Planning to purchase a wood insert!

[traviswalken]

I plan to purchase a wood insert (probably a Hampton HI300) soon. I am a newby and want to make sure I don't make any mistakes with my purchase. Is there anything I need to know about the flue? I plan to have it installed by others. Is there anyting I need to look for when inspecting their work?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

a good way to search the site is to use google :
in this case, try key word search
site:hearth.com chimney liner questions

 

[btuser]

Get wood now. I mean start collecting/purchasing firewood now. Its the one thing that will help the most. Dry wood will make you feel like a genius and wet wood will make you feel like a fool.

 

[WARDNEAL]

Don't let them talk you out of a block off plate.

Are they installing insulated liner?

If you don't have your wood already look for a source for cured wood that you can buy or trade for some green wood.

Enjoy your insert.

Neal

 

[hockeypuck]

Get wood now. I mean start collecting/purchasing firewood now. Its the one thing that will help the most. Dry wood will make you feel like a genius and wet wood will make you feel like a fool.

What he said times 2.... I had 2 chord of very dry wood from a friend. It had been under cover for 3 years.... almost too dry. This year I have a chord of green that was delivered a year ago july and a chord I cut last october and I am worried that that is not dry enough.

 

[Corey]

Get wood now. I mean start collecting/purchasing firewood now. Its the one thing that will help the most. Dry wood will make you feel like a genius and wet wood will make you feel like a fool.

What he said...8 months ago. Even getting wood now is probably not going to be ready for this burning season. You might luck out and find some dead wood to cut yourself - or maybe find a wood seller who has cut wood last spring and is just starting to sell it for this burning season. But anything you find should be checked on the ends, gray, and have the bark falling off. Ideally, you'd have the wood about a year (or more) before you have the stove.

 

[traviswalken]

Don't let them talk you out of a block off plate.

Are they installing insulated liner?

If you don't have your wood already look for a source for cured wood that you can buy or trade for some green wood.

Enjoy your insert.

Neal

I talked to the shop I plan to use about the installation. The $400 quote they provided for installation labor & $500 for SS liner did NOT include insulation and block off plate.

Insulation is an extra $150 & block off plate is an extra $75.

The shop is happy to perform this extra work. However, they do not think insulation is needed in our climate (Tacoma, WA). He also thinks it certainly won't hurt.

I lean toward spending the extra money. This is a long term investment. The way this newbie understands things, insulation will improve airflow by keeping the hot air hot on its way up the liner. Also, insulation will reduce condensation which reduces creasote.

Is it worth the extra $225 for insulation and block off plate???

Also, should I request anything specific about insulation or block off plate??

Thanks.

 

[WARDNEAL]

Don't let them talk you out of a block off plate.

Are they installing insulated liner?

If you don't have your wood already look for a source for cured wood that you can buy or trade for some green wood.

Enjoy your insert.

Neal

I talked to the shop I plan to use about the installation. The $400 quote they provided for installation labor & $500 for SS liner did NOT include insulation and block off plate.

Insulation is an extra $150 & block off plate is an extra $75.

The shop is happy to perform this extra work. However, they do not think insulation is needed in our climate (Tacoma, WA). He also thinks it certainly won't hurt.
It will certainly help draft and reduce creosote.

I lean toward spending the extra money. This is a long term investment. The way this newbie understands things, insulation will improve airflow by keeping the hot air hot on its way up the liner. Also, insulation will reduce condensation which reduces creosote.

Is it worth the extra $225 for insulation and block off plate???
That is your call and your dollars but I did it on mine.

Also, should I request anything specific about insulation or block off plate??
Make sure the block off plate is a fabricated metal plate that will block all air flow up the chimney around the flue pipe and that they put a rope seal or other high temp seal around the flue pipe.

Hope this helps.

Thanks.

 

[btuser]

The block off plate and the insulation are two things that are contantly debated. I insulated my liner but didn't install a block-off plate, so now I tell everyone to insulate their liner and that they probably don't need a block off plate. Secretly of course, I do covert investigations about block -off plates, and wonder if somehow I'm missing out. For $75 bucks I would do it, but I'm very insecure!

How tall is your chimney?
Is it exterior(on the side of your house) or interior (in the center of your house)?
Does the chimney get a lot of Sun or is it shaded? (I don't know if this really makes a difference when we're talkning freezing temps but it did for me).

A long hot chimney drafts well and for $150 (of your money, not mine) I'd say insulate it, but if you trust the installer then I'd take his recommendation. If he didn't want to do it he would've charged you a lot more.

 

[cmonSTART]

btuser, I curseth thee for thy lack of a block off plate. :bug: jk

Travis, get a copy of the installation/owner's manual and skim though it. It will familiarize you with the process and you'll be better able keep an eye on what's going on. Just be nice about it coming from an installers perspective.

 

[burntime]

I had mine both ways, with no insulation and no block off plate. I had it reinstalled with liner and plate. I can tell you that it makes a big difference. I had mine done because it was heating my masonary chimney and heating the attic, that in turn was causing melting on the roof and created ice damning. Once insulated and a block off plate it was not an issue, funny thing is the colder it got, the more important those improvements seemed to make. The block off plate and liner insulation are not just performance booster, but also another level of safety. Me personally, I sleep better with it in there and if I had to pay an extra couple hundred it would be worth it. The appliance will last you 10-20 years or more if you treat it well, thats 10 or 20 bucks a year or less over its lifetime. I would have it done and not wonder or look back... By the way, hamptons are wonderful, the company kinda sucks as far as backing up the product, but it is a nice insert...

 

[BrotherBart]

Having a free standing stove in a fireplace I can tell that a block-off plate makes a lot of difference in holding heat. I wish I had had one with the old insert to be able to testify how much difference it would make with them since the shroud on an insert has to provide a lot of that function itself.

As to insulation on the liner. I don't have it on either liner in the outside masonry flues and if either flue were cleaner burning dry wood you would be able to eat off of them. Well, with a little smokey taste. But I run 5.5" liners in both chimneys and somewhere in a physics book it probably says that they run hotter than a six inch liner anyway.

For that short money, pay the man. Get it done.

 

[btuser]

+1. Short money is right. He's barely charging you for the parts.