Finally got my Osburn 2400 insert installed!! - Thank you everyone!!!

Well, it's finally here. Installation went pretty smoothly. The only problem was removing some of the bricks to install the pipe. Installer said that whoever installed did a great job because those bricks didn't want to come out!
I did my first two break in fires and everything went very smoothly. Then fired up the third fire which was to get to about 450 degrees and then cool down. So, woke up this morning and loaded her up, got the temp up to about 450 degrees and cut her back and left for work. Wife called a little bit ago and said it was right in the middle of the "best burn" zone. So, that is good.
Just wanted to thank all of you guys and girls on this website and the folks that run this website. After doing much research and asking questions, I felt confident in firing up my stove. Although, I have to admit it was a little intimidating at first I don't know how I would have done it without the tips and great feedback on this website. I don't know what else to say, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
I've attached before and after pictures. Isn't she beautiful!

very nice. enjoy.....

Congrats... Looks like a nice install. Where about you located?

I'm in Central Ohio, USA. There are quite a few dealers around here.

My wife just called as she loaded her up after I loaded at 5 A.M. and said she was cruising at 600 degrees

Yes, I just didn't have it in the picture. I purchased a UL listed 18x48 black hearth extender for like $55 online. It's nice, I might get something a little bigger in the future. I wanna see how this one works first.
But, this one I feel safe with and it make my insurance company happy

So far so good! It looks awesome in my great room. I am very happy with my purchase. I go the free 5 ton log splitter with it too. I might try to sell it and buy a nice chainsaw or trailer for my vehicle.
not sure yet, I wanna see what it looks like first.

Great job, glad you like it.

Looks great you're going to have a really fun winter. Congrats! It's a great unit.

Nice looking insert. The only thing that would make the pictures better is if you could possibly get some pictures of it burning. Can never have enough fire pictures

Just a heads up: my unit stunk every burn while it reached new stove top temps. That's just the paint curing. May this insert be a blessing to your family for years to come.

Also I love the raised hearth. I wish i had a raised hearth. Looks great.

Just curious how much that set you back. I am looking for a wood insert to use when the power goes out.

Nice install, I like it! Inserts really turn a fireplace into something useful, and attractive.

Is that one of those electric splitters that came with the deal?

I've had one for over 3 years (a Homelite, but there's many rebrands of the same exact unit) and use it almost daily all year long. It works great, the only thing it has a tough time on is a spot like the crotch of a dry hardood, but moving the split once or twice to a better spot will usually do the trick. It's not a workhorse like a gas splitter, but it certainly works great. Only thing I had to do to make myself happy was strap the button to run the motor down so I don't have to keep turning the motor on and off with every split... I'd consider keeping it for small jobs if you could use it. I keep mine in a side room of my house where I keep my stash of wood so I can resplit with ease if needed.

With install and everything about $4k

yeah, it's an electric 5 ton, they said it would take 4-6 weeks to get to my house. I'll check it out and see how it works. Thanks for the info!!

yes, the 3 break in fires stunk, but it wasn't so bad, at least I thought it wasn't.

Whodaman , how long are you going before you have to re-load? How warm is it keeping your house? I would turn the lights out when you have alot of flames in the fire box, close the door and inspect your door gasket seal for any cracks ( you should not see the light of the fire between the door gasket and the steel it seals up to).

eTiger - Please remember that I'm a newbie and am learning to burn and we typically do not pack the firebox full of wood. I'd say we put in usually 4-6 splits and are adding wood maybe two splits every 2-3 hours to keep the stovetop temp above 400. At night I'll put in a couple big splits and will typically have enough coals to get a good fire going in the morning. Stovetop temp in the morning is around 200 degrees, so the house is cool. For example, last night I had in there about 6 splits at 10:30 and this morning when I woke up at 4:20; I had enough to get a fire going pretty quickly. My house is really drafty and the windows suck, but I can keep the temp around 75 in the great room, kitchen and dining area. The bedrooms are around 68, so it's not too bad. I keep the big ceiling fan in the great room on reverse med or low. Right now I'm burning maple and the wood as been seasoned, but unfortunately got some snow on it, so there is some moisture in the wood. It's not as dry as I would like it. It takes awhile to get the stove up to temp when starting.

Did you have trouble with your door sealing? I'll do this when I get home. are there other tests to make sure everything is sealed up good? I've heard of guys lighting incense and seeing if smoke is sucked in.


I'm just a little confused on when to cut her down. Basically when starting from good coals, I let her get to about 450-500 before I cut her down. But sometimes it takes forever to get to that temp and I feel like I've burned up the wood pretty good. I think a lot of this has to do with the wood not being completely dry and it takes forever for the moisture to burn out So, lots of wasted heat
I'm learning everyday, so it's been fun. My wife and I try to keep the stove temp up so we are not in the creosote zone

The other day when the temps were in the mid 30s (36 I believe), the house was 77 degrees

I did have an issue with the door and I had to get a bigger rope gasket to make up for it, not saying your stove will have this issue but its worth looking at. You can also do the dollar bill test where you simply shut a dollar bill in the door with half of it sticking out and then try to pull the dollar bill out, it should be hard to pull out.

Yeah it sounds like the wood could be dryer for sure. I will load in about four splits and I start cutting the air back when the stove top hits 400 ( a quarter push at a time) and this dosent take long. Wet wood needs more air like your seeing and the heat output sucks , just wait till next year everything you learned with your air controls will be thrown out the window when you burn good dry wood.

Once your wood is reduced to coals you will not be producing any creosote, the bad stuff is burned out of the wood within the first two hours of the fire. You can let your stove cool down in the later stages of the burn and you will not produce creosote. I can see the way your burning your probably producing alot of coals, just let them burn down so you can add more wood ( when you get used to your stove). Hope this makes sense.

How long are you going before having to re-load? How warm is your house?
When do you re-load or what temperature are you re-loading? So far I really like this insert. My wife is home just about everyday, except for Tuesdays. So, we try to keep the house warm because we have a 2 year old and a 6 year old. The darn propane bill is a joke, so I wanted something that would off-set the costs. So far so good, but I'm going through a lot of wood because it's got some moisture in it. I don't get a lot of smoke and my glass has stayed clean as a whistle so far.

thanks for your advice and tips!!

If its between 20-30 outside I will re-load evry 5-6 hrs more often when colder.

Re-loading after stove top is below 300.

If its between 20-30 outside my house will be 75+ in the main living area, stove room, living room, kitchen, dining room, my room which you can access from the stove room.

This weekend I have let the coals burn down more than I normally do and they still keep the house temps stable, Im sure when its colder out I will be re-loading more often. I will add when the stove top hits 350 I open the air up all the way to get the coals going strong for the re load.