Advice & Suggestions

[begreen]

The liner insulation blanket is great for safety and keeping the flue gases warm. It's a very good idea. However, it has nothing to do with installing a block-off plate. The block off plate is to keep the heat around the insert instead of being wicked off to the chimney masonry. If you want the maximum output from your insert, insist on one.

 

[pdxdave]

That's alright, takes all sorts.

I saw that in your tagline, the Declaration. It is relatively hard for me to find many with experiences with this unit.

I'll keep on looking, and bring up these very points of interest tomorrow in a phone conversation with the dealer.


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On another note, did you go for the GreenStart option they sell? My wife is really liking the idea of a 'push button start' for a wood stove. I could care less, especially since I'm going to be the one loading, starting and stoking the thing anyway.

I didn't get the greenstart - it wasn't an option until the next model after the declaration.

 

[bemental]

I didn't get the greenstart - it wasn't an option until the next model after the declaration.

In true Mainer fashion, when I asked about the GreenStart ignitor, they informed me that they have never installed a single insert with this, and that "You can buy a lot'ta matches for $600"

 

[firefighterjake]

In true Mainer fashion, when I asked about the GreenStart ignitor, they informed me that they have never installed a single insert with this, and that "You can buy a lot'ta matches for $600"

Plus lighting a match is pretty much fool-proof . . . if one match breaks, you just reach into the box for another. If the Green Start igniter breaks . . . well, not sure of the cost . . . but I can guarantee it is more than another box of matches.

 

[martae]

Ladies and gentlemen,

View attachment 151460

Fireplace measurements:
37''(w)
25''(h)
26''(d)

At 18''(d) 21''(rw)


Recently got with a local installer regarding our open fireplace on the first floor of our home. Asked them to come by and give us a quote, and what they thought of the setup.

Quote:
View attachment 151462

He said due to the size we'd be limited to either a wood or pellet insert.

Finally, my wife sent me this:
View attachment 151461

Never heard of one before, but the principal makes sense. Wouldn't mind some insight into conductive wood heating as I start digging into the research, specifically cost and inserting one into our current chimney. I will say that our chimney is a 'double' with the basement having its own separate chimney directly behind that currently isn't being used due to a very old wood stove.

The only reasonable way I can think of to build a masonry heater into an existing house would be to remove an exterior wall, build the masonry heater where the wall was, and build an addition to the home "outside" of the masonry heater. Built properly, they are so heavy I doubt the average concrete slab floor could support one. This way, you can build a good foundation for it, and use it as a load bearing part of the house, double duty so to speak. I suppose it only really makes sense if you want to build an addition to your house. The wall you remove should be to the largest, and hopefully the most central room in the house. While you're doing the construction, consider transoms over the doors, entering the rooms heated directly by the masonry heater.
I've never heard of anyone doing it, but I think you could place piping inside the masonry heater, hopefully where you could remove it for maintenance, and preheat water before it goes into your water heater. Maybe just a loop of copper pipe sitting on top of the heater would do.

 

[martae]

First, sorry for the zombie thread everyone, something came up (life) and I had to jump ship for a bit.

Copy all on the masonry, good initiative, bad judgement ;-)

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Installing company sent me another quote, with a different insert. I'm not too sure about model differences at this point, or what even to look for. But, while I do some more research and start to learn, I would love to know what people think about the models they selected and provide any additional information:


Jøtul C 450 Kennebec ($3,039)
33 Elite Plus Arch ($3,618)


Thanks again everyone.

These inserts are so expensive. Have you ever considered a wood gasification boiler? They are extraordinarily clean, and efficient, and they heat your whole home evenly.
Here's an example http://ecomfort.com/orlan-eko-25-hi...ing-gasification-boiler-91-85000btu-3124.html

 

[Ashful]

After sleeping on this, and speaking with the installer this morning, I believe this is going to boil down to... whether or not the hybrid system is worth the added efficiencies vs cleaning/maintenance costs.

First thought... you're not going to get much use out of a stove at this point in the season anyway. You owe it to yourself to spend a few weeks hanging out here, and learning your way, before installing a stove to be ready next fall.

On catalytics and hybrids, the sellers of non-cat stoves like to overstate the associated maintenance, in order to push their product with inferior performance. Check the list of the most efficient stoves (linked on Blaze King's site) produced today, and you will find out the top contenders are all catalytic and hybrid stoves. Beyond this, catalytic stoves have the ability to run very cleanly at much lower burn rates than any non-cat, which enables you to keep that stove cruising on very slow burns during the half of the year known as spring and fall, when you still need heat but it's not blistering cold out. Not saying a cat stove is the way to go for everyone, but do get your facts straight on this, so you can make the right decision for you.

Coming back to the maintenance, unless you like to punish yourself with 20 year old stove designs (me), the maintenance on most cat stoves is almost nil. Remove the cat once or twice per season, dust it off, and reinstall. Replace it every 5th or 6th season, at a typical cost of less than $200. Not exactly the sort of thing that should scare you away.