New stove user - need some advice on config in the new house

[Chris Miller]

Hi everyone,

New to the site, and new to burning wood as a main source of heat. We recently moved out to Colorado and we're leasing a place with 2 levels and each level has its own huge fireplace and hearth. Unfortunately the only other sources of heat in the house are electric baseboard heaters, and an LP heater / furnace that sits in the kitchen (no duct work) and because of cost, I don't want to use either of them!

Here is my dilemma. I really want to heat with wood, but these fireplaces have HUGE openings and it doesn't matter if you put in 1 log, or 10 logs, you get about 2 hours of burn out of them and very little of the heat actually makes it way out into the room.

Because I am leasing, I cannot have a wood stove installed and I have been told that a typical insert would be a bit too invasive too. I really need a solution that will offer efficient wood heat, without changing the guys house. The only good spot for a stove would be on the backside of the upstairs fireplace where an old one used to be, but its in an enclosed sun room and it just wouldn't make sense. So I am really back to the fireplace as my only option.

I've heard some good things about these older buck stoves and thought about getting one (maybe even two?) to just slide into the fireplace, and then frame around it with the trim kit to keep the heat from going up the chimney. What are your thoughts?

The whole house is only 2700 sq ft... but the two floors are only open to each other via an enclosed staircase (1/2 way up anyway). I wanted to put one insert / stove in the basement and hoped to heat both floors but i'm not sure that would work?

Would appreciate any and all feedback on the entire situation. I am going to pickup a small buck tomorrow anyway that I got a good deal on... just not sure exactly how to approach this.

Thanks in advance!

 

[nate379]

Do you mean renting?

I would 100% for sure clear anything like a wood stove through with the owner of the property before even considering it.

 

[orionrogue]

IF you're in a home that's not your own, its going to be up to the owner to install such an appliance. And their homeowner's insurance will have to sign off on the install so that you'll be able to use it.

If the owner's not ok putting an insert in, your next best bet it to find another place to rent. You'll never get meaningful heat out of those fireplaces. I've had roaring fires that I fed all day last year in mine, and although the living room was extremely toasty, the rest of the house was 5-15 degrees colder.

 

[begreen]

Is this place 2700 sq ft including the basement or in addition to the basement? If you can only put in one stove, put in in the area you spend the most time in. I would guess that is the first floor, not the basement, but maybe wrong. If the fireplace is huge, investing in a freestanding stove will provide more heat and will not need a modification of the fireplace, if you can get a liner past the damper. Measure the throat at the top of the fireplace at the damper. If you have 6"+ clear, then this should be relatively straight forward.

 

[Chris Miller]

It's 2700 sq ft total - the lower level mirrors the upstairs with a family room, bathroom, bedroom, etc. We plan to use both levels.

The guy who is pushing me towards the buck stoves is doing so because I need something on a budget. He used to work for buck stove and he says just sliding them into the fireplace is how it's always been done. He said when the EPA came along, the new stoves had a smaller vent on top and required a matching liner / pipe to go with it but thats never how bucks were installed. They were just set in and allowed to vent up the chimney. He pulls out dozens of these stoves a year from homes where the people want to be more efficient.

I just want to be more efficient than a wide open fireplace - hopefully adding some warmth throughout the entire house, even the lower level where we wont spend a ton of time, but that's where the water comes in, etc.

And yes, we're renting / leasing. It will all be cleared with the homeowner.

 

[begreen]

What are the sizes of the lower and upper fireplace openings? Do either of these have a large damper opening?

 

[Chris Miller]

What are the sizes of the lower and upper fireplace openings? Do either of these have a large damper opening?

36" downstairs, and 38" upstairs.

Not sure about the damper - I guess I would need to check that out. Seems to have a long swing to the handle, and it eats wood like cookie monster eats cookies so I guess I assumed it was massive. :D

 

[begreen]

Need the height of the openings too.

Damper openings are wide so they can be pretty narrow in some cases.

 

[Chris Miller]

Ok actually both fireplace openings are 36" wide x 26.5" tall, and the dampers are 36" x 8"

 

[begreen]

The height is the gotcha, these are pretty standard fireplace openings. I don't think you'll find a freestander large enough without greater lintel height. Back to the insert.

 

[Chris Miller]

Anyone have any thoughts on these older bucks? Obviously not as efficient as a new insert, but will it be better than an open fireplace?

 

[begreen]

Could be ok, do you have a particular model number in mind?