ZC fireplace ?

We had the air cooled pipe (SL300?) that QF recommends. Moderate climate, ok insulation in the chase. This kept the install costs down. I was looking at the FPX44, and it was considerably more than the 7100, with both using air cooled chimneys.

I have the auxiliary air kit installed, which pulls air from the basement up. My hope was to try to draw cold air from the basement, and have warmer air replace it. It doesn't work well (heat does not like to go down). I read here that the warm air duct kits don't work well (factory) except for the RSF system (special kit, big fan, hooks into forced air system). I am thinking about using the AUX air kit to pull air from outside for a system similar to the FPX posi-pressure, and have toyed with the idea of pulling air from the master bedroom with the AUX system, but it is about 40' away.

To move air from the master bedroom, I use a small 8" fan on low on the floor, blowing cold air from the bedroom, down the hall to the great room. The warm air rolls back in (you can feel it, and I tried the toilet paper hanging from the hallway ceiling, and you can see the TP move). It warms the room about 6* (long hallway with lots of windows).

With the factory heat kit, I thought about getting back into the chase to try to hook up the heat to blow it to the basement, but most of the posts that I found here, indicated it didn't work too well. We did look at the RSF Onyx, but it was a bit out of our price range. I think that is what LLigetfa (member here) has, but I think he has done some modifications to the RSF /furnance connection to make his work better.

Thanks. I'd have to go down a short hall, but then down a staircase rather than just straight down to a great room. I'm thinking I could at least heat the bedroom above with ductwork. Not to get this thread too off track, kp98, but could tell me how many ft2 your house is?

ktm rider said:

Thanks for the quick reply Milt. I guess i should clarify that this is going to be in our great room so it has to have some beauty. but, building a tradional fireplace just so i can install a wood burning insert into it doesn't seem like a wise financial choice.
I guess what I am asking is, is there some sort of fireplace type wood burner that would be semi flush to the wall that actually heats a room (not just for looks) that I can install. Or will I have to install a conventional FP and then install the wood insert into that?

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These ZC fireplaces give the best of both worlds.....they look absolutely beautiful AND they can cook you out of a room, if you want them to. The ZC fireplace (the ones from the modern manufacturers, not the stamp steel junk from the 70s-80s) are basically high-tech wood burning furnaces disguised to look like traditional fireplaces. We opted for the Napoleon NZ3000 and I am almost finished with the install of that unit, and I cannot even begin to tell you how excited we are to get it done. I had taken the late fall/early winter off, for hunting and from plain outright BURNOUT of our remodel, and I am now getting back in stride to finish it. There is optional ducting (to either run to another room OR pipe the heat into your existing hot air ductwork), an optional remote-mounted blower to focus the heat into the room the fireplace resides in, and other options as well. As for the chase, just like BeGreen stated, you frame it as you would any other wall or closet in your home, insulate it, and install the fireplace unit and the class A pipe (per the clearances/specs that the manufacturer and local code require). Then you can install siding on the outside OR veneer it with stone or brick. here is a picture of our chase, all natural stone from the mountain behind our house.....don't let others talk you out of what you want, there are plenty on this site who own the ZC units, there are many manufacturers who make a quality unit, and they are proven to be efficient!! Go for it!!

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php?ACT=24&fid=2&aid=63228_l4I94qpe5Tf0KKOd6ODN&board_id=1

Scotty Overkill said:

ktm rider said:

Thanks for the quick reply Milt. I guess i should clarify that this is going to be in our great room so it has to have some beauty. but, building a tradional fireplace just so i can install a wood burning insert into it doesn't seem like a wise financial choice.
I guess what I am asking is, is there some sort of fireplace type wood burner that would be semi flush to the wall that actually heats a room (not just for looks) that I can install. Or will I have to install a conventional FP and then install the wood insert into that?

Click to expand...

These ZC fireplaces give the best of both worlds.....they look absolutely beautiful AND they can cook you out of a room, if you want them to. The ZC fireplace (the ones from the modern manufacturers, not the stamp steel junk from the 70s-80s) are basically high-tech wood burning furnaces disguised to look like traditional fireplaces. We opted for the Napoleon NZ3000 and I am almost finished with the install of that unit, and I cannot even begin to tell you how excited we are to get it done. I had taken the late fall/early winter off, for hunting and from plain outright BURNOUT of our remodel, and I am now getting back in stride to finish it. There is optional ducting (to either run to another room OR pipe the heat into your existing hot air ductwork), an optional remote-mounted blower to focus the heat into the room the fireplace resides in, and other options as well. As for the chase, just like BeGreen stated, you frame it as you would any other wall or closet in your home, insulate it, and install the fireplace unit and the class A pipe (per the clearances/specs that the manufacturer and local code require). Then you can install siding on the outside OR veneer it with stone or brick. here is a picture of our chase, all natural stone from the mountain behind our house.....don't let others talk you out of what you want, there are plenty on this site who own the ZC units, there are many manufacturers who make a quality unit, and they are proven to be efficient!! Go for it!!

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php?ACT=24&fid=2&aid=63228_l4I94qpe5Tf0KKOd6ODN&board_id=1

Click to expand...

I love the stone work on your chase! Did you build your hearth with the same look?

Got Wood said:

I love the stone work on your chase! Did you build your hearth with the same look?

Click to expand...

Thanks, Got Wood........I did the stone masonry, it's one of my new hobbies. I'm still in the process of the hearth, but yes it is going to be the same stone, and the same look. I'll post pics of it when I get to it, probably sometime here in March when I start the stonework.

Velvetfoot, our house is about 3000sf. The basement is about 1000sf, 1500sf on the 1st floor and 500 on the 2nd. I think if you have a direct run, that is short and up, the heat zone kits can work. You might try the fan option, if you are pushing cold air down the stairs, I understand it will work ok.

I installed a ZC fireplace 3 years ago that I ducted into the Basement, I am glad I went this route the basement stays semi warm and the first floor is comfortable . I looked at the Quadefires and thought It was too big for my home.

estang, how long is the run to your basement? What fireplace did you choose? Does it have a fan connection, or does it just use the fan that pushes air around the casing?

BIS ( Built in Stove) Leonex is the sister stove I think Its a Brentwood. The Fan pulls Heat off the stove and is Ducted by Fan Into the basement. The run Is only 10 ft. so the heat is pretty good, The only thing I wish it had was a stronger fan,or More CFM. Other then that I love It. After a slight door adjustment I can Get the face of the stove to 350 and the flue up to 500 the basement is ok. The roll Knob on the right side is the fan control. If I get a fan with more CFM I would like to tie it into the furnace duct work.

estang said:

BIS ( Built in Stove) Leonex is the sister stove I think Its a Brentwood. The Fan pulls Heat off the stove and is Ducted by Fan Into the basement. The run Is only 10 ft. so the heat is pretty good, The only thing I wish it had was a stronger fan,or More CFM. Other then that I love It. After a slight door adjustment I can Get the face of the stove to 350 and the flue up to 500 the basement is ok. The roll Knob on the right side is the fan control. If I get a fan with more CFM I would like to tie it into the furnace duct work.

Click to expand...

They make some nice inline duct fans for different sizes of pipe. That's what we are going to use in the basement, and were gonna make it variable speed. Here's a link to one. There are many different sizes and cfm's.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/MTN-Gearsmi...673?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab401bce1

We have a variable speed fan( the one that is made for the stove) I guess I will have to look into a different fan

Scotty - I like the idea of an aftermarket fan, but shouldn't it be rated for more heat? The max on this one is 160ish. I don't think the temp is that hot coming out, but typically the manufacturer demands class B pipe to handle any heat, especially from a fire traveling issue.

kiltedpiper98 said:

Scotty - I like the idea of an aftermarket fan, but shouldn't it be rated for more heat? The max on this one is 160ish. I don't think the temp is that hot coming out, but typically the manufacturer demands class B pipe to handle any heat, especially from a fire traveling issue.

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That link was just as a reference. I don't think, if you mounted that fan say in the basement, away from your stove, that you would have an issue with the air being too hot. I know the kit that Napoleon sells has almost the exact same fan for their forced air kit. Whatever you would do, make sure you do NOT put a fan in that pipe that is not rated for the temp that will be in that pipe. Again, that particular link was just a reference for a fan to use in the forced air side of your ducting....

KTM-
Not sure if this helps, but we have been burning our ZC since November and are very satisfied. I can say that it heats our 2500 sq ft home with ease and we are fortunate to have a main return to our central air system at the top of the stairs to the 2nd floor. I just turn the fan setting on for the heat and it really helps move the heat around. The secondary combustion is great and did not take too long to get a handle on achieving longer burn times. We replaced an 80's cheapo ZC and cannot believe the performance difference. In a perfect world i would have preferred a hearthstone woodstove do to the fact that we have lost power during coastal storms in the past, but our floor plan did not allow for it. I am not always keen on being reliant on the fireplace blower to heat the house. I'll have to post a picture or two or add one to my signature. Good luck in your decisions.
Jeff

Scotty Overkill said:

Got Wood said:

I love the stone work on your chase! Did you build your hearth with the same look?

Click to expand...

Thanks, Got Wood........I did the stone masonry, it's one of my new hobbies. I'm still in the process of the hearth, but yes it is going to be the same stone, and the same look. I'll post pics of it when I get to it, probably sometime here in March when I start the stonework.

Click to expand...

I would love to see it when done. I did the stone work on our hearth (pic on first page of this thread). I loved the project. Lucky I have a good friend who was experienced and guided me along the way. Personally, I think the stone look on a fireplace looks the best.

Got Wood said:

Scotty Overkill said:

Got Wood said:

I love the stone work on your chase! Did you build your hearth with the same look?

Click to expand...

Thanks, Got Wood........I did the stone masonry, it's one of my new hobbies. I'm still in the process of the hearth, but yes it is going to be the same stone, and the same look. I'll post pics of it when I get to it, probably sometime here in March when I start the stonework.

Click to expand...

I would love to see it when done. I did the stone work on our hearth (pic on first page of this thread). I loved the project. Lucky I have a good friend who was experienced and guided me along the way. Personally, I think the stone look on a fireplace looks the best.

Click to expand...

you did a fantastic job on your hearth as well, I noticed it a while back and it is one of my favorite on this forum. There is something about stonework that is warm and cozy, it seems to make you feel relaxed and comfortable, esp. in the colder months. I did stonework in our kitchen and our outside foundation, made the house look amazing....

My tv is above the fireplace and the way the installer put the mantel in the TV stays cool.

I have an Enerzone 2.5 ZC and would recommend it. It is easy to run and has an optional blower (which I have) for the basement. If you do get an Enerzone, take out the andrions as they take up way to much room and make it tougher to load.

http://enerzone-intl.com/product.aspx?CategoId=19&Id=446

That looks like a real nice unit! It's cool that it can be hooked up to several different chimney systems.
The blower is on a vent at the end of a duct in the basement? Is it noisy?

The blower to the basement is a little loud, so I sometimes turn off the fan when watching TV down there. It does kick out good heat though.

Quite happy with my Lennox Montecito. A freestanding stove would be better, but with the blower (a must) it's a highly effective heater. 7 hour or so burn times, basically it's a noncatalytic modern stove built into a ZC enclosure.

KTM, I'll add my 2 cents. I have the Quad 7100FP ZC fireplace and it is the primary source of heat for our 2964sqft 1-story house. It does a really nice job of heating the house; we are pleased with its performance and aesthetics. That said I would also agree w/Milt if we lived in a different climate. In OR where I live the winters are not that harsh, and aside from the 2-3wks during the winter where it is in the 20s during the day and teens at night, most of our 4-5 heating months are one big shoulder season. If we lived in a really cold climate, I would have installed a free-standing woodstove.

My stove is in a chase w/stone veneer (see pic) and the flue is 8" SL300 air cooled pipe which is specified for this particular unit. I plumbed the aux air to pull air from the far end of the house. Can't verify how effective that is, but when I designed the house I placed returns in the ceiling above the stove in the great room as well as the vaulted ceiling in the kitchen so I can simply turn on my HVAC fan to recirc the air. I've measured the ceiling temps w/my IR gun up to 109deg and the air coming from the floor vents at ~86deg so I know warm air is being effectively circulated by the HVAC fan. I also typically have the blowers running full on the unit, with the Rheo set to cut off when the fire goes down. I have been able to get 6-7 hr burns w/enough coals to get a fire going again.

I think many of your questions have been answered already by other members (this forum is AWESOME); if you want more details on my ZC you can PM me. Best wishes on your install and post pics when completed!