Insert W/O fan Bad idea?

Most of the heat on inserts are on top of the stove. Don't get me wrong, it will offer some heat in the stove room, but not much beyond the stove. Also, if you don't blow that air out, it's just going to raise stove temps to a dangerous level if you load it up. I would strongly suggest getting the blower to get the heat where you want it, out of the stove

I had a rental with an insert and no fan - I would direct a normal pedestal fan to blow across the box. Even that made a massive difference in terms of getting heat back into the room. I would say you definitely need a blower.

I have a flush-installed insert. With the fan off, I can probably heat only the living room where the insert is in. With the fan on, combine with two ceiling fans and one small floor fan to circulate the air, I can keep the entire 1st floor (1000 sq.ft.) @ 72 and 2nd floor (800 sq.ft.) at 70. So that's the difference I've got.

It may depend on the model and how much the stove protrude on the hearth. I remember seeing a comment from Morso Insert owner said he's happy with the heat w/o fan.

If your fireplace is small, how about installing a hearth stove and vent through an existing chimney? You'll have more choices to go that way and more radian heat too.

Cheers......Som

Heating with a wood stove insert or other and needing a fan to me just kills the whole idea. What if the power goes out?

wkpoor said:

Heating with a wood stove insert or other and needing a fan to me just kills the whole idea. What if the power goes out?

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I don't know about other. But to me the priority of heating the entire house while power outage is much lower. I heat with wood because it's warmer than gas furnace and also for ecology reason. Insert provides better overall look & safety (for the kid) in my situation. I can still heat my living room w/o power just in case.

Beside, we rarely lose power in our area.

Do yourself a favor, get an insert with a blower/fan. Better to have and use on low or high etc, then need and not have.
It will throw alot of heat out into the home or room if its a less open floor plan. You can always turn it down or off.

wkpoor said:

Heating with a wood stove insert or other and needing a fan to me just kills the whole idea. What if the power goes out?

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You will still have heat when the power is out, just not as much as you stumble around in the dark.

wkpoor said:

Heating with a wood stove insert or other and needing a fan to me just kills the whole idea. What if the power goes out?

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For most power cuts are a rare occurrence and even then it's not a requirement for it to work.
During the 4 days we didn't have power in the ice storm a few years back, I used the insert without a fan. We were one of the few who didn't abandon their house.

I've got no experience with inserts. However for 9yrs I've heated our home totally on wood from 2 different stoves (1 stove at a time). Both have the blower option. Nothing scientific here but the blower just doesn't seem to add any additional warmth at all and I have to listen to the darn fan. I've even bought other fans and they always get louder as the night goes on and never do I feel warmer. Been without a fan for 2yrs now and don't miss it at all. There is an article over at woodheat.org that backs up my findings.
http://www.woodheat.org/planning/heatdist.htm
"Buyers of new stoves are sometimes encouraged to buy the optional fan that is offered by the stove's manufacturer. The thinking is that the fan will boost efficiency and help circulate warm air. But we've seen little evidence that they make much real difference, although they do give the impression that they are boosting efficiency because they blow hot air around. Besides, they are expensive and they usually rattle. The one serious heater that may need its fan is a fireplace insert, but these fans don't tend to be optional."

I have a flush insert, and I don't have a blower with it-
I love heating with wood, but I don't burn 24/7- and the house is otherwise heated by an oil furnace. I say so just to let you know where I'm coming from:
That being said I feel that the insert heats the main living area very well, but being in a ranch home, the opposite end of the house doesn't reap the benefits of the stove but- but that's due to how the house is set up -> long and narrow. But I will say this- while the fire is going the furnace doesn't kick on, in any of the zones.
Nothing's perfect, but given this set up, I'm very happy.
I don't know if this is helpful in the least, but I don't find myself longing for a blower. However who's to say I wouldn't like one if I had one.

Definitely get an insert with a blower. In my experience the blower significantly increases heat output. Do they make some noise, yes, but I keep mine on low and for the most part I am used to it so I don't notice it much. But there are times when I don't feel like hearing it, so I turn it off. The blower makes a big difference in getting heat distributed to. When my house is chilly and I start a fire, once the stove heats up and the blower kicks on usually for about an hour or so I can feel the cool air from the second floor being pulled into the stove room, I don't feel that unless the blower is running. Once the temps upstairs warm up that draft stops. You only have so much exposed surface area with an insert, if you think about it nearly 2/3 of an insert is back behind the surround, so most of the radiant heat is being directed back into the masonry chimney which will absorb a ton of heat. The blower will move that heat out into your home. In my opinion I would not even consider buying an insert without a blower.

If it is not decorative, get the blower or you'll be sorry. Most of the inserts heat will be absorbed into the masonry. My stove wouldnt heat anything without the blower

Get the blower. Its the difference of about 50k btu/hr when you want it.

Has anyone mentioned that you should get the blower?

Fairly conclusive I guess...

I was gonna reply with the "fan required" line, especially if you have an exterior chimney, (speaking from experience), but I looked at that little Regency here:
http://www.regency-fire.com/RegencyFireplaces/files/41/41f7ad69-e902-46d5-9869-41ae10b3a316.pdf

This little insert is very flush and quite small. About the size of a microwave oven. Regency specifically states that the 1250 is required for fan/blower, and it is taller.
So my gut feeling...you will not get a whole lot of heat out of this, but I think it will still be an improvement over wearing more sweaters, and I think you will burn less wood than the open FP.

I run an insert with no blower. 1900 sq ft ranch home, insert at one end. Our living area gets very warm, back bedrooms down the hallway stay 10-12 degrees cooler. I have two young children and a cold wife, (no comments please). After reading here about putting a small fan at the other end of the house blowing cooler air towards the fireplace, I finally tried it. It works like a charm! Back bedrooms now stay 70 - 72 degrees, & I have a Happy Family!

Hogwildz said:

Do yourself a favor, get an insert with a blower/fan. Better to have and use on low or high etc, then need and not have.
It will throw alot of heat out into the home or room if its a less open floor plan. You can always turn it down or off.

Click to expand...

+1

I heat my whole 2300 sq. ft. ranch house with an insert and if it were not for the blower most of my house would be very cold. The difference in heat output is like night and day.

What are your fireplace dimensions? Maybe we can help you find a larger insert with a blower that will fit. That is a really small stove and it is very flush. If it is going into a room with any size i would be really nervous about heat output. Not sure about your climate though. But if you are looking for real heat i would recommend taking your time and checking out some more stoves before you jump on that one. You may find a stove that will fit in your fireplace and fit your heating needs better. I am not knocking regency they make a solid stove. And one more tip, do not assume that the salesmen in stove shops know what thy aretalking about! Knowing what I know now and thinking back to what some of those guys said, it is scary how little some of those guys know about their products, most that i met didn't even own woodstoves.

Kyer - I have been debating over the exact same insert. Great looks, fits, but no blower. I have a 1900 sq ft ranch and would like it to be a good supplemental heater and put a dent in my propane bill. I have heard strong opinions on both sides.

One website I looked at said that it can make a difference on how quickly the room comes up to temp but not a big differece otherwise.

Please let me know what you decide or if you hear from anyone who has the alterra CL1200.

Look into the regency H-2100. I too have limited space and this stove would work for you if you have enough clearance to combustibles.
Let me know if you have any questions. We have a two story close to 2500 sqf. and heat exclusively with the stove. You won't get the longer burn times of a bigger firebox, but you will get the benefits of radiant/forced air from the blower. http://www.regency-fire.com/Products/Wood/Wood-Inserts/H2100.aspx

sorry double post