Insert v. freestanding stove

An insert requires a blower to circulate the heat, so is not as effective during power outages as a free-standing stove. A freestanding wood stove on the hearth can still use the existing chimney flue. You may need to extend the hearth, however (as I did). I would opt for the larger (1800 sf) stove, as the bigger firebox gives longer burn times and more output when it's really cold. Something around a 2 cu ft size is good for your needs.

Go freestanding and extend your hearth. From what you are saying you are looking a Woodstock Fireview with a rear exhaust option would fit the bill, you will want something that can run low and slow to keep that room at only 72 with the other heat from downstairs, in the really windy cold days you will want the extra power to help heat the upstairs. Usually running a fan at the end of the hallway blowing the cold air towards the stove room will form a convective loop.

Check your lintel height, that will be a main factor when it comes to installing a free standing in front of a fireplace.

I recommend a nice insert, but then I have two so I'm not objective.

The advantage of an insert is that you may not need to extend the hearth, and it is in the fireplace opening and therefore more out of the way when not in use.

The inserts need a fan to distribute the heat, but they can be very nice. Mine keep the house at a very pleasant 70-75 degrees. I'm not to concerned about a power outage. I have a back-up generator.

Clyde #2 is on the main floor - 1600 square feet. Ceiling fans keep the air circulating. I will turn on the furnace when it gets below 30 as a back-up. It will only run when we are away from the house for long periods.

I'm probably going to be in the majority when I say, go free standing if possible.

my vote is freestanding if it is possible. More radiant heat.

freestanding gives you more heat bang for the buck. The only advantage I can think of for an insert is the little bit of floor space you gain - and possibly a lower lintel height requirement.

My ideal installation would be a freestanding stove that can be slid far enough into the fireplace that the flue can be connected directly from the stove flue collar to the full-height stainless liner to daylight, without a 90° elbow off of a rear-exit stove. Most typically, the thing that precludes this is insufficient height of the fireplace opening to accommodate the selected stove. That said, there are zillions of perfectly performing hearth stove installations using a rear exit from the stove into a 90° and up into the liner. Just a bit trickier to sweep. The really problematic fireplaces are the ones where the opening height can't even accommodate a rear exit stove sitting in front of it. In those situations, an insert is really the only solution. If you'll provide the dimensions of the fireplace, you'll get lots of specific appliance suggestions. As said above, inserts require electric power for the blowers for best performance, freestanders are better radiators, and I always say it's best to go a bit bigger than smaller in terms of firebox volume. A picture of the existing fireplace along with the dimensions would be really helpful. Welcome to Hearth.com! Rick

BTW: About your comment concerning the fact that none of the options you've looked at being advertised to "heat exactly 1350 ft²"...nothing about heating with a solid fuel-burning appliance is "exact". Nothing.

fossil said:

My ideal installation would be a freestanding stove that can be slid far enough into the fireplace that the flue can be connected directly from the stove flue collar to the full-height stainless liner to daylight, without a 90° elbow off of a rear-exit stove.

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The problem with this setup is you are pushing the stove further back into the fireplace and losing heating efficiency. Straight from my owner's manual:

We do not recommend placing the stove inside the fireplace, as it would be difficult to access the control levers, load the stove, and much of the heat radiating off the stove would not circulate into the room.

If I had a stove sans any sort of side controls, and I had a properly fitted block-off plate installed in the top of the firebox, I wouldn't hesitate to install a stove just exactly as described, provided it all fit up nicely. Quite obviously, there are exceptions. My Lopi Liberty has a bypass control on the right side of the rear of the firebox, for example. Some folks really love side-load stoves. That's why I began the sentence with, "My ideal...". A front-loading freestander with a blower installed will perform beautifully just as I described (ask Brother Bart and any number of others here). It'll do almost as well even without the blower, because it's a rare fireplace that will completely "eat" the wood stove, and in either a hearth stove or insert installation I'd consider a block-off plate to be necessary. Rick

Right, well, let's not let an esoteric discussion of "my ideal" get us too far off track here...let's see if we can get some fireplace dimensions out of the OP, then go from there. Rick

bholler said:

sorry fossil didnt mean to get off track

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Oh hell, we do it all the time...this time I just had a rare opportunity to see it happening and put the brakes on.

So...TomatoLover...you measure and photograph that fireplace for us yet?

Based on your dimensions that opening should fit several nice inserts including the Clydesdale, PE summit, and several others and with the 21 inch hearth you may not have to extend depending on the extension of the insert into the room. I know you can put the Clyde into that fireplace with just an insulated liner and a block-off plate.

The Clyde has a 2.4 cu. ft firebox