Q&A I don't really want much heat

Question:

Hi. I live on the top floor of a hundred year old brownstone in
Brooklyn, NY. Each floor has a not- working fireplace & mantel. It
turns out that the chimney was designed for gas heat and is too small
for a wood burning fireplaces even if opened up and relined or whatever.

So I am thinking about a stove. As a child I have fond memories of
sleeping in a room with an old cast iron stove, watching the fire and
hearing the crackling.I would want it for the cosmetic & spirtual
effects of having a fire. The apartment alsmost always has enough
heat. The chimney may or may be usable as a vent.



Answer:

A small woodstove would (of course) need a chimney. Something like the Jotul 602 or #3 would do the job (http://hearth.com/jotul). Problem with these and most other stoves is that they do put off heat. The #3 with the screen option (open fire) will put out less than when closed.

Gas stoves also put out heat...and come in different varieties, vented (need to reline chimney) and unvented (no chimney needed)...

If the chimney could be relined or opened up to a min. 8" size, perhaps a set of gas fireplace logs might be best. These look good, and the vented models do not produce much heat.