insert inside fireplace or freestanding

[kellnoon]

Hello - I’m hoping to get some opinions on installing either an insert or a free standing wood stove for a home we purchased this December. It’s been a cold start to our winter here in Vermont and we’ve decided to move forward with putting in another primary heating source after recovering from the shock of how much propane we’ve used already! Last night I was leaning towards an Osburn 2400 but now we’ve been told to consider a free standing by neighbors.

The house is just under 3,000 square feet – finished basement with 2 additional stories - cathedral ceilings in the entry way then 12 foot ceilings throughout the rest of the house. Very open with 3 ceiling fans on main level and 4 on upper level. None in the basement.

We have a two fireplaces and the chimney runs along the exterior of the house. Both have a height clearance of 34” . I forgot to measure the hearth extension this morning but I have a picture here. My first question is - where should we put it? The basement fireplace or the main floor? The second is should we purchase a free standing stove or an insert. Slashing our propane bill is the most important thing then space and aesthetics is second. I’ve never considered a wood stove until a few days ago so please pardon if I’m leaving out information that would be needed to answer these questions. Any personal experiences and opinions would be greatly appreciated! Many of our friends have told use a free standing stove is the way to go, but none of them have put them in an existing fireplace.

 

[snaple4]

I went with an insert because my wife wouldn't let me put a free-standing stove in. I love my insert. However, I would still prefer a free-standing stove for a variety of reasons. Free-standing you have more area to radiate heat into the house, you have better access to the unit for inspections, I think it looks nice, it is easier to cook on. An insert is nice because it looks a lot better and you still get a lot of heat out of it.

I would say to start with one in the basement if you're only going to do one right now. Is there an easy path for the warm air to go up from the basement?

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[edyit]

i'd vote for a rear venting freestanding stove piped into the fire place on the main floor, stoves are space heaters, i'd put it where you spend the most time.

 

[Zack R]

I vote to build out the hearth and go with a free standing stove. No fans to worry about and a freestanding stove will likely be less expensive than an insert.


I run the Jotul F45 in this configuration and have been happy with it thus far. You can download the manual for the clearance measurements to see if it will work.

 

[kellnoon]

I went with an insert because my wife wouldn't let me put a free-standing stove in. I love my insert. However, I would still prefer a free-standing stove for a variety of reasons. Free-standing you have more area to radiate heat into the house, you have better access to the unit for inspections, I think it looks nice, it is easier to cook on. An insert is nice because it looks a lot better and you still get a lot of heat out of it.

I would say to start with one in the basement if you're only going to do one right now. Is there an easy path for the warm air to go up from the basement?

The ceilings are high in the basement, but the fireplace down there is around the corner from the staircase.

 

[begreen]

Both would work. For this situation and size house I'd consider a two stove or stove in one and insert in the other solution. The basement stove might be able to carry the load for a lot of the heating season but during very cold weather both stoves would run to keep the house warm (and pipes from freezing in the basement).

 

[snaple4]

I vote to build out the hearth and go with a free standing stove. No fans to worry about and a freestanding stove will likely be less expensive than an insert.


I run the Jotul F45 in this configuration and have been happy with it thus far. You can download the manual for the clearance measurements to see if it will work.

Do you happen to have a picture (s) of how you set it up? I am still going to work on my wife to let me do a free standing. Might take a few years but like any good politican I just have to nudge the issue along slowly till she wants what I want her to want

Might also help the OP see what we are talking about.

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[Zack R]

Do you happen to have a picture (s) of how you set it up? I am still going to work on my wife to let me do a free standing. Might take a few years but like any good politican I just have to nudge the issue along slowly till she wants what I want her to want

Might also help the OP see what we are talking about.

Here's my setup:

 

[snaple4]

That looks nice! Is block-off plate sheet metal? How do you access the T? I don't think this would work for mine. I have a raised hearth that extends only 16" or so...

OP, sorry for derailing the thread a bit. Are you planning install 2 units or just one for now? You said chimneys are exterior bit basement is by stairs? How does it work within the room? So far I still say basement is your best bet for a free standing.

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[zig]

A stove in the basement will keep plumbing and more importantly, floors warm and I like the look of an insert in a fireplace. It's cleaner looking and gives good heat with the right one, as in big enough. If the chimney doesn't have a liner you need to get that done too. A exterior masonry chimney is a creosote machine without a liner.

 

[kellnoon]

Thanks for all the info! Right now, we can only afford one. Maybe two next year. Here are photos of the basement. The photo of the fireplace is taken from the corner by the pink tent shown in the second photo of the stairs.

 

[Zack R]

That looks nice! Is block-off plate sheet metal? How do you access the T? I don't think this would work for mine. I have a raised hearth that extends only 16" or so...

OP, sorry for derailing the thread a bit. Are you planning install 2 units or just one for now? You said chimneys are exterior bit basement is by stairs? How does it work within the room? So far I still say basement is your best bet for a free standing.

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I haven't had to access the T yet but will find out when the chimney sweep comes out at some point. My guess is that the steel panel behind the stove is unscrewed and slides forward.

 

[Zack R]

Thanks for all the info! Right now, we can only afford one. Maybe two next year. Here are photos of the basement. The photo of the fireplace is taken from the corner by the pink tent shown in the second photo of the stairs.

The stove will become the focal point of your house in the winter, people will naturally want to sit near it. I'd choose the location based on where your family enjoys spending the most time and go from there. It looks like you have a nice basement (much nicer than what I picture in my mind for a basement) so either option will likely work for you.

 

[Zack R]

A stove in the basement will keep plumbing and more importantly, floors warm and I like the look of an insert in a fireplace. It's cleaner looking and gives good heat with the right one, as in big enough. If the chimney doesn't have a liner you need to get that done too. A exterior masonry chimney is a creosote machine without a liner.

Definitely get a liner installed with the stove. It'll be easier to clean and will run more efficiently since the draft will be stronger.

 

[snaple4]

I vote for a setup like Zack R's in the basement with an insulated liner. If you get a big enough one it could heat a good portion of the house by the looks of it.

Here is my setup with an insert. If I did a free standing, part of my stove would be inside the old firebox (not much different than an insert).

 

[kellnoon]

Thanks everyone nice pictures too! Question on the liner: the chimney is about 11 years old, wouldn’t it have to have been built with a liner? We are having a sweep tomorrow to inspect. Is the suggestion of a liner in addition to what should be in place with the build of the chimney?

 

[edyit]

if the chimney doesn't meet clearances, 1" on exterior and 2" on interior, then an insulated liner needs to be installed to give it zero clearance.

 

[weatherguy]

I've had both and I prefer the free strander in front, much more radiant heat. Look at my avatar, that's my current set up. When money affords I'd add a second with the size of your house, especially in your climate.

 

[Zack R]

Thanks everyone nice pictures too! Question on the liner: the chimney is about 11 years old, wouldn’t it have to have been built with a liner? We are having a sweep tomorrow to inspect. Is the suggestion of a liner in addition to what should be in place with the build of the chimney?

I doubt it would have the kind of liner we are talking about which is a flexible stainless liner designed specifically for wood stoves. They come in different diameters (6" for example) depending on the type of stove. The liner stays hotter than the bricks would which results in less creosote buildup and a better draft.

 

[illini81]

Are you planning on burning this year? If so, do you have any seasoned wood to burn?

Since you are new to woodburning, my 2 cents would be to 1. Resist the urge to buy anything this year, 2. Start accumulating wood as quickly as you can, 3. Spend the next six or so months researching stoves/inserts on hearth.com, and then finally 3. Buy a stove sometime in the Summer/Fall.

I also believe you're going to want two stoves. If you are patient, and are willing to go the used stove route, it is very possible that you could find some really good deals on Craigslist. Could end up with two stoves for the price of one.

Welcome to hearth.com!

 

[yooper08]

You can definitely heat with an insert. I have an insert in my basement and it'll keep the upstairs warm enough, but I have a ranch and we use the insert as supplemental heat to the NG boiler. Ones that aren't flush to the fireplace face (stick out a bit) will radiate more than a flush one. A freestanding stove would radiate more than an insert depending on how much of it sticks out.

If putting the biggest dent possible in the propane use is the biggest factor, is your current heating system zoned or not? Also, where does the family spend the majority of the time at home?

Just based on the two pictures and the answers to the questions above, I think we can help develop a simple pros/cons comparison on which fireplace to start with if only 1 is in the cards right now. But, like illini said, don't plan on using it until next year. If you can, start collecting woods that season quickly, such as ash and pines. Oak, hard maple, hickory and the like take more than a year to properly dry out.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Hello - I’m hoping to get some opinions on installing either an insert or a free standing wood stove for a home we purchased this December. It’s been a cold start to our winter here in Vermont and we’ve decided to move forward with putting in another primary heating source after recovering from the shock of how much propane we’ve used already! Last night I was leaning towards an Osburn 2400 but now we’ve been told to consider a free standing by neighbors.

The house is just under 3,000 square feet – finished basement with 2 additional stories - cathedral ceilings in the entry way then 12 foot ceilings throughout the rest of the house. Very open with 3 ceiling fans on main level and 4 on upper level. None in the basement.

We have a two fireplaces and the chimney runs along the exterior of the house. Both have a height clearance of 34” . I forgot to measure the hearth extension this morning but I have a picture here. My first question is - where should we put it? The basement fireplace or the main floor? The second is should we purchase a free standing stove or an insert. Slashing our propane bill is the most important thing then space and aesthetics is second. I’ve never considered a wood stove until a few days ago so please pardon if I’m leaving out information that would be needed to answer these questions. Any personal experiences and opinions would be greatly appreciated! Many of our friends have told use a free standing stove is the way to go, but none of them have put them in an existing fireplace.

I love my insert, but would love a free standing stove even more.

 

[firefighterjake]

It's a pretty big house to have one single woodstove work . . . if money is in fact tight and you're only looking to put in one stove with the goal of reducing the cost of the fossil fuel heating source I would go with a free standing stove myself with the idea being that folks feel they radiate more heat and one doesn't have to rely on a blower to move the heat out.

Now as for the location . . . normally I would say go with one on the main floor, but if the basement is finished/insulated and is used as living space I would suggest placing the stove on the floor where you spend the majority of your time. In other words, if your family tends to spend most of the evening in the basement family room I would place it on that level and in that room if possible, but if they tend to spend more time in the main floor living room I would place it there -- many folks find that a woodstove offers much more than just heat -- it becomes a fine piece of furniture, an accent piece if you would as folks are mesmerized by the flames . . . plus it's just so nice to be parked in front of a roaring fire on a cold day with a movie, book or good TV show.

 

[HomeinPA]

Based on what I see as far as hearth size and clearance to furniture and other combustibles, I'd go with inserts. Even with most inserts you're still going to need extra hearth protection in front of the stove. There are some contemporary style inserts that are available that sit almost flush with the front of the firebox you could consider also.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

In our last house, my husband and I opted to put an insert in the existing fireplace for a few reasons. 1). Our basement was cold. If we set the thermostat to where the main level was comfortable, the basement was not. 2) We wanted to eliminate the fireplace as a source of drafts into the basement. 3) We didn’t have another good spot for a freestanding stove without much more extensive hearth work than we were willing to do. After we installed the stove, the basement became everybody’s favorite place during winter.

We wanted an insert that was as much like a stove as we could manage, though, and so we particularly chose one that stuck out ten inches from the fireplace. We built a little hearth extension with leftover tiles. We did use a blower on it as that helped move the heat around our house much better.

Your house and layout sound like you would benefit from more than one source of wood heat. I do like freestanding stoves, but I also like turning fireplaces into something efficient. What I wondered when reading your post is whether one part of your house is harder to heat than another. Would that part see more use if you located a stove/insert there?