Okay...so which insert would you go with?

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Stax

Stax

Minister of Fire
Dec 22, 2010
941
Southeastern PA
I've pounded the pavement, the phone and also the internet. Wow do you get different info and insight from different dealers. Different prices as well. What I found interesting is that each shop sells a particular line, and according to them that line is the best. I'm also looking at the Lopi Declaration but I have to get numbers for it. Here's my choices. Any input is appreciated.

1. Quadrafire 3100i + liner and installation: $4293.00 (Dealer 1)
2. Lopi Republic 1750 $1550 + Door $140 + Fan $282 + Panel $155 + Liner $650 + Labor $725 =$3502.00 not including tax.
3. Lopi Revere $2020 + all amentities in #2 = $4,003 not including tax.
4. Vermont Castings Montpelier $4000 includes surround, liner & labor not including tax. (2-4 are from dealier 2)
5. Osburn 1600 $1679 + Liner $609 + Labor $375 = $2800.28 (Dealer 3)

Now here's the project. Below is a shot of my existing fireplace. The backside and left side need to be bricked in. My concerns with the Lopi's (cooktops) will sit two far back, negating the purpose of the cooktop. The floor bricks can be removed for a flush mount. Again, your comments and suggestions are appreciated.
 

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I'd go with the Blue one!
 
if i had to do it over i would go with a blaze king princess insert. Seems to be the stove with the longest burn times, and the least amount of baby sitting required. You should do the majority of your research here on this forums. Get honest opinions from users, not dealers. We have nothing to gain from our advise here, the dealers are only looking out for there bottom line.
 
Whatever fits that has the biggest firebox! Bigger IS better ;)
 
Rcrozier said:
I've pounded the pavement, the phone and also the internet. Wow do you get different info and insight from different dealers. Different prices as well. What I found interesting is that each shop sells a particular line, and according to them that line is the best. I'm also looking at the Lopi Declaration but I have to get numbers for it. Here's my choices. Any input is appreciated.

1. Quadrafire 3100i + liner and installation: $4293.00 (Dealer 1)
2. Lopi Republic 1750 $1550 + Door $140 + Fan $282 + Panel $155 + Liner $650 + Labor $725 =$3502.00 not including tax.
3. Lopi Revere $2020 + all amentities in #2 = $4,003 not including tax.
4. Vermont Castings Montpelier $4000 includes surround, liner & labor not including tax. (2-4 are from dealier 2)
5. Osburn 1600 $1679 + Liner $609 + Labor $375 = $2800.28 (Dealer 3)

Now here's the project. Below is a shot of my existing fireplace. The backside and left side need to be bricked in. My concerns with the Lopi's (cooktops) will sit two far back, negating the purpose of the cooktop. The floor bricks can be removed for a flush mount. Again, your comments and suggestions are appreciated.
Click to expand...


We can't give you our opinion until we know the size of the house, the floor plan and how much you plan on burning.

Also, the Lopi Declaration runs a few dollars more than $3,000 in your/our area, plus installation.
 
I live in a one story, 1,700 sq. ft house built in 1952 with a poorly insulated attic. The existing fireplace is centrally located in the house and will face the living room (240 sq ft). Our master bedroom sits right off the living room just 10 feet away and in line with the fireplace. I have two ceiling fans in the living room. I would like to burn all winter long.
 
Here is a layout of the room right before settlement and before we tiled in front of the fireplace. The picture is taken from the master bedroom doorway.
 

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Probably NOT what you want to hear, dynamite (joking)/sledge hammer will open up (literally and figuratively) the options rather than bricking in just to make a fireplace hole for an insert. you will get better performance with a stove if you are thinking about 24/7 burning. too bad you already did the finish tile work first.
 
The insert models listed are a bit undersized. They'll do the job, but I would go a size larger. If you want to go with an insert ask the Osburn dealer to measure up and quote you for a 2400 insert. The flue liner quote should be the same, but the heat output and long burning will be significantly better than the 1600. Then compare with a Lopi Freedom and maybe a Pacific Energy Summit insert. Choose the dealer and stove that has the best references for service and installation in your area and take the time to actually check out those references.
 
In agree with BG. My uncle has the Quad 3100i and the fire box is TINY. I just put in the 4100i in my 1400 sq ft ranch, and the FB volume is night and day. He is up in the night feeding the fire in a 1200 sq ft house. Go big or go home.
 
Now that I see the second pic, I gotta agree, a stove could look really nice sitting there and provide huge amounts of heat. What is on the right side of the existing fireplace in the second pic?
 
Guys, thanks for all of your advice so far. In response to your suggestions, here's what I have so far. Due to the size of the existing fireplace (W 29.5, D 18-22, H 22.5), I'm limited to medium sized inserts, hence the listing and quotes for those units. Due to my floorplan and a rather narrow walkway to the kitchen on the other side of the fireplace, I think a free standing stove might jam that area up quite a bit.

I apologize for the sketch. The black square in the middle is the location of the fireplace.
 

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I didn't realize that you guys might have been talking about the stove being on the living room side. The difficulty with that is that the LR is a 12-14 X 20 ft room and the stove and hearth could sit rather far into the LR.
 
No matter what you do, you are going to need a mason in there, unless you plan on doing it yourself (something would have to be bricked off for an insert). Either way, work will need to be done to get an insert in there. If you are going to have to work on it either way, open it up and give your self more height. If you make the height about 32" you can throw a good size fee-standing stove in there and it will heat both sides of the rooms.

My feeling is a free-standing stove is the way to go for this layout.
 
If I open it up and went with the free-standing stove, which part of the house would you face the stove to?
 
Begreen knows what he's talking about. Find out which is the largest firebox you can get in there. I have the osburn 2400 and love it. However the price you got on the 1600 looked a little high. Try http://www.dynamitebuys.com/. I got a great deal there on the 2400. Good luck.
 
I went with the Osburn 1600 insert because it had the biggest firebox of any insert that would fit my fireplace/hearth, 1.85 cubic feet. I,too, have a short raised hearth and this was my biggest problem limiting stove choices. The Osburn has a fully brick lined firebox, fulll brick baffle, and a firebox that allows N/S loading as well as E/W.

The design is standard black box insert look with a HUGE piece of ceramic glass. The stove is easy to run, heats up quickly, and burns long enough for me to be able to relight from coals in the morning. The fire doesn't last all night, but close enough that the furnace doesn't ever kick on. I got mine from dynamite buys online, and it was shipped/delivered pretty quickly.

Overall I am impressed with the build quality and performance. I can't comment on the other units, but feel free to PM me if you have any questions I can answer about the Osburn.
 
I think I might consider going as far into the brick as possible and orienting the stove so the door is facing the neither the kitchen or LR. I'd think about removing the small side of the L shaped wall on the rhs of your drawing to give you a little more walking space as well. Me personally, I'd probably rip out the entire brick and go with a nice big soapstone stove on a nice pad sort of "floating" in the middle of the space. If you have little ones, you could put up some decorative railing until they learn about "hot".
 
Is this a levittowner home? My BIL lives there and heats his with a small vogelzang insert rated to 1500 square feet.

FYI, I bought my Republic 1750 (black door, blower, and 10" surround) for about $600 less, installed, 4 months back. The blower was free,but you can certainly do better than that.
 
Welcome to the Osburn family. Good luck with it.
 
Bah, my choices were 1 and 3! Well, enjoy your Osburn. I'd like to see some after pics. I'm interested in the surround panel, etc.
 
have you already ruled out the hearthstone clydesdale?

if you are going to have to do a lot of masonry work to get an insert in there, maybe consider fitting in a freestander instead. i love my insert but i'm not a huge fan of the constant blower noise.
 
Gents:

JoefromPA, where did you get your stove from and who did the install? Yes, it is a Levittowner. I was just out to yet another stove shop and looked at the Quadrafire 3100i. They wanted $3,900 for stove, liner and install. However, this unit will stick out approximately 8.5" on to the hearth and not giving me the 18" of clearance that I need. I've got 24" of tile right now. QuadforLife is correct that the firebox on the 3100 is tiny. This realization is leading me to the need for a flush mount and a love for the Lopi Declaration. Width wise, it's gonna be a squeeze, but it's orientation is the same as my existing fireplace. I've considered members suggestions for a free-stander but I just don't have the space right there in the middle of the house.

Questions for consideration
1. Would you advise the purchase of the unit and components on-line and then contact a chimney sweep or a certified installer to do the job to beat the prices listed above?
2. The dealer that I was considering doing business with said that they usually don't insulate liners and that instead of block off plates they use mineral wool. After reading some of the forums in here, their statements are making me a little uneasy. Would you agree?
3. What are your thoughts regarding the Lopi Declaration for my setup?
 
The cash and carry with a seqerate install is worth looking into. I just bought the 4100i in December for 2600.00 out the door with a 15' liner, insert, and surround, including tax. Don't know bbout Lopi, but check their website or call for a manuf. coupon??? Might get lucky. Quadrafire had them once and a while.

Good Luck Tony
 
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