Want to buy my first wood insert. (NEED HELP)

I like the FPX.Napoleon has a hinge issues that they still have not addressed.

I guess it all depends on what kind of fireplace you have. Size and type of your fireplace really determines what kind of insert you can get. I always thought those type 'inserts' were more for new building and not modifying or inserting into an existing fireplace. I'm probably wrong though because I just don't have any experience with these types.

The fireplaces you mentioned are both beautiful but they are "Fireplaces" not fireplace "Inserts." If you have an existing masonry fireplace that you are installing into, then you will need to use an insert. The Fireplace Xtrodinaire insert is the FPX 33 elite.

Following are a few things that can help narrow your options:

1. Fireplace depth and height at the opening AND at the rear
2. If you have a wood mantel - distance from top of opening to the mantel - higher BTU inserts need a greater clearance or will require a heat shield for the mantel
3. Do you wish to be able to burn with the door open? That will narrow your search.
4. An option for some fireplaces, is to install a free standing stove on the hearth. I have an insert in one fireplace and a free standing stove on the hearth of my other fireplace. I like both. (There are pictures of both types of installs on this site.)
5. Chimney size requirements - for an insert you should install a steel chimney liner - get dimensions of chimney so you can find out what size liner it will support - they can be "ovalized" to fit into narrower openings - the dealer should be able to guide you
6. Is this going to be a primary source of heat? If so, a catalytic stove/insert can be more efficient which means burning less wood - however, they require a little more effort to learn how to use them properly

I recommend outside air if you can do it. My fireplace had outside air that I routed into my insert. My insert is a Vermont Castings Winter Warm Small Catalytic insert. It provides most of the heat for our home. It's fan is noisier than I like but otherwise we love it. Some bad reviews on this site but I they appear to be caused by poor installations or operation. VC also makes a non-cat insert - the Montpelier - I have seen both good and bad reviews for this. Jotul makes an insert as well. I have a Quadrafire Isle Royale non-cat stove on my basement fireplace hearth. Used "hearth legs" to fit the opening.

Hope this helps! Good luck.

I feel compelled to add to this forum. For months, I used Hearth.com to research which fireplace insert to purchase. We ended buying the Vermont Castings Montpelier and couldn't be happier. The reviews I read were mixed with pros and cons. We've had ours now for several weeks and have had probably 2 dozen fires and I have to say that we couldn't more pleased with this product. Our home is 7 years old and is very tight. We have a center chimney which really helps disperse the heat evenly as opposed to a chimney that abuts the exterior. When it was first installed, the blower was very noisy. It made a humming sound which I knew couldn't be right. While the fire was going a fiddled with the blower and discovered that it was making contact with the sheet metal bottom directly below it. The guys from the stove shop came and replaced my shim shingle with a piece of lead and presto, problem solved. My fireplace bottom sits 3/4" lower than the hearth. They used fire-block to elevate the unit to the correct height thus pushing the sheet metal bottom up close to the blower. Now all we hear is the rush of air coming from the variable speed blower. Honestly, this thing throws so much heat that we really don't use the blower too often. I haven't experienced any of the blow back of smoke that I have read about on this site. I should also add that we needed a custom surround to go over the large opening in our stone fireplace. We also went with the Caprice surround. My wife loves the large viewing area. She wasn't a fan of the gothic arches on the Jotul products. I also looked seriously at the Lopi Declaration and decided the firebox was just too small. In short, I am very happy with my VC Montpelier.

Ken04011 said:

I feel compelled to add to this forum. For months, I used Hearth.com to research which fireplace insert to purchase. We ended buying the Vermont Castings Montpelier and couldn't be happier. The reviews I read were mixed with pros and cons. We've had ours now for several weeks and have had probably 2 dozen fires and I have to say that we couldn't more pleased with this product. Our home is 7 years old and is very tight. We have a center chimney which really helps disperse the heat evenly as opposed to a chimney that abuts the exterior. When it was first installed, the blower was very noisy. It made a humming sound which I knew couldn't be right. While the fire was going a fiddled with the blower and discovered that it was making contact with the sheet metal bottom directly below it. The guys from the stove shop came and replaced my shim shingle with a piece of lead and presto, problem solved. My fireplace bottom sits 3/4" lower than the hearth. They used fire-block to elevate the unit to the correct height thus pushing the sheet metal bottom up close to the blower. Now all we hear is the rush of air coming from the variable speed blower. Honestly, this thing throws so much heat that we really don't use the blower too often. I haven't experienced any of the blow back of smoke that I have read about on this site. I should also add that we needed a custom surround to go over the large opening in our stone fireplace. We also went with the Caprice surround. My wife loves the large viewing area. She wasn't a fan of the gothic arches on the Jotul products. I also looked seriously at the Lopi Declaration and decided the firebox was just too small. In short, I am very happy with my VC Montpelier.

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I'm a newbie, and I'm researching my first wood insert. I don't know much, but I'm pretty sure that the firebox on the Declaration (2.9cf) is almost double the firebox on the Montpelier (1.5cf). I'm looking at both of these, and the larger firebox on the Lopi Declaration / Avalon Perfect-Fit is one of it's draws. The larger viewing glass on the Montpelier is the attraction for us on the VC unit.

I did a side-by-side comparison in the stove shop. That helped sell it for me. I had a hard time picturing more than a few logs in the declaration....... My VC Montpelier is going right now. In fact, we opened the windows some as the heat will drive you out if you're not careful. I can't wait until old man winter comes knocking.

BeGreen said:

Ken04011 said:

I feel compelled to add to this forum. For months, I used Hearth.com to research which fireplace insert to purchase. We ended buying the Vermont Castings Montpelier and couldn't be happier. The reviews I read were mixed with pros and cons. We've had ours now for several weeks and have had probably 2 dozen fires and I have to say that we couldn't more pleased with this product. Our home is 7 years old and is very tight. We have a center chimney which really helps disperse the heat evenly as opposed to a chimney that abuts the exterior. When it was first installed, the blower was very noisy. It made a humming sound which I knew couldn't be right. While the fire was going a fiddled with the blower and discovered that it was making contact with the sheet metal bottom directly below it. The guys from the stove shop came and replaced my shim shingle with a piece of lead and presto, problem solved. My fireplace bottom sits 3/4" lower than the hearth. They used fire-block to elevate the unit to the correct height thus pushing the sheet metal bottom up close to the blower. Now all we hear is the rush of air coming from the variable speed blower. Honestly, this thing throws so much heat that we really don't use the blower too often. I haven't experienced any of the blow back of smoke that I have read about on this site. I should also add that we needed a custom surround to go over the large opening in our stone fireplace. We also went with the Caprice surround. My wife loves the large viewing area. She wasn't a fan of the gothic arches on the Jotul products. I also looked seriously at the Lopi Declaration and decided the firebox was just too small. In short, I am very happy with my VC Montpelier.

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Thanks for chiming in Ken. Maybe start a new thread and post a review with some pictures. It's good to hear the positive experience with the Montpelier. It could turn out to be a nice insert, we just don't know until it's been out there for awhile and we start hearing the pros and cons from owners like you. The insert came out just after the transition at VC, so caution was the word. But it's really good to hear that the product is working well for you. Hope it stays a winner and helps VC get back on its feet.

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Hey guys I got mine last fall 08 I think I may have been one of the first to get it. LOVE it! We burned wood and coal when I was a kid. The new EPA stove do have a learning curve! The whole dry wood thing. IMO this is the number one reason for grief or joy. Last winter my wood supply was sub-par. So I had to clean the glass. and sometimes throw some extra pallet wood to get it started.
But this year after seasoning my own wood for over a year, what a difference. I have no black buildup not even on the hinge side! I am burning half as much wood as I was burning fall of 2008! Even with sub-par wood last winter I had very little creosote build up! Maybe a cup or two! A new thread would be great! oh yeah I reduced my home heating oil buy two thirds last year and hope to do better this year! Here is the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW6bgkRrelM

Here's a photo of our Vermont Castings Montpelier.

Ken04011 said:

Here's a photo of our Vermont Castings Montpelier.

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That is nice looking, and has a huge viewing area.

I can only provide an opinion on what I own, which is the Jotul C350 Winterport and C550 Rockland. Both inserts are great, the C550 really does a great job of producing a lot of heat. Very happy with the Jotul, but I can't compare them with any other Manufacturer.

Good Luck

hdm
I have the Napoleon NZ6000. You can PM me and I can give you the inside scope! Best of luck.


Basically there are 3 problems right now that this unit is having

1 Hinges are not solid but hollow cast metal and are bending
2. Faceplate heats up and "pop" there is a mod or fix for this
3. Airwash doesn't really work well, this seems to be common to all the big zero clearance fireplaces like the quad7100.

Last year on the advice of a friend who had one, I ran out and bought an Osburn insert. Not a bad insert, but I knew little about wood stoves, inserts, etc. A few months later I met someone who had a hearth stove. I never knew there was such a thing. It has a front loading door as well as a side loading door, can take longer splits, which results in longer burn times. And it sits out on the hearth, rather than all the way inside the firebox.
I am now considering replacing the insert with a hearth stove. The insert needs to be pulled out every time I clean the chimney. Not an easy task. Otherwise I'd have to find a midget to go inside and remove the air tubes, baffles, etc. Just my experience, but you may benefit from it. Good luck!

brink said:

Last year on the advice of a friend who had one, I ran out and bought an Osburn insert. Not a bad insert, but I knew little about wood stoves, inserts, etc. A few months later I met someone who had a hearth stove. I never knew there was such a thing. It has a front loading door as well as a side loading door, can take longer splits, which results in longer burn times. And it sits out on the hearth, rather than all the way inside the firebox.
I am now considering replacing the insert with a hearth stove. The insert needs to be pulled out every time I clean the chimney. Not an easy task. Otherwise I'd have to find a midget to go inside and remove the air tubes, baffles, etc. Just my experience, but you may benefit from it. Good luck!

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You need a liner.I sure the hell would not want to pull the stove every time i had to clean the stack.

I have a full ss flex liner and it's an interior chimney. The liner still needs to be brushed and if I leave the insert in place, any creosote will fall into the top of the insert and pile up on top of the baffle board.
When I removed the insert to re-do the fireplace facade, there was a small amount of creosote on top of the baffle board in the insert. Since the only way to brush (sweep) the chimney liner is from top down, leaving the insert in place with all parts such as air tubes, bricks, and baffles intact, allows the cresote to pile up on top of the baffle board. It cannot be reached from inside the insert with a vacume hose. So all of the parts need to come out through the tight cramped front door opening. Pulling the insert easier.

To Ken04011 - can you tell me what the width and height of the Montpelier with the Caprice surround is on the outside? I am looking at getting this same combo and the seller says I need a custom surround and the price seems a little high. I have stone/marble that protrudes from the fireplace opening in a decorative fashion and I can't get too wide on the surround. Any help from you would be much appreciated as well as anyone else out there with the Montpelier and the Caprice surround.

According to there web site, the Caprice will cover up to 25” high by 35” wide. Mine is for sale, but has the Georgian surround (up to 30.25” H X 41” W). I’ve been very pleased with mine also, but due to us both working all day, we are looking to switch to coal. It does put on a great show through that large window with the secondary’s going.

Steve