Traditonal looking HEF with duct options

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annb

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Feb 21, 2009
52
IN
Okay guys. I hope you can help me. We are thinking about purchasing a high efficiency fireplace to help offset our propane bills. The problem is, and I know you've heard it all before, I want a fireplace that looks like a traditional Rumford and works like a Fireplace Xtrordinaire, or maybe a BIS Panorama.

Our house is an old, two-story farmhouse. We have 1600 sq feet on the main level and about 1200 on the second floor. It does have insulation and new windows (mostly) and we're working to better insulate around the windows, etc. We'd like to put the fireplace in a family room/library, but since the floorplan isn't really very open, we think a fireplace that will duct into the central heating ducts would be a good idea. We don't mind the upstairs being a little bit cold, but we would like to be able to keep the main level comfortable. There is a separate furnace and ducting system for each floor. We're thinking we'd like to duct into the main level.

We like the look of the Jotul C 550 Rockland, but it doesn't appear to have a ducting option.

Any ideas or suggestions? Currently we set the thermostat on 62 during the day and 48 at night. We like our down comforters!
 
Thanks for the links. I'll check those out.

I'm just curious, is there some reason that high efficiency fireplaces have smaller boxes and windows, then a traditional fireplace? I'm wondering if the engineering necessary to get the second burn is incompatible with a traditional sized fireplace? Again, just curious.

Thanks again.
 
I have a BIS Nova, but have not hooked up the ducting option. We've actually found that the fireplace puts out enough heat. and seems to be designed to function best without any additional holes cut in the enclosure.

As far as the firebox goes, I'm beginning to believe smaller is better. The BIS Nova has a 2 cu ft box, and that's more than enough for us. We find it puts out enough heat with just 1-2 logs burning. Any more and it gets real hot in the living room where the stove is. Also the secondary burn works best when the firebox is hot, so a big box means burning more wood just to keep it running efficiently.

We've never loaded our stove with more than 3-4 logs at a time, and in that mode it puts out quite a bit of heat. The only reason I could see for loading that much is to extend the burn time, but that comes at the expense of a real hot room for the first couple hours.

I suggest that if you plan for the ducted heat option, you might want to try without first and get to know the stove before you cut a hole (open the knockouts) in the housing. We figured we would hook it up, and actually bought the hardware to do it, but have now decided to keep it simple...

By the way, I have a BIS forced air adapter and a length of 5" insulated duct (25' I think) for sale if anyone's interested...
 
Thanks. I'll take a look at the Nova. How many square feet are you heating? Do you have an open floor plan? We'd like to put the fireplace in the family room because that's where we spend most of our time. However, the room is not open to the rest of the house. We think the ducting option might help us move the heat around. Does this sound reasonable? Others have said that it's almost impossible to move heat around. Does the ducting option accomplish that?

Thanks again!
 
Thanks. I'll take a look at the Nova. How many square feet are you heating? Do you have an open floor plan? We'd like to put the fireplace in the family room because that's where we spend most of our time. However, the room is not open to the rest of the house. We think the ducting option might help us move the heat around. Does this sound reasonable? Others have said that it's almost impossible to move heat around. Does the ducting option accomplish that?

Thanks again!

***********
We installed a BIS Tradition in the summer of 2008 and could not be happier. We are heating a 3,000 SF house without a problem and routinely have it 75 in the house here in Northern Wisconsin. We love the look of the fireplace and the output of a wood stove. I have the ducting option and am still working on getting it working in the basement (below the fireplace). I will post more if I have a positive outcome. IMHO, ducting UP would work wonderfully. We don't need to because we have a two story house and natural convection works just fine.
 
Woodsman,

Thanks for the reply. Our house is a two story also. I think the second floor will heat just fine. I'm thinking the ducting option will allow us to move the heat around the first floor (same floor as the fireplace) since it's not open.

How much wood do you burn in a season?

Thanks!
 
We burned 5 full cords this year. Next year I think it will be less because I'll have the wood more seasoned so more BTU's out. Also, you might want to look at creating transoms and fans to move the air around the same floor. I can point you to some pictures if you like.
 
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