Question about installing an insert!

[kiletravis09]

Ok guys brand new to the forum here but i have been lurking for months. We finally purchased our new (old) house which came with a wood stove area and also a heatilator fireplace. We have been heating with a huge nashua wood stove "NFP2" and it heats the house great! The only problem is that we have a pretty huge house and on the other side of the house its a good 5-10 degrees cooler. We have tried all types of fan set ups and different things and nothing has worked. Across the house though, there is a heatilator fire place. It sucks! my plan is to remove the glass and the doors and install a nashua insert. my question is how can i tell if i have a "masonary fireplace"? The heatilator vents into a clay tile chimny and below the fire place is a clean out the goes down into the basement. When i go into the basement and/or the attic it seems that its all cinder block from the basement all the way up into the attic. I saw a video of a guy on youtube installing an insert doing what i want to do. My only concern is that I dont know how to tell the difference between zero clearence and a normal fireplace. Any info would be greatly appreciated

 

[bholler]

That does not sound like a zero clearance at all but post some pics of it to be sure.

 

[kiletravis09]

 

[kiletravis09]

It's like this from the basement to the attic. I think there is a brick chimney inside. Inside the chimney is a clay tile liner. My plan is to drop a stainless flex liner down to vent the unit. It appears the floor in the fireplace is stone or brick? And the walls are metal. Is that common? There should be wood on the other side right?

 

[begreen]

Looks like a heatform fireplace, not a ZC but not all masonry either. They are fairly common. It should have a masonry shell outside the metal.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/heatform/

 

[bholler]

No that is a metal heat form it should be inside a masonry structure and you should be fine to put an insert in there wit han insulated liner. But if you are not sure have it inspected before you install it.

 

[kiletravis09]

Is an insulated liner absolutely needed? The fireplace is in the center of the house?

 

[bholler]

Is an insulated liner absolutely needed? The fireplace is in the center of the house?

Check for clearances if the outside of the masonry on the chimney has 2" between it and any combustible materials then no it is not absolutly nessecary but it will still improve the preformance

 

[begreen]

Functionally no, in the same way seatbelts and airbags are not absolutely needed, but there are some significant safety benefits with an insulated liner.

 

[Grisu]

After dropping the liner it is highly recommended to put a block-off plate in to keep the heat in the house: https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/make-a-damper-sealing-block-off-plate/

And while you are at it: Why are you not going for a modern, EPA-approved insert instead of a wood-eating smokedragon? You will cut your wood consumption considerably and probably have a better view of the fire.

 

[kiletravis09]

I cant afford a 1500$ stove and chimney after purchasing the house haha I will be able to upgrade in about 3 years. I need these stove temporarily to heat with until then. Actually what made me heat with 100% wood is when we blew through 400 gallons of propane in 4 weeks lol I thought I was going to have a seizure.

 

[kiletravis09]

This is the one on the other side of the house. It puts off some serious heat.

 

[begreen]

In pre-EPA stoves Nashua made a good one. They are built like tanks.

 

[Grisu]

I understand. Is that the insert you want to install? Looks like the glass broke and someone did a "handyman" fix. If you want to leave that steel plate in, make sure it is tight or you may quickly loose control over the fire when it lets in air. I would also be concerned about the plate warping over time.

 

[kiletravis09]

Yea from what I have heard about these stoves is that compared to others in their time these stoves were more efficient and longer lasting than most. Let me tell you trying to move the large one was near impossible. We live in a historic home and had to maneuver this bad boy into place while it was hovering over 125 year old herringbone wood floors. When we sell the house it's staying lol also once this stove gets to temp I barley see smoke coming out of the chimney if any for that matter. I can fill it, damp it down and it will last for 6-8 hours easily. I'm actually pretty happy with it.

 

[kiletravis09]

Oh the glass is already replaced. He had that installed just to cover it during warmer months to prevent drafting. The new glass is specifically for wood stoves and was custom cut from using the previous one as a guide.