insert install advice

[hdguy]

Newbie here .
I would like to start out by saying that i have seen a lot of good advice on this forum
and hope that i can get some and maybe share some.
We have a all steel fireplace in a all masonry chimney that we had put in 20yrs. ago when we
built our home. It has fans on it and it has done a good job of heating our home
but in uses quite a bit of wood.
Last fall i had the chimney cleaned and was told i have some cracked liners.
with that said iam thinking that i will put a insert in with a stainless liner and reduce my wood consumption
and solve my liner problem. I will try and post a picture and would like any advice on install
Thanks

 

[begreen]

Welcome to the forums! Looks like a heatilator unit maybe? Should be possible with some heat exchanger cutting to clear the liner. Have you picked out an insert yet? What's the size of the area to be heated?

 

[hdguy]

Thanks for response
We are looking at a lopi freedom but are still open to others.
I think i could cut out wood grates and damper out and and make it work.
It was manufactured by a company that is no longer in business.I know its not a heatilator
but it is probably a knockoff of some sort.
It is a heating demon but it does like wood.
I have it tied into my ductwork and when i want i can push air to whole house but seldom need to
because of open house layout.
Would like to heat about 1700sq. ft.
Any doos and donts on install would be appreciated.
I plan on doing this myself. Thanks

 

[Todd]

I had an old Superior Heatform fireplace and ended up tearing out the whole thing and installed a hearth stove. Glad I went that route since I found the outer layer of steel was all rusted out. Here's last years thread which may give you an idea of what your fireplace may look like behind the brick.
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/56601/

An insert would be much cheaper than what I did and Lopi makes a few good ones. You definitely need a blower with an insert to get the heat out of the fireplace. You may also be able to cut out those heatform tubes off inside to let some of the wasted insert heat out those top vents.

 

[hdguy]

OMG Todd what made you think it was rusted out like that it must have given you
a clue.
Idont think I have that problem but i do like the idea of opening up the top to let more
heat come out the vents on top.
I can also turn my fans on and off and put on low speedto move some air out.
Thanks for the tip

 

[Todd]

I got my first clue from the upper inside front of the fire box. It was rusting pretty bad. Eventually I poked a screwdriver through it so it was time to do something about it. It was installed in 1975 and never had a chimney cap til I got here in 2003 so I think there was a lot of water over the years seeping down and around the steel box. Also lots of spalling on the outside brick so there had to be moisture in there. That old fireplace could really throw the heat but like you said eats a ton of wood doing it.