Greetings Everyone

[HandyHome]

I'm glad I don't have to make your choice!

Thanks for the advice tjnamtiw, I had taken a look at the Englander stoves. I can't find a dealer around my area but know the Lowes sells "Summer Heat", Home Depot sells " Englanders" and Ace True Value sells "Timber Ridge" I Believe. All the same stove by Englander. I just wasn't sure about buying something like this from a Big Box store. The Price is bit cheaper, but I wasn't' sure about customer service in the event of an eventual problem, because inevitably there will be some sort of issue. Maybe I will take a better look at them.

The dealer that has the Quads suggested the Castile, but I thought the BTU's were little low and my wife wasn't a huge fan for the Cast Iron look. She does like the more modern look of the Classic Bay, which is nice for me because it has Higher BTU's

Loved my coal heat form my Leisure line stove in our old house......I have been thinking about the coal insert idea, but IMO coal stoker stoves work best when fired up and left running all winter. Having it as an insert I have the feeling I would be stopping it a lot. With a Pellet insert quick start and stop, Auto Start and stop, Wife can Start and Stop (this is huge) LOL.

I like the look of the Harman's, but none of the models will fit in the firebox.....the Height is too low at 21 1/4 inches. All Harman models require a 23" Height.

hearth: can you build a hearth extension to support a free standing stove? Being 8" off of the floor is not an issue. I prefer the freestanding unit for cleanability.
I built my own air kit instead of overpaying for the stock kit.

rparker,

I didn't even think about building the hearth out for a free standing stove.....Guess it would be a possibility. I would have to investigate the cost for that type of project.

I was thinking about making my own OAK......Seems pretty straight forward.

Is your generator system a standby or a portable ?

alternativeheat,

Portable generator is what I currently have. Because the insert will be going into a Mason Fireplace I will have to run a new outlet to power the stove. When I do that i will make sure to add it to the Generator circuit. Also I have thought about just setting up a UPS for the Stove so that I won't need a generator. At my old house I converted an APC 1500 Smart UPS to power my leisure line coal stoker stove in the event of a power outage and could get a full 24 hours out of the system. I set the same system up at the new house for the sump pump in the event of a power outage while at work.


Thanks everyone for the great input and advice.

 

[dave2112]

My name is Art and new to the forum.

I joined because it looks as though there is plenty of knowledge among all the members on board.

With that said I am currently considering purchasing a Pellet Stove Insert for my Mason Fireplace. I have family that own stand alone systems and boiler pellet systems so I have a basic understanding behind them. But now that I am in the Market I figured it best to do as much of my own research as possible and gather information from those who have many more years of experience with these machines.

I see there are plenty of options out on the market and the prices seem to be all over the board. I would appreciate any advice provided.

My current fireplace has the following dimensions 36"w x 21"h x 19"d.......I am finding that those dimensions seem to be limiting my options drastically. Some more useful info would be that I was considering the pellet insert to be a secondary heat source for my 1800 sqft home with an open floor plan. The insert would be located in the main living area that is open to most of the house. It also has vaulted ceilings that allow the 2nd floor to view down upon it.

Being that it would be in the main living area of the house, noise is somewhat of a concern. I also have a budget i would like to keep this project within.

Thank you in advan







ce for the help and advice.

They all require maintenance and parts. Before you make your decision look at the price of a major part like a convection blower or whatever. If its 300 dollars then f@ck them ote="HandyHome, post: 1653495, member: 32729"]My name is Art and new to the forum.

I joined because it looks as though there is plenty of knowledge among all the members on board.

With that said I am currently considering purchasing a Pellet Stove Insert for my Mason Fireplace. I have family that own stand alone systems and boiler pellet systems so I have a basic understanding behind them. But now that I am in the Market I figured it best to do as much of my own research as possible and gather information from those who have many more years of experience with these machines.

I see there are plenty of options out on the market and the prices seem to be all over the board. I would appreciate any advice provided.

My current fireplace has the following dimensions 36"w x 21"h x 19"d.......I am finding that those dimensions seem to be limiting my options drastically. Some more useful info would be that I was considering the pellet insert to be a secondary heat source for my 1800 sqft home with an open floor plan. The insert would be located in the main living area that is open to most of the house. It also has vaulted ceilings that allow the 2nd floor to view down upon it.

Being that it would be in the main living area of the house, noise is somewhat of a concern. I also have a budget i would like to keep this project within.

Thank you in advance for the help and advice.[/quote]