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stav5371

New Member
Sep 6, 2012
9
Wooster, Ohio
Alright community, I need a little guidance. Though we have been researching this for a few months, it is still unclear what we should do, and with a 4-5,000 dollar investment, I am not interested in making a poor choice. Here is some info: We live in Wooster, Ohio, which has a pretty typical winter, nothing too extreme. Our house is 2500 square feet, though about 500 of that we are not looking to heat. Our house has two stories, with bedrooms upstairs and the fireplace downstairs. We are only interested in a wood burning fireplace insert as there is no room for a freestanding stove. The height of our fireplace is 25 inches, 31 inches wide and about 21 inches deep and it tapers to the back, narrowing to 17 inches. We have discussed stoves with three local places and have received, of course, three different suggestions, though all have suggested a medium sized stove. An amish store only sells Pacific Energy, Lehman's is suggested Regency (and we checked out Jotul and it just won't fit), and another place is suggesting Napoleon and/or Buck Stove. The guy at Lehmans believes that Napoleon and Buck are of lower value.

Questions:
1) Are their certain things I should be looking for BTU's, lifetime warranties, etc. that are important to focus on that are more important than specific brands.
2) Of the brands we have mentioned, any thoughts, experiences with quality, and if not, others we could consider.

Thanks for your wisdom,
Dan
 
Welcome Dan. All the inserts you are looking at are well-known brands with good reviews. There are differences in the baffle design, options and blowers, but you wouldn't go wrong with any of them. The first thing to be looking for is that it fits correctly in the fireplace cavity. The next is that there are no clearance issues to nearby woodwork or mantel. Then you can look into firebox capacity, which for a smallish fireplace is going to be a challenge. With 2000 sq ft to heat I would try to fit in the largest insert possible.

Is this a masonry fireplace or a prefab? Do you have a visually preferred style?
 
Dan, what's the width of the fireplace at 18" in from the front face? I'm thinking an Enviro 1700 (Kodiak or Venice) might work. That would get you a 2.5 cu ft firebox in a top quality stove. The Buck 74 would also fit with a 2.6 cu ft firebox.
 
Welcome Dan, what Hearth/Stove Shops have you visited? I live just West of Lodi and dont frequent the Wooster area much, but, I am interested in other dealers in the area.

I wouldnt get hung up on BTU's and Sq Ft ratings. Your main concern is the bigger the Firebox, the better. More cu ft = more heat/longer. Not familiar with all those models personally, but many here have All of the brands you listed and they all love them. As BG asked above, is this masonry or Pre Fab fireplace? ?

One other point of interest is firewood. New EPA stoves like Dry/Seasoned wood and firewood sellers in the area are not very honest/true when it comes to seasoned wood. It should be Split and Stacked (read: not logs) for at least a yr. Most stove manuals even state this (some say 9 months, etc). But having your wood supply is important also. Eco-Bricks are also a viable source for 1st yr burners to burn and/or mix with wood.

Welcome to the Forums. Looking forward to pics...
 
I would get the biggest insert you can fit. If you can get a summit in there, then I would. If not, then I'd go for the enviro 1700.
 
For 2000 sqft I would usually recommend a large insert but I doubt you will find any that fits your fireplace. I think you cannot go wrong with any of the inserts you mentioned but I would make sure it will really fit. If you want to read a bunch of reviews look here:
https://www.hearth.com/ratings/search.php
In general, go for the biggest firebox size that fits and forget about advertised BTU output or sqft ranges. One thing I did not know when purchasing my stove make sure the baffle can be relatively easily removed for sweeping the chimney bottom-up. I vaguely remember the inside of the Regency and have to say I am not sure whether those burn tubes can be removed. From your description I assume your chimney is tall enough. Get a liner all the way up to the top; your draft will be much better and it will be much easier to clean. If it is an exterior chimney people here strongly recommend an insulated liner but it also helps in an interior chimney. A block-off plate about where your damper currently is helps keeping the heat in. See which of your installers does not have a problem with those requests; that may be just as important as the stove model.

Regarding your stove choices: I can recommend the PE Super insert. I have it now for two winters and it is performing just beautifully keeping my home and my family warm. It has some benefits such as side-blowers that most other inserts lack. http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/pacsupins.htm It may just fit your fireplace although the width in the rear could get tricky. http://www.pacificenergy.net/pacificenergy/images/dimensions/SuperInsertDims.jpg

Finally, do you already have several cords of wood split and stacked for at least 10 months? Without dry wood none of the stoves mentioned will perform well and heat your home properly. Buying truly seasoned wood can prove to be really difficult. Ask around when the wood was split and stacked as wood does not dry in logs. Eco-bricks had been mentioned which is an option. Wood pallets are also a possibility but a major PITA to take apart.
 
Napoleon and Buck are lower value.....Whats up with that?....
 
James02 said:
Napoleon and Buck are lower value.....Whats up with that?....
Click to expand...
Probably meant lower cost; I think Regency is a bit higher-end. Any of those brands should be good value, though.
 
Whatever you get, get a blower. It makes a huge difference in heat diffusion to other rooms.
 
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