Finding a woodstove for my old fireplace

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Jacob Rock

New Member
Nov 20, 2014
6
Bristol Virginia
I have a 30's coal fireplace thats not been used for a while. the fireplace is 23.5 inches wide by 26.5 tall. I need a wood stove that i can run up the flue. I'm going to have to run liner because it doesnt have but one flue in the bottom of chimney. Any suggestions on a stove insert or hearthmount stove. Thanks.
 
Those coal fireplaces are extremely small to put a decent size insert in there. How many sqft do you want to heat? How well is your home insulated?

For a hearth-mounted stove almost your only options are the Woodstock stoves as their rear-vent would just fit under the fireplace lintel. You may need to extend your hearth then.

Have you thought about putting a stove somewhere else with its own chimney?
 
Those coal fireplaces are extremely small to put a decent size insert in there. How many sqft do you want to heat? How well is your home insulated?

For a hearth-mounted stove almost your only options are the Woodstock stoves as their rear-vent would just fit under the fireplace lintel. You may need to extend your hearth then.

Have you thought about putting a stove somewhere else with its own chimney?
The chimney has 3 chambers in it. 2 are for fireplace, the other goes downstairs where a oil furnace was used. I have another chimney on the other side of the basement that the top was taken down when the back stoop was enclosed. Its a 6" and it looks like its been poured with mortar. the furnace hole is low. I dont know how they even got gases to go out of it. the house is 1850 sq. ft with basement the same. I dont think the house is that well insulated.
 
For a hearth-mounted stove almost your only options are the Woodstock stoves as their rear-vent would just fit under the fireplace lintel. You may need to extend your hearth then. Have you thought about putting a stove somewhere else with its own chimney?
Fireview and Keystone/Palladian. My Dutchwest 2460 is the same height with the short legs. Of those, the only stove that could possibly heat the upstairs is the Fireview...if it has halfway decent insulation and air sealing. Going through the roof would give you your pick of any stove...
 
If your fireplace was just a hair wider and taller an Englander NC30 with the legs chopped down would fit.
 
I'm wondering if it would be better to put a wood furnace downstairs and connect it to the heat pump{burr}. My insurance says it has to be "professionally installed". I know the chimney has to be lined because it has no flue and no crown on top. ugh.
 
How large an area are you hoping to heat with the stove? How large with a furnace?
 
If the desire is to heat the whole house then a furnace or two stoves might be the best solution. A wood furnace might be able to tie into the existing hvac trunk ducts. Is there a serviceable flue outlet near the current airhandler? A furnace is going to need a lot of wood for 24/7 heating during cold weather. Would it be easy to bring wood into the basement or thru the house and down the stairs?

Another possibility would be to have a large stove in the basement and a small stove upstairs for chill chasing on 50 deg days. This depend on the stove location in relationship to the stairway upstairs. That would be the primary governor of heat getting upstairs. Is the basement insulated? Is it an open space or partitioned?
 
1850 is almost exactly the size of my house. I heat mine quite easily with just the NC30 stuffed into my fireplace.

Is there any way you could extend your hearth out?
 
The opening is not wide enough for the 30NC unfortunately. It might fit the Jotul Greenville F45 with short legs if there is no taper to the firebox. Regardless of stove the hearth would likely need to be extended.

Another option is to tap into the flue above the damper. That would allow a large stove to be installed in front of the fireplace. the fireplace could then be bricked in if desired.
 
If the desire is to heat the whole house then a furnace or two stoves might be the best solution. A wood furnace might be able to tie into the existing hvac trunk ducts. Is there a serviceable flue outlet near the current airhandler? A furnace is going to need a lot of wood for 24/7 heating during cold weather. Would it be easy to bring wood into the basement or thru the house and down the stairs?

Another possibility would be to have a large stove in the basement and a small stove upstairs for chill chasing on 50 deg days. This depend on the stove location in relationship to the stairway upstairs. That would be the primary governor of heat getting upstairs. Is the basement insulated? Is it an open space or partitioned?
The heat pump is on the other end of the house(catecorner). the one chimney beside the heat pump looks like 6" and has the top of it took off when they closed in the back porch. Where the oil furnace was it is a 10or 12 inch hole. the flue inside has a hole that i could probably stick my head through on the side exposing the wood frame for the fireplace upstairs. The difference between the fireplace and hole where the furnace was is about 5 ft. The chimney has no crown and is brick all the way down to the first flue in the fireplace and where the furnace used to be. The fireplace tapers in the back to 22" in the bottom back,21" in the top back,19.5" deep in the bottom,and 13" deep in the top.
 
The garage door opens up in the basement and i also have a coal door chute in the back of the house so getting the wood inside isnt the problem. A light bill of 400-500 dollars with a heat pump(brr) is.
 
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