26" short freestanding to use as insert?

Good morning everyone!

I've heated with wood for many years, just bought a house and the fireplace in the living room is just a masonry fireplace and it is completely useless and I want to put in an insert for additional heating capacity and for some cheer in the winter! There is a wood furnace, sauna, and fireplace in the basement. I use the the wood furnace for primary heat in the house.

Specs on the fireplace I want to insert:
Dedicated 10" square masonry chimney with clay liner 15' tall located in the center of the house. Opening of the fireplace is 26" brick to brick. ~40" wide tapering to the back and ~33" deep but there is 16" of brick extending from the bottom outside so it could stick out a bit.

Reading on this forum I see that some use a freestanding unit in the fireplace and I really like the idea for air circulation around the whole stove to get the heat out and absorbed by the brick but I don't know that I have enough door height to get one in and connected.
My other concern is cleaning of the chimney. I'd think I'd need one that can allow the creosote to fall into the firebox but the couple of unit's I've seen at northern tool and menards have insulation or baffling preventing this.

This house is ~3000 sq feet including cement basement. About a 20 face cord per winter house. I've got 40 face cord in the basement now (positively ventilated till I start needing the humidity), 1/3 of it is well seasoned and short and I could exclusively save it for the fireplace and burn the 1-2 year old stuff in the furnace like I have been doing.
I cut 27" cordwood for the furnace, so I plan on having to cut dedicated fireplace lengths, not a big deal.

My budget is $1000 or less.
So here's the questions, is there an insert with enough air flow and a good enough air jacket that it works as well as a free standing? I'm looking at the century cw2900 insert right now. Would a free standing stuck in the hole be a better option?

I'm a little overwhelmed by the amount of options out there for stoves that all look to be about the same. I want as big of a firebox as I can get, would prefer to be able to load north-south and it needs to fit in a 26" height opening.

I'm planning on having to put in a SS liner, suggestions? I'm thinking rigid 6" SS single wall liner sealed and both ends and leave air space in between the liner and the 10" square clay. I don't know that I trust flexible liner to not tear when trying to clean it but I've never used it.

Thanks!

Grisu said:

How much of a heater do you want? 26" is rather low, the lowest medium-size stove I know of that can be rear-vented is the Woodstock Fireview with a 26.5" high flue exhaust. You would need to go to a small stove to fit a freestander in that fireplace. It sounds like you have an interior fireplace. In that case you won't really lose heat by putting an insert in. Any heat "stuck" in the fireplace cavity will warm up the bricks which will slowly radiate it into the room. However, it will take longer for the heat to be felt in the room. You will also benefit greatly from a block-off plate: https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/make-a-damper-sealing-block-off-plate/

For cleaning a chimney connected to a modern stove/insert you would remove the baffle and burn tubes. In some models that is easier than in others. A rigid liner will be ok but is much more tricky to install. A heavy-wall flex will be easier and also very durable. Although it may not be needed insulating the liner is highly recommended for better draft and added safety. What is your total budget?

For N-S loading inserts take a look at the Pacific Energy Super and Summit. They have a huge fanbase here. I have the Super myself and could not be happier.

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26" seemed low to me as well but I couldn't find published dimensions on freestanding stoves with the feet taken off. Yes this is an interior fireplace and you make a good point that the heat out the back still goes inside.

I guess I have always associated a flexible liner as the easy way out and the rigid were easier to clean end stayed cleaner. Also less chance of ripping during cleaning.

Those pacific energy units look really nice but I can't justify the price tag I don't think. Looks like they are both well over 2 grand.
I'd like to be all said and done under $1500 with the liner materials. I can get the cw2900 from menards for under $1000 out the door, and if I wanted I could get one of those flexible liner kits for under $300 from northern tool.

I took exact dimensions

Opening is 38" wide by 27" tall
Tapers to 22" at the back

26" deep from the bottom to 13" up
Tapers to 20" deep from 13" up to 27" (top)
Hearth sticks out 14" in front. Carpet on floor beneath.

Too small for free standing. I'm going to look at some stove shops in duluth, mn some time and see what they have to offer.

I found an older lopi freedom for $500 and am going to be installing that after a good cleaning and repaint/rebrick. I have a 10" square clay liner chimney now and I'm trying to decide whether to go with a flexible duraflex liner kit from northern tool, or to use sections of double wall insulated from homedepot since there is room for it.