Have been heating primarily with wood for the last 8 or 9 years with a Hardy OWB. Love the heat and hot water but tired of the smoke and ridiculous amount of wood that I burn considering I'm in Tennessee. I have talked the wife into a inside stove and have her OK as long as it looks decent and she can cook on it some. Prefer a non-cat.
Here's what I've got:
House is 1800 square feet downstairs, 1000 upstairs, backup electric heat pumps on each level
Masonry Fireplace is 40" wide at front, 28" tall, and 23" deep
Masonry Hearth is 71" wide, extends 23.5" from fireplace front, and 11" off the floor
Fireplace is in the living room on an exterior wall in the middle of the house, tall chimney with damper, large living room with 4 doorways opening to other rooms one doorway is extra large. Will use the stove for 24/7 heat when feasible. Planning on keeping the OWB for when we will be gone often and when it gets real cold and we want the whole house evenly warm. Would be perfect for an insert if not for wanting some cooktop space. The few regular inserts that have cooking space it looks limited. My wife stays at home and does a lot of cooking plus we have a large family so this is an important part of the decision, but it seems to be complicating the matter. My best guess to this point is that the best thing for us would be some sort of partial insert of a regular stove. The local dealers who service my area carry among others: Jotul, Buck, Vermont Castings, and Hearthstone. There is another dealer who carries Lopi but I'm just out of his service range and I would have to find a sweep to do the install. My roof is steep and the chimney is way up there so I don't have the nerves to put the liner in and cap it! Any thoughts about particular stoves or setups? What info am I leaving out? Thanks and I love the site. I've learned a ton just reading and searching the last week or so.
Here's what I've got:
House is 1800 square feet downstairs, 1000 upstairs, backup electric heat pumps on each level
Masonry Fireplace is 40" wide at front, 28" tall, and 23" deep
Masonry Hearth is 71" wide, extends 23.5" from fireplace front, and 11" off the floor
Fireplace is in the living room on an exterior wall in the middle of the house, tall chimney with damper, large living room with 4 doorways opening to other rooms one doorway is extra large. Will use the stove for 24/7 heat when feasible. Planning on keeping the OWB for when we will be gone often and when it gets real cold and we want the whole house evenly warm. Would be perfect for an insert if not for wanting some cooktop space. The few regular inserts that have cooking space it looks limited. My wife stays at home and does a lot of cooking plus we have a large family so this is an important part of the decision, but it seems to be complicating the matter. My best guess to this point is that the best thing for us would be some sort of partial insert of a regular stove. The local dealers who service my area carry among others: Jotul, Buck, Vermont Castings, and Hearthstone. There is another dealer who carries Lopi but I'm just out of his service range and I would have to find a sweep to do the install. My roof is steep and the chimney is way up there so I don't have the nerves to put the liner in and cap it! Any thoughts about particular stoves or setups? What info am I leaving out? Thanks and I love the site. I've learned a ton just reading and searching the last week or so.
