Freestanding Stove in Fireplace.

[Copper44]

A month or two ago I posted about looking for a insert. After research with the wife she agreed that a stove would be better. Only issue is options for rear venting are very slim. She really like the PE Summit Classic, which is top venting. The center of the stove is 8.5 inches from the back edge of the stove. My worry is I won't be able to go straight up with the pipe, due to not getting the stove far enough back before hitting the old fire brick.

If necessary could I rip out the old fire brick and put up durock and stone that instead??

 

[begreen]

Would a Jotul F55 work there? It can be rear vented.

 

[Grisu]

What are the opening width and height and how deep is the hearth?

 

[claydogg84]

I would try to pick a rear venting stove to make life easier. Here's my Jotul F500 with the short leg kit.

 

[Copper44]

Front height is 33 1/2". Front width is 35", back width is 21", and depth is 17" with no brick attached to the face.

She is pretty set on the PE that we seen at the store. Different then I've seen before, titanium grey with nickel door and legs. Do you guys think there isn't anyway to get a top vent in there? Can I remove those fire bricks if need be?

 

[Copper44]

I would try to pick a rear venting stove to make life easier. Here's my Jotul F500 with the short leg kit.

I do like that setup, it's nice!

 

[brad wilton]

do the rear venting,people say the brick's or rocks will radiate heat but stove work's 100% better when it radiates from sides
5

 

[begreen]

Measure the back of the fireplace to where you have 26" width. Now measure 8.5" in front of that. This will be the centerline for the flue outlet on the stove. How does that align with the chimney throat? If too far forward you might be able to come off the stove with a stainless 15 or 30 deg. elbow to connect to the stainless 6" liner. For sure you are going to want a block-off plate at the damper level.

 

[Grisu]

Front height is 33 1/2". Front width is 35", back width is 21", and depth is 17" with no brick attached to the face.

She is pretty set on the PE that we seen at the store. Different then I've seen before, titanium grey with nickel door and legs. Do you guys think there isn't anyway to get a top vent in there? Can I remove those fire bricks if need be?

The Summit classic is shown as 29" high and 25.5." wide with the flue collar pretty far in the back. I would build a cardbox model and see if it can be pushed far enough back into the fireplace. You could also put a 45 degree elbow between liner and flue collar.

 

[Copper44]

Measure the back of the fireplace to where you have 26" width. Now measure 8.5" in front of that. This will be the centerline for the flue outlet on the stove. How does that align with the chimney throat? If too far forward you might be able to come off the stove with a stainless 15 or 30 deg. elbow to connect to the stainless 6" liner. For sure you are going to want a block-off plate at the damper level.

This is sort of what I did earlier today. It was quick though, a true template will definitely be the deciding factor. I will do that tomorrow and snap some pictures.

The other issue is that now going with a stove she doesn't wanna look at the old burnt up brick. So either way it needs to be removed or veneered. If I have to veneer it that will push it out more. Maybe I should take a look at the jotuls and quadafires again. Is there anything a lot better than either of the two?

 

[claydogg84]

What sort of space are you looking to heat? Is this going to be a primary heat source? And also depending on where the stove sits in the house you should figure out if a convection or radiant style stove will work best for you. Your opening is pretty large which is nice because it gives you plenty of options. I would try cleaning the firebrick, but I don't have any experience doing that so I can't recommend a certain product.

 

[Grisu]

A lot better in terms of quality and efficiency? Not really. Other options would be the Hearthstone Manchester, the Woodstock Progress Hybrid or the Woodstock Ideal Steel if a modern look is desired. The latter can also be customized maybe to the point that your wife will approve. You could also place the stove in front of the fireplace and access the flue through a thimble a few feet up. Not sure of your wife will like that look and it certainly means the most work and changes to the fireplace.

You could also just paint the bricks in the back or put up some Roxul first and then some painted Durock to get some insulation in there.

 

[claydogg84]

You could also just paint the bricks in the back or put up some Roxul first and then some painted Durock to get some insulation in there.

Ah, painting them - sounds like it would be much easier than trying to clean them.

 

[Copper44]

This is part of the room, I had a extra 2 feet to the right of the block to help center the look. Then we will be stoning it to the ceiling. I would like to heat as much as possible with the stove. It's a pretty open house plan. That main living room is roughly 24'x27'.

Doing the thimble idea is out as well. I am going to look at the progress hybrids again.

 

[Grisu]

Have a mason look at it. Maybe that can be built out into an alcove to put the stove in. Since it looks like there are no combustibles in the structure you would not need to fulfill alcove clearance requirements. Such an installation is pretty common in the UK:

 

[Copper44]

So one other thing the salesman at the shop was really pushing the PE whether it was a stove or a insert. They said it is by far the easiest to clean the chimney because of PE's baffle system. They also carry: Hearthstone, Jotul, Harman, and Quadrafire.

 

[weatherguy]

I only has about 30 inch height so I went with a rear venter, just make a copy of the top of the summit with a piece of cardboard and make sure the vent's in the right place, that should give you an idea. There are quite a few rear venters that look nice, I looked at 3-4 before I narrowed my search down. I get a lot more heat with this stove than I did with my insert, of course its rated higher on the btu scale.

 

[Randy700]

The Reg. H2100 is rear vented and might work for you.

 

[claydogg84]

So one other thing the salesman at the shop was really pushing the PE whether it was a stove or a insert. They said it is by far the easiest to clean the chimney because of PE's baffle system. They also carry: Hearthstone, Jotul, Harman, and Quadrafire.

I'm surprised she liked the Summit over the cast stoves. I just looked at the Summit, it is nice but I know nothing about that brand.

 

[brad wilton]

jotuls have an option for top pipe that matches enamel finish your better half might like, plus rear option to

 

[Copper44]

I'm surprised she liked the Summit over the cast stoves. I just looked at the Summit, it is nice but I know nothing about that brand.

Yea I was to, did you look at the Summit Classic?

 

[bsruther]

If necessary could I rip out the old fire brick and put up durock and stone that instead??

That's what I did. Removed fire brick, smoke shelf and raised the lintel. But even after doing all that, it was tricky finding the right top vent stove that would fit with a straight flue.

 

[Copper44]

Well ripped out as much as I could today. Still don't think it will be enough by the time I put durock and stone on. Does anyone know if the veneer stone would be considered a combustible next to the woodstove?

 

[claydogg84]

Another thing to keep in mind is if you stick a stove inside that alcove you won't be able to use any side loading door if you decide on a stove with one. My Oslo lets ash out of the front door when opened, so I only use the side. Since it seems like you're in a position to do anything you'd like with the chimney as this point, did you consider what Grisu showed you?

 

[Copper44]

Another thing to keep in mind is if you stick a stove inside that alcove you won't be able to use any side loading door if you decide on a stove with one. My Oslo lets ash out of the front door when opened, so I only use the side. Since it seems like you're in a position to do anything you'd like with the chimney as this point, did you consider what Grisu showed you?

I did consider Grisu's idea but I would have to raise the lintel and I would rather not do that. I think it would work if I used about a 6" straight piece of pipe and then two 45 degree pieces.