Factory blower for Mansfield worth it...?

We are about to install a Hearthstone Mansfield on the main floor where there used to be a cheap "builder quality" fireplace in our home. Last year we put a Lopi Liberty in the basement to which I added a factory blower fan and it really did help get the heat into the room. I know the Liberty is designed to put that fan to use with the front baffles and it works well. But it doesn't appear the Hearthstone has a similar design - in other words I don't see any vents for the blower to push air around the body of the stove.....am I missing something..? Is it worth the $400-plus to install the blower and rear heat shield..? Will it work as well as the fan on the Liberty..?

I'm really trying to get "off the grid" with these two stoves to heat our 5,000 sq/ft log house.. I really wanted an Equinox but found a REALLY good deal on the lightly used Mansfield so that's what we are going to install. As the stove is going to sit slightly recessed in the old "firebox" I'm concerned too much heat is going to get stuck in the recess - even considering building a dual-fan setup into the wall overhang where the heat might stay trapped.... opinions..? Advise..?

Thanks in advance.....

begreen said:

If the stove is just slightly into this recess then it shouldn't be an issue. However, what is slightly? If only about 6-12", consider sloping the ceiling of the recess so that it is lower in the back and higher on the front into the room.

What is the floorplan like on this floor? How open is the stove room to the rest of that floor? Open or closed off rooms? Heat can convect pretty well with an open floor plan without using a fan. I would try it a season without to see how it works unless this is a challenging location. If it is at the far end of the house you may have better luck using a floor fan blowing cooler air from a farther area into the stove room.

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The chase is on a south exterior wall. My plan is to keep the stove out of the recess and into the room as much as possible - just enough inset to run the stove pipe straight up to the chimney pipe. And fortunately the stove exhausts at the top rear...so 8-10 seems possible...? The plan was to finish out the chase opening in marble tile with a block-off and chimney support. I'm going to try and make sure to seal off that recess as much as possible So maybe I'm going to luck out and the heat will build up and roll out into the room....which is what makes me wonder about the blower/fan. The next challenge will be the cathedral ceilings..... Really wishing right now for that Equinox....

begreen said:

Is the ZC chimney pipe class A or are you replacing it with class A chimney pipe?

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begreen said:

Is the ZC chimney pipe class A or are you replacing it with class A chimney pipe?

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We will be replacing with Class A.

begreen said:

What has replaced the fireplace? Have you created an alcove? Pics would help.

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Thanks to all for the replies and questions. I guess I need to educate myself a bit more. The plan is to take out the ZC, add framework, block off the chase then marble tile it all ( creating an Alcove - yes..? ). Now one question is - do I make the Alcove as large as possible or build protected surface(s) to keep it smaller. The ZC is a 42-inch wide Majestic and it appears if using a protected surface I can keep the Alcove as small as 48-inches square - otherwise its 63-inch minimum width. I realize I'm fighting an uphill battle here especially with 19-foot cathedral ceilings - we do have (2) ceiling fans in the great room to help. At least I know the stove will produce a lot more heat and Im trying to make the best use of it.

Thanks again.

Highbeam said:

5000SF!! 19 foot ceilings! yeah, that will be a tough space to heat with any stove. You can put a dent in the fuel bill and have a dang comfortable area around the stove. You picked a nice radiant stove which will help you feel warm when you are close to it. I've never been a "fan" of blowers on wood stoves. They're loud and expensive and in this application they might not make much difference in the ability of that stove to heat.

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Well..... its a 2-story that houses all that sq/ft. The basement is 1900 with a Lopi Liberty handling heating chores there and the Mansfield will be on the main which is 1900 (approximately) open floor plan with the rest (upstairs) being a large loft with open staircase and then 2 bedrooms. I dont expect the upstairs bedrooms to enjoy much of the stove heat - but we will use an infrared heater there - which work really well.
So we will have 2 stoves burning to fend off the Winter chills.
My only experience with wood stoves so far has been 1-season with the Lopi and being a convection heater we were pretty happy with it. The main reason for the Mansfield was a great price and esthetics for the main floor. And I'm pretty sure its going to heat much better than that old ZC...now if I can just keep the 2 stoves fed all Winter...wish me luck.

Highbeam said:

If this is an open loft as you say, those upstairs bedrooms will see the lion's share of the heat. I've had the pleasure to stay in cabins that had that upstairs sleeping loft and that is where all the heat rises to. This is why those ceiling fans that BG recommended are so important, to keep the heat down.

Nomatter how effective it is, a cabin with a two story main room MUST have a stove/fireplace heating the area. It just feels right. In addition, you can surely find a place in that 1900 SF basement to stuff a real heater like a ducted wood furnace to keep the whole house warm.

For comparison, my whole house is less than 1700SF and I don't wish for more living space.

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I had considered a supplemental wood furnace (we had one in a previous home and it worked great) but it would have been an expensive (and rather unsightly with a second chimney / chase) addition to the house. Our budget allows small steps - the only reason we were able to get into this large of a home was because it was foreclosed on and the bank wanted it off their books so we got it cheap. Near half of its current appraised value - after a LOT of cleaning / labor. But its been a mixed blessing with its size and 6-acre lot......
Fortunately there are 2-ceiling fans in the main room and 1-ceiling fan in the loft so maybe we can push enough air around to spread the heat...but as you noted a log home NEEDS a viewable fire just because.