Freestanding wood stove into old fireplace.. what models to choose?

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eliter

New Member
Oct 27, 2007
14
Oregon, Willamette Valley
So in my old house the original fireplace is in a great central location, however the previous owners elected to remove the chimney rather than repair it. This has posed me with a pain in the rear for installation as most stove shops don't want to deal with it and just keep trying to sell me on a pellet stove which I don't want.

I am planning on having a core driller come out and core drill an 8" hole through the top of the fireplace into the firebox and running metalbestos down to the firebox and up the outside of the house and through the roof and then boxing it up against the house and fake brick facading it. I have checked with the local building inspectors and this would be to code as long as I keep the metalbestos clearances ok.

What I am trying to find is a freestanding stove that I can insert into my masonry fireplace and pipe up through the new chimney. The issue I encounter is that my fireplace is a good old fireplace with angles and I worry about having enouigh room.

I am looking for some options on stoves to install here, these are the measurements of the opening: 30" W, 28.5" tall and 22 1/2" deep in the center (an 18" wide section is flat at the back then it tapers inward as it goes out to the edges.) It is hard to describe maybe I need to draw a picture and host it.

Anyway, the hearth is 18" from the front of the fireplace to the front of the tiles, I would ideally like a stove that fits in the fireplace and I don't have to extend the hearth in front. I have been looking at the Englander 13-NCL it appears it would fit perfectly but I was wondering if there is one that is oriented about 90 degrees off so you would be loading wood lengthwise and have a narrower stove.

I really like the look of a freestanding stove with legs and a window.

Please recomend some stoves that might work for my situation, I also like the idea of a soapstone sided stove or cast iron or somthing to that effect so that it would retain heat well.

Also does anyone see any major flaws with my plan??

Thanks!!
 
What happened to the space the old chimney was in? If it is still an empty space you could run a liner up the old chimney and then transition to an anchor plate where it ends, then from there you do Class A up and out through the roof. Might be cheaper and then you would not have to mess with running it up the side of the house.
 
jtp10181 said:
What happened to the space the old chimney was in? If it is still an empty space you could run a liner up the old chimney and then transition to an anchor plate where it ends, then from there you do Class A up and out through the roof. Might be cheaper and then you would not have to mess with running it up the side of the house.

The fireplace is on an exterior wall and the brick chimney went up the outside of the house. It was completely removed and the top of the fireplace was concreted shut. I want to have the top of the masonry fireplace core drilled and come out into the fireplace with a stove pipe then run it up the side of the house and through the roof then box it in and put faux brick up..

I was looking more about putting a freestanding stove INSIDE the fireplace rather than in front, is that a possibility? are clearances an issue when dealing with a masonry old THICK fireplace?
 
jtp10181 said:
You could fit some wood stoves into that opening but I don't know about the depth. This will fit but you would have to extend the hearth by the measurements you gave.

http://www.quadrafire.com/Products/Wood_Burning/Wood_Model.asp?f=yosemite

Dimensions are in the brochure.

http://www.quadrafire.com/Products/Wood_Burning/Wood_Model.asp?f=yosemite

I had looked at the yosemite but it is a lot deeper than I would want to try to fit, I would be extending my hearth considerably I was looking at some stoves like the:
Jøtul F 100 Nordic QT

but was wondering if there are any that are around that size besides the Jotul or the 13-NCL to choose from.

Thanks!!
 
eliter said:
jtp10181 said:
What happened to the space the old chimney was in? If it is still an empty space you could run a liner up the old chimney and then transition to an anchor plate where it ends, then from there you do Class A up and out through the roof. Might be cheaper and then you would not have to mess with running it up the side of the house.

The fireplace is on an exterior wall and the brick chimney went up the outside of the house. It was completely removed and the top of the fireplace was concreted shut. I want to have the top of the masonry fireplace core drilled and come out into the fireplace with a stove pipe then run it up the side of the house and through the roof then box it in and put faux brick up..

I was looking more about putting a freestanding stove INSIDE the fireplace rather than in front, is that a possibility? are clearances an issue when dealing with a masonry old THICK fireplace?

The problem with putting the stove inside an external fireplace is that you will be wasting a lot of heat on the wildlife... Any heat radiated by the back and sides of the stove wll be absorbed by the masonry and re-radiated to the great outdoors. You would be better off to put a stove in front of the fireplace, with a plate behind it to seal the opening except where the pipe goes through.

If you do need to put the stove in the fireplace, then it might be worth looking for a stove that does more convection type heating rather than radiant, and / or to consider lining the inside of the firebox with Micore or rock wool insulation blankets covered w/ sheet metal to increase the amount of heat reflected back into the house and decrease the amount lost to the fireplace box.

Gooserider
 
Gooserider said:
The problem with putting the stove inside an external fireplace is that you will be wasting a lot of heat on the wildlife... Any heat radiated by the back and sides of the stove wll be absorbed by the masonry and re-radiated to the great outdoors. You would be better off to put a stove in front of the fireplace, with a plate behind it to seal the opening except where the pipe goes through.

If you do need to put the stove in the fireplace, then it might be worth looking for a stove that does more convection type heating rather than radiant, and / or to consider lining the inside of the firebox with Micore or rock wool insulation blankets covered w/ sheet metal to increase the amount of heat reflected back into the house and decrease the amount lost to the fireplace box.

Gooserider

Where can one find Micore? Also I was planning on using a fan to help move the heat into the room.

Another thing I was contemplating was a heat transfer pipe system like fireplaces often use with pipes that get heated and circulate hot air into the room.

I don't really have an option on where to put the stove as the hearth tiles are gorgeous as is the original wood floors out in front of the hearth, i don't want to extend the hearth.

From searching I am now contemplating the F3CB or the Intrepid II as my stove, any feedback on either of those for inside fireplace installations?

Thanks!1
 
Are you totally against an insert. There are some flush mounted ones out there.
 
wxman said:
Are you totally against an insert. There are some flush mounted ones out there.
No I would love to get an insert but due to the fact that my chimney was torn down and sealed up I have been told that to be to code I need to have a direct connection from the stove to the chimney pipe I will have installed.

From what I have been told there isn't a "to code" way to hook an insert up to a direct pipe connection but please correct me if I am wrong here!
 
I may be wrong but the insert can be hooked up the the chimney pipe, as long as the fireplace itself is ok. PAging ELK!!! Then you would run the chimney pipe upthe chase it think. Code guys Alert!! Code guys to the hearth room ASAP!!!
 
You could run a short piece of flex or maybe even some single wall rigid liner from the insert up to the core drilled hole. Then go to an Anchor Plate and run Class A or DuraTech (depending on Anchor Plate) the rest of the way up. I don't see any problems doing that.
 
Sounds like the whole thing is the right idea - you are basically creating a masonry alcove with a class A chimney - no problem.

As far as stove, the intrepid must be out enough to top load, so unless you can easily open the griddle, that may not be for you. Front load is going to work best with an partially or fully pushed back unit.

Most of todays inserts ARE stoves with regular 6" pipes coming off the top. For instance the regencys and the avalon/lopis are usually just stoves sold with the surround panels. We have often set this type of stove back in an opening like yours and then piped it up the chimney - in your case direct to the class A adapter.

That should give you a few more options. Most (well, actually all) inserts are front loading, which should suit you fine.
 
Webmaster said:
Sounds like the whole thing is the right idea - you are basically creating a masonry alcove with a class A chimney - no problem.

As far as stove, the intrepid must be out enough to top load, so unless you can easily open the griddle, that may not be for you. Front load is going to work best with an partially or fully pushed back unit.

Most of todays inserts ARE stoves with regular 6" pipes coming off the top. For instance the regencys and the avalon/lopis are usually just stoves sold with the surround panels. We have often set this type of stove back in an opening like yours and then piped it up the chimney - in your case direct to the class A adapter.

That should give you a few more options. Most (well, actually all) inserts are front loading, which should suit you fine.

This is the kind of feedback I have been looking for!! I am going to go around to the local dealers today with my wife and choose in person what strikes us as the right stove. even if an insert will work I still may lean towards a jotul...

Any more pictures of freestanding stoves in fireplaces??
 
You might be able to find some in our gallery. At one time I ran the Upland Stove company and had one of those in my fireplace - little pic attached.

Keep in mind that the best idea is to use the insert with no panel (more heat) - or, if you want to use them for decorative effect, fit them loosely so the heat buildup to the rear can flow out.

Note: even certain stoves with legs sometimes have short legs available - Jotul and VC are two that come to mind as having these over the years.

FYI, that is a pro brochure shot (Upland 107) taken in the FP of my old house (when I owned the company)......no airbrushing, etc. - came out pretty good, I think!
 

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So after looking at vermont castings, jotul stoves, lopi stoves and inserts from all the same manufacturers today we are really leaning towards a C350 Jotul insert. Does anyone have any feedback on one of these stoves??
 
I have a freestanding Avalon Pendleton installed into a brick fireplace pretty much as you are contemplating. My chimney and flue were intact so I just ran flex liner to the top. Front of stove protrudes a few inches from the fireplace... I don't remember any of my measurements (installation is three years old... will send a pic if you're interested). The Pendleton is shrouded on five sides -- everywhere except the front -- as I believe in its "other life" it is sold as an insert. I presume this helps with getting heat out of the fireplace and into the room, as the brick inside the fireplace just gets lukewarm (not much heat wasted there), while a pretty substantial volume of hot air comes out the top/front of the shroud. (And I assume a blower would boost this even more.) Only prob I have with the five-sided covection chamber is dust has accumulated back in there and smells bad the first few times the stove is fired each year.

Eddy
 
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