regency EX90 venting options

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iron

Minister of Fire
Sep 23, 2015
638
southeast kootenays
bear with me, i'm a newb to fireplaces.

after much research and talking with local sales guys, it looks like i'm limited to a small fireplace insert the size of the regency 1200. that thing's like the size of a shoebox, so it's not super appealing to me.

so, i started going down the route of full on fireplace demo/replacement. i like the regency ex90 and fireplaceX 36 elite and 33 elite:

http://www.regency-fire.com/Products/Wood/Wood-Fireplaces/EX90.aspx
http://www.fireplacex.com/ProductGuide/ProductDetail.aspx?modelsku=98500104
http://www.fireplacex.com/ProductGuide/ProductDetail.aspx?modelsku=99800176

one of the things that really drew me to the EX90 is the ability to duct to another room. however, after much back and forth with the sales guy, i find out that the heat wave venting system is good for canada only - not the US. why is that?

so, is there a way to make a DIY vent to heat another room - namely the basement that is directly below where this fireplace would be - or am i SOL on this? the sales rep said that trying to remotely heat another room through venting is not common. that seems really odd to me, but then again, as i said, i'm a newb.

ETA: also, the sales rep said that for the EX90, it's an either/or thing: either you do the blower or you do the venting to another room. that seems super lame to me.
 
Looks like the Regency has not been EPA tested with the Heat Wave kit. There are several other good ZC fireplaces that will let you do this. Take a look at the Quadrafire 7100, Kozy Z42, Pacific Energy FP36, Heat n Glo Northstar, RSF Opel, etc..
 
so, after reviewing the models you suggested, we're down to the following:
http://napoleonfireplaces.com/products/high-country-3000-wood-fireplace/
http://www.icc-rsf.com/en/opel-3-fireplace
http://www.pacificenergy.net/products/wood/fireplaces/fp30/

despite being in the pacific northwest, an area where i figure all the local fireplace reps should know everything there is about fireplaces, it seems hard to find anyone that is up to speed on providing mechanical ducting to the basement level from a main floor fireplace. everyone starts saying: oh, that's not a normal thing. i just don't get it; i've talked to about 10 companies...

anyway.... i was hoping someone could answer some questions/concerns i have in general.

1. is it worth it to try and get a fireplace that can do the direct venting (non-gravity) to my basement? or, would a regular fireplace allow the heat to travel semi-efficiently enough to make the extra costs unwarranted?

2. it sounds like a posi-pressure system (air intake for the fireplace from the outside of the house) is the way to go, especially for a climate like seattle where it's pretty mild (lowest temps might be in the 10s or 20s each year). is this accurate?

3. it sounds like people are still not fully sold on catalyst models, but that hybrids are preferred since they're easier to use and don't require expensive replacement parts. yes, no? i am 100% new to this stuff, so the easier the system, the happier i'll be i think. but, if i can reduce the volume of wood burned by 30%, then a catalyst sounds okay.


BTW: my house is 1979 construction, with newly installed windows (2012), good enough attic and wall insulation, and doors that are mostly leak free. definitely not a tight house, but not a sieve either.

thanks!
 
Sorry, I don't have any answers...you're way ahead of me (I'm still just trying to get a mantel up above the old existing stove, see thread).

That said, you are trying to do exactly what I'd like to do in a couple years when I replace the stove. I'd like to heat the basement directly below the stove...my teenage daughter just made that her bedroom. I was contemplating just putting a duct/fan in the wall to circulate warm air down there from the stove room, but it sounds like you are tracking down some more efficient options.

So, I'm all ears. Please share what you end up finding out...and actually doing. I'm also in western Washington (north Snoqualmie), so whatever regulations you learn will be directly applicable.

Thanks, and sorry for just being a freeloader on this. :)

-Rob
 
You got me poking around... Here's a thought I got after reading this other thread. In a posi-pressure system, could the intake come from the cold basement air instead of outside? E.g., a duct from the basement floor...maybe with a fan to help push the cold air up? Maybe that pulling power would also complement whatever convection/fan system you end up using to get the warm air down?

I guess it might cause problems if the basement is also warm...like if whatever stove heat you get down there is complemented with electric heat. Maybe put a fork/gate in the duct to allow it to be set to pull air from either inside the basement or outside? I wonder if this could be automated somehow so I don't have to rely on my daughter (or company) to tend it?

Or maybe I'm getting into over-complication/fire-danger land and should just keep the stove's air intake system separate than the air flow system to/from the basement.. It just seems like wasted convective power to not also use it to pull that cold air up and out of the basement.

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

Thanks.
 
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