Considering Replacing an Existing Open Air Fireplace...Please Help a Novice Out!

[jnathanking]

Okay I'll try to keep this a brief as possible, but a little background...I purchased a home with an open air fireplace and I love burning it, but of course I have to put wood it every hour or so to keep it going. I have visited a local dealer who recommended an RSF insert for my situation. The only real problem with this is that the chimney pipe would need to be replaced (at least that is what they told me). My goal isn't really to heat the entire house with only the fireplace all the time, but I want to have something that can keep the house warm in situations where we lose power (which happens quite a bit in the rural area where I live). The fireplace is against the back wall of house and the chimney runs up through a covered a porch. The room where the fireplace is no that big so a stand-alone wood stove is out as it would take up too much room.

Just looking for advice and see if an RSF model is the best option for me in the opinion of the experts on this forum. I have attached a picture of my current fireplace and I do plan on adding a low hearth and stone veneer on the wall when I pull the trigger.

Thanks!

 

[logger]

Id look at wood stove inserts. I talked two different friends into buying these and placing them into their fireplaces.. they still thank me everytime Im over their places. With glass doors, you'll get the same visuals of a burning fireplace, but the heat is enough to save huge on gas, oil, or electric bills. There are many diff brands, sizes, and costs for these. Good luck on your search.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

You may feel free to click that link down there in my sigline... It may or may not be for you, but it is how we handled a very similar situation..

and Welcome to the forum, read learn be warm.

 

[begreen]

Id look at wood stove inserts. I talked two different friends into buying these and placing them into their fireplaces.. they still thank me everytime Im over their places. With glass doors, you'll get the same visuals of a burning fireplace, but the heat is enough to save huge on gas, oil, or electric bills. There are many diff brands, sizes, and costs for these. Good luck on your search.

Have to agree that an insert would be my first recommendation. It will go in faster, cost less, with a lot less disruption and mess.

PS: The stereo gear seems a bit close to the radiant heat if the fireplace is currently being used.

 

[Wood Duck]

Even though your goal isn't to heat the entire house all the time, I'd still try to get an insert with enough oomph to do a reasonable job of heating the house if the power is out for a few days. Maybe you won't actually need to heat with wood, but you might want to, at least on cold nights, weekends, etc. A lot of people replace an ineffective fireplace with a new, more effective insert or stove and find they really enjoy heating with wood, so get yourself an insert that can actually deliver some heat. in other words, get a reasonably good quality unit with enough heat potential for the room it will go in, and then some.

 

[azima]

I'm also a novice. My husband is against doing anything with the fireplace because he likes to watch it burn, but right now it just sucks all the warm air out of the house! I might be able to get him to agree to a a Jotul C 550 CB Rockland insert because of its large viewing area (I believe there's also a tax rebate on this model until the end of 2011). Sorry for such a girly question, but I have to ask...is it possible to keep the glass clean on these inserts, or are they covered with soot every time you fire up, requiring daily cleaning?

 

[Fsappo]

With as tight as your mantle is, you may want to wait and save up for something similar to an RSF. We've done tons of rip outs and replaced old prefab fireplaces with epa models. Replacing the chimney isnt as bad as it sounds. Also, depending on the brand prefab you have, some epa fireplaces may be able to re use the piping you have. Whats the make and model # of your existing fireplace?

 

[Dakotas Dad]

I'm also a novice. My husband is against doing anything with the fireplace because he likes to watch it burn, but right now it just sucks all the warm air out of the house! I might be able to get him to agree to a a Jotul C 550 CB Rockland insert because of its large viewing area (I believe there's also a tax rebate on this model until the end of 2011). Sorry for such a girly question, but I have to ask...is it possible to keep the glass clean on these inserts, or are they covered with soot every time you fire up, requiring daily cleaning?

Modern inserts are no different then modern woodstoves where the glass cleaning is concerened. Do your part and it will stay clean. Simple as that. We wipe down ash and a small bit of funk every couple of weeks. Mostly we do it because ash can build up just a bit along the bottom of the glass near the door seal, so I run a little soft brush over it every few days. The fire viewing area is plenty large on most modern stove and inserts. If you go to the youtube, there are many videos on there that show different stoves burning.

 

[logger]

I'm also a novice. My husband is against doing anything with the fireplace because he likes to watch it burn, but right now it just sucks all the warm air out of the house! I might be able to get him to agree to a a Jotul C 550 CB Rockland insert because of its large viewing area (I believe there's also a tax rebate on this model until the end of 2011). Sorry for such a girly question, but I have to ask...is it possible to keep the glass clean on these inserts, or are they covered with soot every time you fire up, requiring daily cleaning?

My glass is never black. After a few weeks it can get a tiny bit cloudy, but a quick wipe down and its back to norm (again, this is after 2 or 3 weeks of burning everyday). Jotuls have a self cleaning burn for their glass. Only time you'll get soot is if the wood is unseasoned. Splits should be stacked a year prior to you burning them so they burn efficiently. On a side note, you still get the same aesthetic views of flames, but tell your husband he can set the thermostat down low and let the insert produce most of your heat, saving you hundreds of dollars. We save about 2 grand in propane bills each year since we burn 24/7 for at least 5 months straight. Many people also find it rewarding getting your own wood, splitting it, and stacking it. Makes me enjoy and appreciate the heat a little more. Than again, some might think it a pain in the arse.

 

[jnathanking]

With as tight as your mantle is, you may want to wait and save up for something similar to an RSF. We've done tons of rip outs and replaced old prefab fireplaces with epa models. Replacing the chimney isnt as bad as it sounds. Also, depending on the brand prefab you have, some epa fireplaces may be able to re use the piping you have. Whats the make and model # of your existing fireplace?

I think the manufacture is DESA, but I will have to look to see the model (I think it's something like BVB42).

 

[Fsappo]

So if its Desa (aka FMI) just look thru EPA Certified fireplace owners manuals online and see if any are list Desa or FMI pipe for their fireplace. If you find one, use the dealer locator, find the local dealer and stop on in with the info.

 

[boatboy63]

I would definitely not recommend using it as a regular fireplace. We have an old masonary fireplace and chimney that is on an exterior wall of the house. We had an old Buck Stove insert in it and it did a fair job of heating about 1/3 of the house. It would burn anything. The problem we had was creosote build-up because it takes so much heat to get the masonary chimney hot enough to prevent creosote. The old stove went thru wood like it was water. I considered buying an EPA insert and almost did. The primary reason I didn't is because without power (electrical outage), the majority of the heat went up the flue instead of in the house. If we did try to burn the stove hot enough to supply heat to the room, I was afraid I would melt the fan motor on the back of the unit.

I ended up buying a Magnolia free standing wood stove. My plans were to box in the bottom of the flue and put the stove under it with piping going up the flue. Upon further inspection of the chimney, I found several cracks in the mortar joints and decided against it. Secondly, I hated to hide a beautiful glass door behind a love seat and not be able to see it. We ended up putting the stove near a corner and installed triple wall pipe thru the ceiling.

I will tell you, this stove can run circles around the old insert I had. The only place I am now losing heat is what goes up the pipe. The entire surface of the stove is in the open to heat the room/house. In the event of a power failure, we won't have to run a generator just to keep a fan going to circulate heat. I have been moving ductwork in my house from underneath to ceiling and my furnace has been literally unwired for 3 weeks now. We have been heating with this stove only and it has been warmer than with the furnace, not to mention cheaper.
As for door glass staying clean...my wood isn't perfectly cured but is good enough. If you try to run the stove cool, it will build up and get dark. All we have to do is bring the stove temp up to about 600* and it will burn it off in a few minutes. I wouldn't want to do without my stove as it will reduce my electric bill by 2/3 in the winter. It is just my way of bringing back the old frontier days and roughing it for free...at 75-80* ;-)

 

[szmaine]

I'm also a novice. My husband is against doing anything with the fireplace because he likes to watch it burn, but right now it just sucks all the warm air out of the house! I might be able to get him to agree to a a Jotul C 550 CB Rockland insert because of its large viewing area (I believe there's also a tax rebate on this model until the end of 2011). Sorry for such a girly question, but I have to ask...is it possible to keep the glass clean on these inserts, or are they covered with soot every time you fire up, requiring daily cleaning?

Hey Azima,
Don't be shy about starting your own thread if you want to find out about inserts.
Go look in the photo gallery with your husband too (link on the home page) or take a trip to a local supplier and see some examples in person. Whatever you do, don't buy on the spot, do your research first or you'll never hear the end of it ;-)
You're on the right track though.

Plenty O Girlies Here!
Suzanne

 

[mcollect]

Three years ago we got a jotul 550 and thought it would only be for emergency's. An insert requires a fan to make it really work, an inverter and a car battery does the trick . We haven't had a power outage since we got the unit, but now we heat the entire main floor with the stove all the time. We did put in a six inch flex liner as recommended. We love the insert

 

[scotte303]

I have a 7 year old heatilator factory fireplace that we have enjoyed immensely. However with the cost of gas just going through the roof,we were looking for an alternative. Its the E42 model, big by heatilator standards but not really friendly when it comes to putting in an insert.
I did a ton of research here and all over the internet even sent emails to heatilator. The best I could do is put in pellet stove or a small wood stove. We like to see the flames as well, so we just put a deposit on a Avalon Pendleton wood burning insert. The specs say it will heat 600-1200 square feet. Well, the room its in is about 700 sq. feet including a 12 foot ceiling in the middle. I am positive it will heat that area however I am really hoping to help heat the dining and living room just outside the room. Any thoughts on that?
At any event I do not think we will be sorry, we will be getting the best of both worlds I think.
Regards,
Scott
soon to have AVALON PENDLETON.

 

[azima]

Thanks to all for sharing your experiences and great advice!