New Home---time to get a stove

[Burner73]

Had a ZC insert in my old home. FPX36. Worked very well and heated close to 2800 SQ feet.

Bought a new home that has two masonry hearths. I am debating between a stove in the hearth vs an insert. Has anyone tried either a stove and an insert in the same spot and can comment on the performance?

Does a stove in a hearth heat better than an insert?

I was looking at the Clydesdale...wife likes the looks. but I would hate to spend so much on an insert when a stove in the spot would heat better

Any thoughts?

 

[begreen]

The Clydesdale is a good performer with lots of happy owners here. It may do fine for you depending on the area size and what the expectations are. We need to know more about the new home. How large is it? How large is the house and how much space are you expecting the stove to heat?

Another thing to consider is power outages. If the area has frequent winter outages, then an insert with greater projection into the room or a freestanding stove will perform better. Depending on the house and stove location, a freestanding stove may be able to run without a blower and still heat the house adequately.

 

[Burner73]

BeGreen-

The home is an old dutch colonial. The floor plan is anything but accommodating to a stove. The fireplace is in an addition that is essentially its own part of the house. High 16' ceilings, lots of glass. It is perpendicular to the rest of the home.

I guess I am trying to figure out if an insert in a fireplace vs a stove in the fire place would heat better. I searched through the forums and it seems the stove is the better choice. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with trying both in the same space and how things worked out.

I visited a few showrooms but no one could answer the question to my satisfaction. I got answers like inserts are designed to reflect heat out...but doesn't a stove fire box do the same?

TIA

 

[begreen]

How well the stove or insert performs often depends on the space. By the description I am not sure how well either an insert or free-standing stove would heat the whole house from this location. Cathedral ceilings add a lot of cubic ftg. to heat. And the heat likes to stratify at the top this type of room. A ceiling fan can help, but the stove/insert is still heating a lot more space here.

 

[Burner73]

Does sticking a free standing stove in a fireplace essentially give it the same heat characteristics of an insert?

Not trying to heat the whole house...from my past experiences i would need two stoves for this home.

The addition is it's own zone. I figured I;d run the celing fan and hope to "push" some of the air out of the room. But if i kept the room warm with wood at least I kill a zone.

 

[begreen]

Does sticking a free standing stove in a fireplace essentially give it the same heat characteristics of an insert?

Not trying to heat the whole house...from my past experiences i would need two stoves for this home.

The addition is it's own zone. I figured I;d run the celing fan and hope to "push" some of the air out of the room. But if i kept the room warm with wood at least I kill a zone.

That depends how the freestanding stove is installed. If it is deep in the fireplace, then yes. Better performance would come from having the stove out on the hearth. Of course there are other installation issues here, like clearances from the mantel and side wood.

The ceiling fan is going to help reduce heat stratification, but it won't help a lot with moving the heat out of the area.

 

[Trail_Time]

If I had a masonry fireplace I personally would go with a freestanding stove over an insert. I think you will get more heat from the freestanding. There are many more great performing freestanding stoves than inserts available. Do not forget freestanding would also give you a big advantage in a power outage. Good luck!

 

[Stump_Branch]

I had an insert in the fireplace, then two stoves. My insert was small and cheap, so hard for a good comparison. But the stove 'puts' out or feels like it does a better job.