Stove IN a fireplace

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mj5001

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Oct 15, 2011
160
United States
I have a nice fireplace and simply don't have the floor space for a stove AND I'm not to keen on the looks of an insert. I keep thinking in terms of an extra small stove, just to supplement my heating (I like it cool anyway, 55 or so).

I'm looking at both the Vogelzang Defender (I know -- although I've seen some good reviews, it isn't the greatest construction) -- and the Drolet Eldorado which is vastly superior.

With either stove, if I put it IN the fireplace (of course with a sealed plate and a flue pass through) (and a nice new SS liner up the chimney) -- I have good clearance all around the stove, a good 7 - 8 inches.

Except for the height.

I thought I could cut the legs in half however and it would fit nicely (with 3-4" to spare).

(Cutting the legs on the Vogelzang would be a cinch, they're bolted on -- but the Drolet looks like 5/16" steel and welded).

Anyway,

Why couldn't I do something like this if I have a blower behind the stove (Drolet comes with one), pushing the heated air out into the room?

Is there any reason why it would be a bad idea?

I just can't get into the inserts -- they're so damn ugly. THANKS for any input.
 
I am new here so no expert but I'd be concerned about removing/modifying the legs of a stove as that's what they're safety tested with. Could you ask the mfr if they can supply an alternative or at least specify any changes you might need to make (heat shield etc.)?

Also, I had originally thought of putting a stove in my fireplace but the feedback I got said it would basically heat the firebox of the chimney but not radiate into the room. So our stove is going to sit just outside the fireplace (back legs will actually be just inside of it). Our hearth is raised so it gives enough clearance. If we needed more front clearance adding a small hearth extender would be OK too.

Just a few thoughts...good luck!
 
Cutting the legs is bad, as the clearances are all dictated with the legs as tested. there are a few Mfg's who make stoves with short leg kits. Pretty sure Jotul makes them. At least that way if the Mfg makes it they have tested and passed with the shorter legs.
 
I know on the Fireview the bolts for the legs are what keep the thing together.


fv
 
Jotul has a short leg kit for $69. The short legs are 2" shorter. My dealer pointed out I can cut up to 2" from my legs, it just won't look as good. I only have about an inch of clearance on top.

Stove-in-fireplace doesn't put out nearly as much heat as freestanding. If the fireplace is interior, then things might balance out after a long enough burn. Mine is exterior, so a lot of my heat goes right out the back (and the 2 sides!) of the fireplace and heats the outside.
 
Does he need to worry too much about clearance if its in a fireplace? if there is some circulation that should be fine as there should be no combustibles
 
I just want to warn, that there are a lot of issues of putting stoves inside fireplaces (particularly fireplaces on the outside of ones house). Wood stoves radiate a lot of heat, and radiant heat is a form of light. You can't blow radiant light energy around with a fan. A wood stove in a fireplace radiates its heat to the back, bottom, top, and sides of a fireplace and just a little radiates out the front of it. The heat that "rises" off a wood stove, some of it can go out the chimney but sealing it tight helps. People started surrounding wood stoves in chimneys with shrouds that converted the radiant energy into convection, and got more heat out of it to the inside. They then added fans to increase the heat going into the living area instead of losing it to the chimney and outdoors. And, over years these wood stoves mutated and evolved to become todays fireplace inserts which solve the issues of putting a wood stove in a fireplace and get the heat into the living area instead of losing it. If your fireplace is on the outside of your house (and masonry), masonry typically has an R-Value of 0.1 - 0.2/inch it will lose almost everything to the outside.

If you have a fireplace, the right tool for the job is an insert. You won't get the heat putting a wood stove in instead. I have an inside chimney, maybe you're thinking you'll heat up the mass and heat the rest of your house. I've gotten my fireplace and bricks to 110F but it only radiates heat in the room with the fireplace, that heat doesn't move around. The best way I can explain it is, think about heating your bathroom floor to 110F, that heat won't spread to other parts only the bathroom will be warm. If you want a stove, and only have access to the fireplace the right way is to move that stove outside the fireplace and extend the hearth, then seal up the opening. There are some very narrow stoves for this purpose, Hearthstone has one.
 
Half of my Englander 30 is in the fireplace and it heats just fine. With a heat shield on the back the convection air comes up between the back of the firebox and the heat shield and rolls out of the fireplace.

A problem with putting a blower on the back of one in a fireplace is that you have to get to it to clean it and to replace it if/when it breaks. That means taking off the cap and top plate, lifting the liner and moving the stove out of the fireplace and then reversing the process to put it all back. With an insert most of the blowers are mounted on the front and are accessible. Just like anything else. Ya pays now or ya pays later.
 
Much like Brother Bart my insert is another brand but is about half in and half out of the fireplace. We are getting about 80-95% of our heat from this unit. The amount of heat depends on the lazy operator.... :) I would consider your final decision carefully. I love the look of an alcove type installation but very few homes and fireplaces lend themselves to this look.
 
What size hearth is in front of the fireplace? Are you really using that space now, and can't afford to give it up? Putting the stove out on the hearth is much more effective than having it back in the fireplace. A radiant stove will lose a lot of potential heat to the fireplace masonry. However if you get a convective stove, either with a shell or with side/back heat shields and a blower, you may be able to get more heat into the room. I had the Dutchwest (convective stove) back in the fireplace and the blower made a big difference. The problem was that the fan noise seemed to be concentrated and "megaphoned" out into the room by the fireplace. I was still losing radiant heat to the masonry especially through the areas of the stove that weren't double-wall, like the side load door. Maybe you could fit some sheet metal on the sides of the fireplacelk to minimize that loss, I don't know. I also had to have the stove angled in the fireplace to be able to use the side load door.
 
There really are some fine inserts out there, need to look.
Im one to talk as ive had an insert then two stoves in the same spot...

Seems as if your looking for something not too pricey, to fit what you have, certainly limits.

You can cut legs, but above is right, not all stoves can, some do. My sister cut her 30nc legs to fit in her fireplace. Only after did we find out you can put a smaller models legs, 13nc, and be fine. There are a few folks here who have done just that.

Id suggest strongly you find the stove to fit your needs first. For example a small hearth extension could mean the difference in a nice heater. Shop around really, you could even find a nice used stove, or late in the season, a real nice deal.

If you can build some, try making a hearth fit that stove. Look up hearth mounted stoves, alcoves and other fire place installs here on hearth.com

Try looking up convection stoves, these often have blower options and if you do cram a stove IN that fireplace, youll probably get more usable heat then a radiant stove.


Im biased though; owned a vogalzang insert, replaced it with hearth mounted, used stoves, heat most of this house with one, and am replacing an elderly oil burning HVAC unit with a new electric unit, only so i can sell this bucket and free up a flue to heat the whole thing in between.

Good luck.
 
MJ, that's exactly what I have myself. I looked at what you're looking at but I happened to find this Buck. I cut the legs so that I have about 7 inches clearance to the lintel, set it partiality into the fireplace after I scrubbed and re-painted the brick, installed a block off plate, and we are warmer than we were using a furnace. FWIW, my stove can be used as an insert without the legs, yet my hearth is 3 coarse of brick.
 
grinnell said:
Does he need to worry too much about clearance if its in a fireplace? if there is some circulation that should be fine as there should be no combustibles

The possible issue is that the bottom of the stove might overheat and warp or something.
 
Rhonemas said:
A wood stove in a fireplace radiates its heat to the back, bottom, top, and sides of a fireplace and just a little radiates out the front of it.

Yes, but -- when the back of the fireplace heats up, some of the heat is radiated back into the house.

Also, there can be an air gap between the fire brick and the exterior brick, slowing the heat loss (an air gap is insulation.)

What you say about inserts being designed for fireplaces is true, but the design requires a blower fan to be running.

With the blower off (I'm sure my wife would never turn the blower on, for the same reason she doesn't turn the exhaust hood on over the range) an insert is probably even less efficient than a stove.

The point missing in what you wrote is that there is not a vacuum between the stove and the brick. Some of the radiation heats the air in that space. This air will rise, travel around the stove, and exit the fireplace bringing cooler air up off the floor to replace it.
 
NC-13 in my FP no issues here. I have no stove sticking out. I move the heat around with fans. 80 in the family room 73 at the back of the house. The only problem is I have to feed it a lot on cold days. Just part of having a small firebox.
 
NC-13 in my fireplace too, heating two floors fine. Everyone is impressed at the warmth of my home. I use a small fan blowing at the fireplace and I installed a block off plate. Eve without the fan it does a decent job.
 
MJ5, Please don't dismiss inserts out of hand. I was reluctant to put one in for the same reason, but I found not all inserts are ugly. There are a few that are quite attractive, especially the ones with decorative surrounds. My Alderlea comes with a pretty enamel finish, so does the Hampton and some of the Vermont castings. I am very happy with mine, and no longer wasting good wood fuel.
 
firebroad said:
MJ5, Please don't dismiss inserts out of hand. I was reluctant to put one in for the same reason, but I found not all inserts are ugly. There are a few that are quite attractive, especially the ones with decorative surrounds. My Alderlea comes with a pretty enamel finish, so does the Hampton and some of the Vermont castings. I am very happy with mine, and no longer wasting good wood fuel.

Ill agree with this...I def like the look of the VC Montepelier with a nice surround, Looks Mint!! Unfortunately, the price wasn't in my budget so I had to "settle" for my $500 stove. Def the best investment I have made in years.
 
My Kent is also installed "in" my fireplace. I just took the pedestal base right off of it, there's a small frame underneath and it sits right on that. Every stove will be different in this regard, but the thing is sitting right on the hearth's masonry base and it's not an issue. For best results, line the chimney and seal/insulate the flue opening really, really well. Heats my entire home - about 2000 square feet.
 
I too am sizing up my options for putting a new stove in my fireplace. Like many I love the looks of a free standing stove and hate the inserts. My question is to all you guys who have their stove inside their fireplace, how far does it sit inside the fireplace? Does any part stick out? Is it half in half out? As always pictures are best but dimensions and or other general talk will help many of us I'm sure. Thanks.
 
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