How much R rating do you think I would need between this insert and combustibles. I would like recommendations on what r rating do I need on the top sides and bottom to lower clearances to combustibles to about 6". This fireplace is not designed for an insert. I bought a Drolet 1800i wood burning insert to replace my gas fireplace. I also bought 15' of duravent stainless 3 wall stove pipe to place in the false chimney. Some info you might need. The house is 2100 sq feet ranch style house, one level no basement. The fireplace is not centralized; it is located in the living room which is at the far end of the house. The house was bought in July and want to replace the gas fireplace with the drolet insert. The is not a modular home and is not a prefab house and it was built in 2005. I have more than enough room for this insert in the false fireplace. What I mean by false fireplace is that it looks like a fireplace all the way up through the vaulted ceilings and on top of the roof. It is studded and insulated like a normal house wall would be. I planning on lining the the false chimney with durarock just to be safe even though clearance to combustibles to the chimney pipe should not be a problem. The insert manual states distance to combustible for the sides is 12" and for the top is 20" but does not stated clearances for the bottom of the stove. What would your recommendation for safe r values for top bottom and sides of this stove? What materials would you recommend using to achieve this r value?
Gas Fireplace to Wood Burning Insert and R Values
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This will not work. You can't use the insert in this application. There is no way to safely or legally install it in a gas fireplace nor will creating a false Durock chimney make it any safer.
This will not work. You can't use the insert in this application. There is no way to safely or legally install it in a gas fireplace nor will creating a false Durock chimney make it any safer.I have questions. The gas insert is coming out the wood insert is not going in the gas insert. There is no way to make the inside of my false fireplace area capable of having a wood insert even if brick was installed inside the false fireplace? What would be the difference between building a the brick fireplace inside the false one than building walls around a chimney? What is the difference from running triple walled, insulated stove pipe up a false chimney rather then having going straight up off of a stove and out of the vaulted ceilings to the roof? I am not being a smart behind just trying to get the best solution to my problem. If all clearances to combustibles are met with the stove pipe and wood insert, how can this be an unsafe install?
Your best bet is to tear out what you have in there & see what the final dimensions of the opening will be once the gas appliance is removed.
It may end up that the final opening dimensions do not allow for a wood burning unit to be safely installed. You can't do what you're trying to do safely. The Drolet 1800i is a fireplace INSERT. It is designed to be installed in a fireplace. That is not what you're intending to do. If you want to install a wood burning appliance, take the insert back & read up on wood stove installations to see if there is one that can safely be installed within the space you have.
It may end up that the final opening dimensions do not allow for a wood burning unit to be safely installed. You can't do what you're trying to do safely. The Drolet 1800i is a fireplace INSERT. It is designed to be installed in a fireplace. That is not what you're intending to do. If you want to install a wood burning appliance, take the insert back & read up on wood stove installations to see if there is one that can safely be installed within the space you have.
Contact your house insurance and ask them if this is OK, not sure where you are located but you might need to get the install inspected, which it will fail.
Contact Drolet and ask if this install is OK: http://www.drolet.ca/en/service-support/contact-us
Gas fireplace needs to be replaced with a Zero Clearance wood burning fireplace, not an insert.
Contact Drolet and ask if this install is OK: http://www.drolet.ca/en/service-support/contact-us
Gas fireplace needs to be replaced with a Zero Clearance wood burning fireplace, not an insert.
One other option if the clearances are correctly met would be to do a complete tear out and then install a freestanding stove, not an insert, into the new alcove. Note that alcove clearances are often different. Many stoves will require an 84" ceiling, but not all.
If you want to burn efficiently in that space where your gas fireplace was, seems like you have about 3 options as I see it (all involving a tear out):
1. Install a High Efficiency ZC fireplace (which is essentially a wood burning insert which can be installed as ZC fireplace). Napoleon, FPX, PE are some mfrs. They tend to be expensive. And the installation tends to be complex (as I understand it anyway).
2. Install a wood stove in the alcove (and if you want the look of a fireplace make the alcove look like a fireplace with a stove in it).
3. Install a ZC fireplace which can be coupled with certain Wood burning inserts (ones where the insert mfr has approved the insert for installation in certain ZC fireplaces, these inserts tend to be smaller ones). I don't believe your Drolet Escape is one that can be installed in a ZC fireplace, however, I haven't checked.
edit: make that 4 options
4. You could install a masonry fireplace and then install any insert or stove that would fit it, or build the fireplace to fit the stove/insert you want.
1. Install a High Efficiency ZC fireplace (which is essentially a wood burning insert which can be installed as ZC fireplace). Napoleon, FPX, PE are some mfrs. They tend to be expensive. And the installation tends to be complex (as I understand it anyway).
2. Install a wood stove in the alcove (and if you want the look of a fireplace make the alcove look like a fireplace with a stove in it).
3. Install a ZC fireplace which can be coupled with certain Wood burning inserts (ones where the insert mfr has approved the insert for installation in certain ZC fireplaces, these inserts tend to be smaller ones). I don't believe your Drolet Escape is one that can be installed in a ZC fireplace, however, I haven't checked.
edit: make that 4 options
4. You could install a masonry fireplace and then install any insert or stove that would fit it, or build the fireplace to fit the stove/insert you want.
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