Looking for a quality wood insert for my fireplace... attached are measurments for my setbacks.

My opening is about the same as yours - 25" high x 38" wide and a Jotul C450 fit in there nicely. You have more room, see if the C550 will fit. I don't know the requirements for either of those as far as your perpendicular wall is concerned, but you may need to consider some sort of heat shield over part of that wall in order to get a good sized insert or stove in there.

And start looking around now to get a realistic expectation of just how much you can heat your home. Some of us with small houses (1200 sq ft), not-so-open floorplan, and decent insulation can get the hearth room up to 80 and bedrooms at 70 with a C450 which heats up to 1600 sq ft according to Jotul (I'm really glad my stove salesperson upsold me - I was originally looking at the C350). Others haven't had as much luck moving the heat so you need to look at the floorplan / insulation variables as you try to size it.

hydrasports said:

Does anyone have any info on the Pacific Energy, specifically the Summit Wood insert. It appears that the wall is no problem and the mantel itself is not a problem but perhaps the molding under the mantel may be right in the range of the offset. Can you use a mantel deflector on this model? How far out onto the hearth does the insert stick out from the face of the fireplace? Does this have a catalytic convert in this model? I want to stay away from catalytic converters on my insert but this Summit says it has a secondary combustion zone which sounds an awful lot like a catalytic converter to me.

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All modern EPA stoves have some sort of secondary combustion. The summit is a non-catalytic stove.

I have the Lopi Freedom and love it - we heat a 1500sq ft ranch with it (with a blower of course)- no other heat source. I am pretty sure all your measurements will work. Don't forget - the measurements are from the stove - not the fireplace opening - so for instance if you take the distance to the mantel - you show 13.5 inches - but the insert is only 21in high so really you would have 22in to the mantel(29.5 for opening - 21 in for stove gives you and additional 8.5in). Likewise with the distance to the wall - the Lopi Freedom calls for 15in - you would have that since the stove is only 30in wide - leaving you an additional 3in on each side to the fireplace opening(giving you a total of 17.5in). The mantel shield should not cause any problems with the inspector- you should not have to sell it to them.

How much space are you trying to heat?

hydrasports said:

I guess right now it is between the Pacific Energy Summit and the Hearthstone Clydesdale. The Hearthstone one if installed in my fireplace right should not overhang my 8" hearth. Both will need a mantel deflector but both are good as far as the wall goes. What one would you choose and why???

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hydrasports:

I can't speak to the PE Summit, but we have the Hearthstone Clydesdale insert and we and our two cats love it. We will frequently find the cats laying on the rug in front of the insert.

That brings up an interesting point. You state that "if installed in my fireplace right should not overhang my 8" hearth." Code requires more free space in front of the glass door for ember and heat protection than 8 inches. I think Hearthstone requires 18 inches of non-combustible space if front of the glass door.

Good luck with your choice, in any case.

hydrasports said:

I thought you can buy removable hearths that you can slide in the front of your fireplace. My fireplace is 11" off the ground so I would be able to even build a hearth with tile on say plywood that I can place in from of the fireplace come time for winter. any ideas on this or links on where they offer hearths that can be purchased to place in front of your fireplace.

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Search for "stoveboards" or "hearth extensions". Keep in mind 18" are the minimum; if you have the space a longer one would be better. (A few times I was really glad I did buy one with 36".)