I have some questions about inserts. I'm looking at purchasing a Jotul C350 Winterport for my old fireplace. It comes with twin blower fans, but I assume that the fan is powered by electricity and I'm wondering how well the insert heats the house if the power goes out. Once the fire is up and running, can I open the front door without the room filling with smoke? That would certainly help to heat the room if the blower was out of commission, I assume.
Also, I apparently need some sort of "stainless surround" to go around the insert because the fireplace opening is higher than the standard surround. They want to charge me $140 more for that, so I'm wondering if I could go with a bigger insert like the C 450 Kennebec. Does anyone have a rough estimate how much more the Kennebec costs than the Winterport? And the relative benefits of each model?
Thanks for your help. This is a big purchase, and I want to make sure I get it right.
Also, I apparently need some sort of "stainless surround" to go around the insert because the fireplace opening is higher than the standard surround. They want to charge me $140 more for that, so I'm wondering if I could go with a bigger insert like the C 450 Kennebec. Does anyone have a rough estimate how much more the Kennebec costs than the Winterport? And the relative benefits of each model?
Thanks for your help. This is a big purchase, and I want to make sure I get it right.