Need help selecting a wood burning insert

BeGreen said:

A 2 cu ft insert will make a nice difference. In Chicago I wouldn't expect it to cover 100% of the heating. You folks get some strong winds and very low Canadian temps sometimes. But it should cover a good 90+% with great insulation if the house envelope is well sealed and there is not too much glass area.

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I am anxious to get back and plug my remaining leaks. I need a good base line of gas consumption. This year has been warm. I think the insullation, casement windows will be a huge factor. I find it surprising that I can keep it at 57 from 9:30 to 7:30 am (furnace barely or does not run at all overnight) and then about 69 from 7:30am to 9:30pm.

I like the idea of a long burn though. I am gone for 12 hours some times and dont want tending the fire to be smething my wife is forced to do if a better solution is to buy one that is slighltly larger.

BTW: the fireplace insert is one part of my master plan of living off of very little money. We do a pretty good job now but my hobby is to reduce/reuce/recycle everything.

Locust Post said:

Smarl said:

Locust Post said:

Welcome Karl,

If you are not in a huge hurry you may want to wait until spring/summer if you are looking to go used. Sometimes you will find some deals then. Also get started gathering wood now so you have a good supply for next winter. If you are planning on buying, get it now and get it stacked. If you are going to cut your own start working on it. All stoves burn much better on well seasoned wood but with the newer stoves it is almost a must.

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I may have to wait depending on what comes up. I will post a search on craiglist pro (an app that alerts you when someone posts an item that meets your criteria) and see what comes up. I will use the brands mentioned in asubsequent post.

I have a large side yard which I plan on stacking/storing large amounts of wood. Plan on splitting myself after some point (I will need some seasoned wood to get me going so I might have to buy/scavenge (enter craiglist app again). I split a lot of wood when I was a kid.

Why does a new stove need more seasoned wood than an old one? And if I buy used and it was actually used would that address whatever issues arise with suboptimally seasoned wood?

Thanks

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The newer EPA stoves have secondary burn tubes or a cat convertor that burns the exhaust gas (smoke). Burning less than optimum wood will give your cat a shorter life. The older stove are more forgiving BUT you have to be careful with creosote in either, when burning less seasoned wood and you will not get the maximum performance and output from your stove. It is always better to use good fuel. You get out what you put in. Good in Good output. Bad in Bad output.

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Ok I think i understand.

I assume a cat convertor is similar to the platinum fillied one on a car which I am familiar with and I know they get clogged.

Are burn tubes better than cat convertor? For some reason I thought most of the better manufacturers (like LOPI) use the tubes and not the cat convertor

Update: I bought a used Lopi Answer insert with blower for $650. Saw it on craigslist in Michigan and my friend picked it up after his fishing trip.

My wife committed to feeding regularly vs getting a bigger firebox that would stick out into living room (only an incremental 7" but oh well).

Put in place today (not installed just set in). Fits ok. Need a taller metal trim piece for top (current one is too short-doesn't cover opening completely).

The door has about a 1/4" of play in it. It seems I either need thicker rope seal or to weld a larger hook on inside of door to eliminate the 1/4" of play.

I am planning on putting a liner in for performance and safety reasons. I think the plan is to cap the top and bottom of chimney and have the stainless liner penetrate both. Then well put a squirrel guard and a little roof to keep the rain out. Guy is coming out tomorrow to give an estimate. I should be firing the unit this week!

Thanks again for all your guidance.