Wood burning insert questions

I've been considering getting a wood burning insert for my fireplace to supplement or use instead of my natural gas boiler. There seem to be a great many options, with quality and price covering quite a range. I first started looking at the inexpensive inserts northern tool sells, but it seems like spending a little more money gets lot more quality. My real problem is this: while my fire box seems plenty large for anything I'd want to put in it, I've only been able to find one insert that comes with a surround large enough for my fireplace opening. I have not removed the doors that are currently on the fireplace, but the outside measurement of the door frame is 33 1/2" high by 40 1/2" wide. I think I need a surround of at least that size to properly cover. The only insert I've been able to find that has a surround panel big enough to cover is the Quadra-Fire 4100i. It definitely looks like a nice stove, but I'm a bit concerned that my options are so limited by the available surrounds. Other than correct fit, I'm primarily concerned with efficiency and long burn time, a quality blower, and a large window would be nice too. My house is 1 1/2 stories and a little over 2,200 sq ft. I only use the upstairs of my house for guest bedrooms, and my boiler has a separate upstairs zone. That being said, I don't mind if I have to use the boiler to heat the upstairs.

I guess my questions would be:

1. Are there other inserts available with larger surround trim?

2. Is there any problem with buying a larger insert than I need? Does efficiency improve or decline?

3. Can anyone recommend a specific model?

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this, I truly appreciate any advice you may be able to give.

Thanks. I was aware of the oversized surrounds, but unfortunately the one available for the blaze king princess in only 32 1/2" high, and I need 33 1/2".

Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:

Pics are going to be important here. House layout, etc.

Welcome to the forums !!

Click to expand...

Here's one pic... I don't know what else would be helpful, but I'll post whatever is needed. The mantle seems higher than most, it's 69" from the floor.

The layout is far from ideal. The fireplace is on a wall that is shared with my attached garage, and it's pretty close to the front of the house. The house was built in 1965, when apparently everyone like doors and walls. There was literally an interior door for every doorway in the house when I bought it last year. I removed all but the bathroom, bedroom, and closet doors. I do have ceiling fans in most rooms, so that should help some.

pgmr said:

We have a corner fireplace (two sides open, not a fireplace IN a corner), so I opted to install our insert without a surround at all. Kind of a "hearth stove" with very little protruding onto the hearth. It is basically a free standing stove without legs, which many of the current inserts are as well. Without the surround, we get a lot more radiant heat.

If you go this route, you'd not want to get one that has a pretty front and just a sheet metal back.

Click to expand...

Do you have a pic of your setup?

pgmr said:

I posted on on this https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/30833/ thread. There are a couple others showing inserts w/o surrounds as well.

Click to expand...

Thank you for posting that. I wasn't aware that was an option. I think I am going to stick with installing with a surround. From what others have posted, it looks like I more options than I thought as far as brands go.

From my measurements, it looks like I can fit quite a large stove. Is there any disadvantage in going with an over sized stove? Will I use more wood if I end up with a stove larger than I need?