Legs

[MickP]

Hello,
We moved into a 1970s house in SC a year ago. It doesn't get daft cold down here, and we have electric heat and air so the fire is mainly for cosy ambience (although i am aware that it is probably not the most efficient way to heat the room). We had the chimney inspected and swept last October and were told the flue would need relining and various other jobs coming to a total of $4,850. At this price point, i thought it would be worthwhile looking into a wood burning stove and stainless steel flue inside the existing chimney. I realise that an insert would be the smart way to go here, but apparently we prefer the look of a standalone stove in the fireplace. I can't find any stove distributors nearby so feel like i am on my own. The fireplace opening is 40" W x 30" H and often find the stove i like the look of is just slightly too high when legs are added on. Why do i need legs? - often you can buy the same stove as an insert when it looks like it sits directly on the hearth. In which case, why does it need the legs when standalone?
Any advice welcome, thanks

 

[kennyp2339]

Welcome to hearth Mick - There are a few stoves that will fit in the fire place, but 1st things 1st, this is a real fire place made out of brick and mortar right, not a steel fire place (zero clearance)
If a certified inspector is saying that you need to have a liner installed, I'm assuming that the current liner (guessing that is clay / masonry) and its cracking, you will need to install a insulated steel liner in there, the reasoning is that in the event you have a chimney fire the steel liner will keep the burning creosote contained with in it and the insulation will keep the heat produced (temps above 1800f) from entering the cracks in the existing liner and catching your house on fire. Just want to clear the air with that.
As far as stoves go, there are a few stoves that will fit, look for stoves that either have a rear venting exhaust outlet or a top rear venting exhaust outlet, pay attention to the height of these, some stoves have the ability to have a pedestal mount, short leg kit ect. I don't recommend buying a stove and not installing the legs, if the stove is ran like this it could void the warrantee, also some stoves have an ash pan, or get there air from the bottom of the unit, this is why they need to be on the mounts the manufacture produces.
There are also tons of really nice inserts and epa fire places that will provide you with plenty of fire view and will send plenty of heat into your room / house.

 

[bholler]

If a certified inspector is saying that you need to have a liner installed, I'm assuming that the current liner (guessing that is clay / masonry) and its cracking, you will need to install a insulated steel liner in there, the reasoning is that in the event you have a chimney fire the steel liner will keep the burning creosote contained with in it and the insulation will keep the heat produced (temps above 1800f) from entering the cracks in the existing liner and catching your house on fire. Just want to clear the air with that.

While I agree that insulation is needed for safety and performance on a liner that requirement has nothing to do with the condition or even the existence of a clay liner. It has to do with clearance to combustibles from the outside of the masonry to any combustible material. An internal chimney needs 2" and an external one needs 1"

 

[kennyp2339]

While I agree that insulation is needed for safety and performance on a liner that requirement has nothing to do with the condition or even the existence of a clay liner. It has to do with clearance to combustibles from the outside of the masonry to any combustible material. An internal chimney needs 2" and an external one needs 1"

Clearance is clearance, I got that info from the csia website, http://www.csia.org/chimney_liners.html but you can not argue clearance.

 

[bholler]

Clearance is clearance, I got that info from the csia website, http://www.csia.org/chimney_liners.html but you can not argue clearance.

There is nothing in any codes or listings that reference the condition or existence of a clay liner when talking about the need for insulation. They do on the other hand clearly spell out the required clearances and when insulation is need in those cases.

 

[bholler]

But back to the op yes some stoves will work fine with no legs but many draw the combustion air from under the stove so simply setting the stove on the hearth would obstruct the air intake. It may also void the ul listing and or warantee of the stove you would have to check with the manufacturer of the stove. In your case it would not matter as long as your hearth is constructed correctly but removing or altering the legs would also drastically change the hearth requirements for the stove

 

[begreen]

Some Buck stoves work both as freestanders and inserts. Another option is to install an insert that you like without the surround.

 

[MickP]

Thanks all.
Yes, it is a bricks and mortar fireplace
The chimney sweep said that the flue would need to be relined if we left it as an open fireplace. It seemed to me i could have a wood burning stove and liner installed for about the same amount, and although i would lose a bit of visual appeal, i would gain something that contributed to the heating of the house.
@begreen: I didn't realise this was an option but sounds like what i am after. Is there a difference between a freestander with no legs, and an insert with no surround?

 

[bholler]

Is there a difference between a freestander with no legs, and an insert with no surround?

yes an insert will have a full convective jacket to help get heat out of the firebox. But many times that does not work very well without a blower. A freestander if it is in the firebox will give up allot of radiant heat to the masonry of the fireplace.

 

[begreen]

Thanks all.
Yes, it is a bricks and mortar fireplace
The chimney sweep said that the flue would need to be relined if we left it as an open fireplace. It seemed to me i could have a wood burning stove and liner installed for about the same amount, and although i would lose a bit of visual appeal, i would gain something that contributed to the heating of the house.
@begreen: I didn't realise this was an option but sounds like what i am after. Is there a difference between a freestander with no legs, and an insert with no surround?

An insert is designed to sit on the hearth. A freestander usually is not, with some exceptions. If you like a freestander it will need a blower and you'll want to make sure that is doesn't have attachments on the bottom of the stove like an ash dump, or heat shield. Most inserts will look, but a few look better with a surround as the surround carries on the design. This is more with cast iron faced inserts that also have a cast iron surround. Almost all inserts have blowers. Also note that some stove have short leg kits to help them fit into a fireplace.

 

[MickP]

Thanks both, that all makes sense.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Thanks both, that all makes sense.

MickP- I had a similar scenario about one year ago. I bought a beautiful used free stander with the idea that I would buy shorter legs, then changed direction and went with an insert, and decided to not use the surround. Looks just like a stove without legs, has the shroud. Been real happy with the setup. If you go with the freestander, you'll want to insulate the inside of the fireplace or you will just pump a bunch of heat into the masonry of the fireplace rather than your house. Fellow Hearther @mellow put together a real nice thread that demonstrates how he did it.