In need of advise...

[edge2k]

I am replacing an insert in the farm house. The original insert in the masonry fireplace was a black bart with a rear blower and serviced the house for at least 30 years nicely. Our winters are usually not too bad. The house has a large living area with the living room, kitchen and dining area all open and the bedrooms, bath down the hall. After much reading here, measuring the fireplace and research at the nearest dealer, I am restricted to the Regency I2400, Lopi Freedom or Hampton H1300. I have no knowledge whatsoever in the differences of these inserts other than what I have read of the ratings page and each seems to be a good choice. Also, one dealer insisted that the entire chimney must be lined with stainless steel pipe and the other dealer said that wasn't necessary. The original black bart was installed with a stovepipe a few feet into the chimney and worked fine. I am nearing the end of this and will buy one this week so any advise or recommendation would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
Dan

 

[BrotherBart]

Having lived over half my life in North Central and North West Texas I know what a challenge heating with wood is around that part of God's country. Warm and sunny one day and an ice storm the next. Any of the inserts are going to be good. As far as I am concerned lining the chimney is a no brainer. Modern EPA stoves demand a good draft and the only way you are going to get it is with a liner. Additionally with a liner all you do to clean the chimney is take out the baffle and possibly the secondary air tubes and brush the crud into the firebox. Without a liner you have to pull the insert out every time and brush down the firebox and an the chimney. A pain in the back and the butt.

Line that sucker bubba. And get ready for a learning experience. Running one of the new stoves is gonna be a whole different thing than running the old one. A good thing but a different thing. I know. Burned in one of the old inserts for a lot of years and got one of the new stoves last year.

 

[Jags]

Lining your chimney will only be a good thing. As BroB stated, cleaning the stack will be much easier. Draft will also be improved by this. The new epa stoves simply do not breath like the old open boxes of yesteryear. Line it, you won't be sorry.

 

[wg_bent]

I'll third... line it.

All 3 of those stoves seem to have a good reputation here. I've personally seen the Regency's and Lopi's, and both look like pretty good quality stoves. I'm partial to the Lopi's, but for no particular reason.

 

[webbie]

A Black Bart - now that is a real mans stove (at least the name).....

The lining thing works this way - it is not strictly required if you chimney meets certain condition, which it probably does not! That is why it is usually a given. It makes the chimney easier to clean also, and keeps any mess or cracked tiles from ruining your masonry.

The conditions are these.....well, I will distill them....

If your chimney is an 8x12 and if it is an interior chimney, then it would not need to be lined

It works this way - if the pipe you are installed (6") is less than 1/3 the area of the cross section of the flue.......for an inside chimney - and 1/4 for outside chimney.

Translation:
A 6" pipe is about 29 square inches.
an 8 x 12 is about (6x10 inside) or 60 square inches.

That one is pretty close......but most fireplace chimneys are 11 x 11 ID. Meaning 122 Square inches. The 28-28 sq inches of the 6" pipe will end up being well less than 1/3 the size, so it needs to be lined.