is there any ZC fireplace that doesn't have an issue???

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basement has 3 rooms - living, bed, and bath. living is probably 400sf, bed is 200, bath is 150. there's also a garage on the ground level that stays pretty warm (warmer than the basement it seems). right now, i believe there to be no insulation below the drywall, so i plan to demo all that and install some CCF green foam (https://www.sprayfoamkit.com/) with some 1" xps foam below the subfloor (which will then get carpeted). i think it will have substantial insulation by the time all is said and done.
 
I was wrong about the Northstar not having zone heating. I thought it just offered gravity vents as an option. With a fan you will move some air down to the basement below, but you are bucking the draft effect. I agree that the manual says you can do it. Like you, I read as many reviews as I could find before purchasing. I originally thought that zone heating would be a great idea, but I could not find any positive review of one working well. Maybe there are some, but all I saw were complaints about low flow and tepid air coming from the registers. I think the difficulty in these systems is that the ducts and blowers are no where near as large as a forced air furnace system. You never know the specifics of the installations in these reviews, such as where and how far they are running the ducts and the diameter. I think your chances of success are best if you can U-turn and head straight down with a full size duct. I would also use both ducts. I have never seen a blower size published on these units, but that 3" outlet pipe is going to restrict the flow quite a bit.

I readily admit there is a lot of speculation here on my part. Maybe there are systems out there that do work. If your fireplace is going to be upstairs regardless, then I say give it a shot. There is probably not a lot of additional investment in the zone heating. All of the other options to get wood heat down there are going to be much more expensive.
 
thanks for the input. i guess we'll see what the installer suggests on friday. i didn't realize i could do double vents. probably double the price, but might be worth it. i wonder if there's an aftermarket high volume, uber quiet fan that i could install either as a replacement or a supplement to the one that comes with the heat zone kit. my install should be as straight of a shot as possible.

i also wonder if heat n glo offers some kind of customer satisfaction guarantee. otherwise, it seems foolish to offer a product that can only work in an upward direction, which at that point might as well be a gravity vent.
 
Hi Iron,

Did you decide which ZC unit you would purchase? Can you let us know how the process is going?

Thanks,
Matt
 
Matt,

I am also on Long Island and I had the northstar installed last year. I went through the whole heating season only going through 3/4 tank of oil. I used to have to fill up 4-5 times a season. The northstar heated my 2800sf house like a champ and we had a winter from hell. I would not hesitate to purchase it at all. I ended up buying mine online and had my contractor install it. Much cheaper this way. Make sure you pile up on wood as the EPA rated stoves like the really dry wood. I had to scramble and mix my wood with envy blocks. Now I have about four cords sitting since last year, so I should be good to go.
 
Thanks B Curley!!! Your info regarding your Northstar are greatly appreciated!

Back in early September, I actually attempted to reach you via Hearth.com private message (I probably messed something up!). What's crazy is your Northstar summary from earlier today (above) pretty much answered all my original questions! I'm attaching my original note below in blue font. If it's okay, I may ask for a referral for your contractor if you recommend him / them.

Thanks again!
Matt

*********************************************

Hi B Curley,

I saw you live in Long Island and use the Heat n Glo Northstar. I live in Plainview Long Island (Nassau County) and am looking forward to purchasing and installing the Northstar as well - so many happy owners on Hearth.com! It will be a 'bump-out' install in my existing home built in the mid 1950's.

I'm hoping you could kindly recommend a Long Island Dealer / installer as the handful that are authorized to sell the Heat n Glo on LI get absolutely terrible reviews online. Additionally, I'm not handy like most members on Hearth.com so I will depend heavily on a reputable installer - I'm super nervous about all the complications of the install much more than the Northstar unit itself.

Any advice or suggestions you could provide me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in Advance,
Matt Minor
 
mminor:
yes, we're going with the northstar. put the downpayment in the other day. install is slated for nov 10. probably get around to the masonry a week or two after that. total quoted price is around $5700 for install + all materials + heat zone kit to my basement + stainless steel chase cap. pretty happy with that price. another installer wanted about $2k more for the same thing. glad i kept pressing to find other providers/installers. we'll see how it goes!
 
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