Need advise on buying a wood stove/insert (w/ pics)

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airwolf39

New Member
Jan 8, 2017
7
charlotte
Hello,

I have been doing alot of reading and have ended up more confused than where i started. At this point i feel that a free standing stove would be best. One immediate question i have is that many stoves have a blower in the back. With this stove going into an existing masonry fireplace, wont this be an issue??

Pics to the fireplace are attached.

Here are the fireplace dimensions: Height: 32"; Depth - 18" in the fireplace itself, 35" to the wood floor. Length: 24" at the back of the fireplace, 36" at the entrance.

I am a buy once cry once type of guy. I am looking for a "no-frills option" and the "dream option" for comparison purposes. The house is 2700 sq ft, but all of it doesnt need to be heated. I also dont want to waste space with a small stove. It only needs to heat, no cooking needed.

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thank you!
 

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If I'm reading your post correctly you're looking for a freestander to put in the fireplace? If you are you need one that rear vents, if you look at my avatar I have the Woodstock progress hybrid set up like that but there's quite a few stoves to choose from.
 
Just checked on some measurements, looks like you can put any rear venter you want, all the Woodstock stoves. The Jotuls, there's more but I can't think of them right now, I'm sure you'll get more suggestions.
 
Got enough room that a freestanding Englander 30NC might fit in there for the no frills option. If it fits it would look a bit like BrotherBart's installation.
BrotherBart 30 first fire.jpg
 
That Englander 30NC is an A++ suggestion for a no frills. That is something i came across earlier but the low price worried me a little.

The woodstock stoves are really pricey. Are they worth the price and why?

Thanks again! I should hopefully be buying my stove this weekend.
 
Some of the Woodstock stoves have gotten qute pricey, but their steel stoves offer good value. The Ideal Steel would be worth checking out.
 
The woodstock stoves are really pricey. Are they worth the price and why?
For 3 k I would buy another in a second. It's worth it because after owning it I realized how much thought went into the design.
 
ok, so i am sold on the Englander at the moment. So lets talk chimneys.

Mine is around 25 feet high, straight up. Masonry. Can i just connect the stove to the chimney and call it good? Or do i need to run piping all the way up the chimney?
 
I would do a full liner. That will keep the flue cleaner and draft better.
 
My only advice having just gone through the process is get the most stove you can - you can always dial back a bigger box, but you can't dial up a smaller one!
 
Hello,

I have been doing alot of reading and have ended up more confused than where i started. At this point i feel that a free standing stove would be best. One immediate question i have is that many stoves have a blower in the back. With this stove going into an existing masonry fireplace, wont this be an issue??

Pics to the fireplace are attached.

Here are the fireplace dimensions: Height: 32"; Depth - 18" in the fireplace itself, 35" to the wood floor. Length: 24" at the back of the fireplace, 36" at the entrance.

I am a buy once cry once type of guy. I am looking for a "no-frills option" and the "dream option" for comparison purposes. The house is 2700 sq ft, but all of it doesnt need to be heated. I also dont want to waste space with a small stove. It only needs to heat, no cooking needed.

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thank you!
 
I had a very similar setup with a fieldstone face fireplace. I went with a Vermont Castings insert with a surround. This has worked very well for me and in addition to providing heat it looks beautiful. It just seems a bit odd to put a freestanding stove in an existing fireplace.
 
Wow, full liners are expensive. Would be 2500. Being that i live in Charlotte, and would not be burning heavily - im not sure i can justify that.
 
I had a very similar setup with a fieldstone face fireplace. I went with a Vermont Castings insert with a surround. This has worked very well for me and in addition to providing heat it looks beautiful. It just seems a bit odd to put a freestanding stove in an existing fireplace.
Free standing stoves are silent. Which is a big plus.
 
Wow, full liners are expensive. Would be 2500. Being that i live in Charlotte, and would not be burning heavily - im not sure i can justify that.
I guess but considering a resourceful person can get wood free and being in the south it actually is easy. It will look great and add value to your home. My daughter lives near Atlanta and they bought the same insert that I have.
 
I guess but considering a resourceful person can get wood free and being in the south it actually is easy. It will look great and add value to your home. My daughter lives near Atlanta and they bought the same insert that I have.

Wood here is $100 a truck load.. and i drive a Nissan Titan. That should last me awhile.

Any thoughts on the The Osburn 2200 ?
 
Wood here is $100 a truck load.. and i drive a Nissan Titan. That should last me awhile.
That really wont last all that long and I am sure it will not be dry. You really need to get some and get it stacked and drying.
 
Wood here is $100 a truck load.. and i drive a Nissan Titan. That should last me awhile.

Any thoughts on the The Osburn 2200 ?
I cannot in any fairness respond about the operation of the Osborne as I do not own one.
I really like the appearance of the VC with its flush elegant front. The Osborne looks more industrial with its sharp lines. It also sticks out much more than the VC.

My guess is either one is ok as they have been around for a while.
 
Came across a Buck Stove Model 91. Wow, that sucker is a beast. But im worried that installing an insert (because it is on the floor) would get too close to my wood floors. Couldnt that be a fire hazard? How much distance do i need from an insert to the edge of my wood floors to be safe?
 
Came across a Buck Stove Model 91. Wow, that sucker is a beast. But im worried that installing an insert (because it is on the floor) would get too close to my wood floors. Couldnt that be a fire hazard? How much distance do i need from an insert to the edge of my wood floors to be safe?
Read the manual and it will tell you but generally in the US it is 16".
 
16" measured from the door face.