, either keep burning as is for the ambience or you'd have to put something smaller than you want if your looking for heat. Begreen's opinion is probably best, keep burning as is and put a stove somewhere else if your sick of paying for oil.
Maybe you could get a custom made air tight door set but that may get expensive.

 

[BrotherBart]

Hit us with a pic of that fireplace. How high is the opening/lintel?

 

[mstoelton]

I've got two fireplaces in my home that are 44" wide. This year from October to December I burned approx. 4 face cords of wood in my basement fireplace. In early December my 17 yr old son convinced me that due to the inefficiency of the fireplace we were throwing too much heat up the chimney and we could increase efficiency significantly by installing an insert. I did some research and settled in the Clydesdale which has some unique features. We installed the Clyde ourselves and also installed a soapstone hearth top to extend the hearth due to the Clydesdale sticking out into the room and extra 4 inches. Long story short. Today I went out and purchased another Clydesdale for the other fireplace in our living room. I like the Clyde so much, that I wanted another for the upper floor of the house. The first one keeps the basement at a very comfortable 80+ degrees without a problem.

The Clydesdale has one of the largest viewing windows available and can also be run with the door open provided one has a screen for it.

I had difficulty in my immediate area finding a Clydesdale on display. I looked around a little and found one, and I suggest you do the same.

With the width of your opening you will likely need the extended surround, or you could extend the standard one yourself without too much difficulty.

 

[ChrisEspo]

This is it, 60 inches wide by 29 inches high with the damper about 35 inches high.

 

[begreen]

That is a big opening. Maybe put in 2 inserts for stereo viewing or more likely consider another location for a stove and keep the fireplace for holiday fires.

 

[ChrisEspo]

There isn't really a good spot for a separate stove in the room unfortunately. Does the Clydesdale have the largest viewing window of any insert, and if so what are the window's dimensions?

 

[begreen]

http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/store/wood-products/wood-inserts/clydesdale-wood-insert

 

[BrotherBart]

Too bad it is wide but short. A Hearthstone Equinox would rock, pun intended, in that hole but it is too tall.