Sold my NZ6000. It was too Big. What now? FPX?

Please, Please reply to this if you have a recommendation.

This is my research week before I put in an order.

I have been reading all the older post and have gotten great info.

I purchased an almost new Napoleon NZ6000 from an unfinished house in which it was never installed.

Great looking fireplace, but too much for my house. Sold it on Craigslist last week.

Here is my new short list of "wood burning" ZC fireplaces:

1. Napoleon NZ-3000 (By far my favorite, but too much $$$).
2. Napoleon NZ-26WI (Not much cheaper than 3000, but not as pretty)
3. Fire Place Extraordinaire 36 Elite (I really like this one so far with the double doors)
4. Lennox Montecito Estate (Nice, but might be too much hp for my house)
5. BIS tradition (Hard to tell the difference from the Lennox???)
6. Regency fp90 or ex90 (I like it, but the doors seem a bit small)
7. Kozy Heat 231 (Don't like the vent over the stove)
8. Quadrafire 7100 (Too big and I don't really like the looks that much)

As you can tell I want the "wrought iron" black arched doubled door look that I fell for when I bought the Napoleon.

I was about to order the NZ3000 yesterday, when I realized that there must be a similar option that is cheaper and with a better EPA rating.

My house is a three story colonial (28' x 34' footprint) in the New Hampshire seacoast.

1st floor is all open concept with two ceiling fans at each end.

Total square footage on all three floors is 2100.

I attached some pictures from when I built the house.

ZC Fireplace will go in the room with the columns. Going to duct up to master bedroom above and maybe down to basement if it's okay to do that. Can you duct down?

Please chime in with your choice from my short list or maybe a new recommendation that I missed in my research.

Thanks,

Chris

Good day AD....Why did you think the unit was too big, most here believe a bigger stove is better than a smaller....I cannot speak much on anything but PE, but Osburn has a good rep....Others will help you with your choice....good luck, nice house!

Only units that have a forced air kit can be ducted down. If this is a "must have", then the FPX, regency, and the quad are out for sure. Not sure about the Lennox/Bis units. Check out the Osburn Stratford. Will be the cheapest and can be ducted down with their forced air kit. It does have a smaller firebox though (2.5cuft). Your house is newer construction, so it should be pretty tight. The Osburn would probably get the job done for you if you don't mind the furnace kicking on occasionally.

Let us know what you go with. I'm considering one of these units too.

I'm working on installing the NZ3000 in my living room right now. From what I've heard on this site, its a good heater. It is, by far, the prettiest ZC unit out there. Yes, its expensive. But I wanted it and we squeezed the money to get it. We bought it from Fireplace Warehouse in Denver, CO online and saved a PILE of money. Maybe check them out......

If your issue with the NZ6000 was it was too much heat, consider for your next unit a gravity air kit to bring warm air to a room upstairs.

Some models also allows you to put a blower 'dump' kit. Basically, it turns your ZC into a small furnace. As soon as your ZC reaches temp it starts blowing the excess heat up to 30 ft away via a hidden blower and 5" insulated ducting. Some go so far as to have a thermostat option for the room you want to heat.

Thanks for the replies.

My first floor is about 850 square feet so the NZ6000 was definitely over kill.

Although a colonial, it has a small foot print.

I was planning on ducting it to one other room above, but I was not convinced that it would take enough heat away to make the 1st floor comfortable.

Now that the NZ6000 is gone, I have to make a decision this week or next.

I looked at all the models that you all recommended plus a few others and have shrunk my list to the following models:

1. NZ3000
2. FPX 36 Elite
3. Lennox Montecito
4. Bis Tradition

Now the questions comes down to price.

I think the price of the FPX, Lennox or Bis would have to be at least $1000 cheaper than the NZ3000 for me to make it my final choice.

Any idea's where to get the best price?

Thanks,

Chris

P.S. Scotty Overkill, do you have any pictures of the install or maybe the stove uninstalled? I am curious how big the box behind the face is. Also in the photo's the NZ3000 looks like it has a dark silver color to it instead of black, which I think is cool, but did it come like that or is it black?

Scotty Overkill,

I just got off the phone with Fireplace Warehouse in Denver. They beat the other place by $100 that I was going to go with and I really enjoyed talking to Bob the sales guy who called me back after office hours. With my two small kids and only being able to get $hit done at night, it was a nice feature being able to talk when I'm not at work or doing honey doo's.

How long did it take to get your stove?

NZ3000 is a good stove, i do 2600 sqft (loft style) and it keeps things toasty for as cold as it gets in CT. My house is also well insulated and I have the OAK. Last night was the first fire for the season. expect about 4 hour actual flame time with 4 splits, and coals up to 8-10 hrs depending on wood.

Thanks Dieselhead.

Mine arrives a week from Friday and then the install.

Did you do yours yourself?

Could you post or send me a pic? I'm designing my hearth now and could use some idea's.

How high is your hearth? Seems like norm is 8-10"?

Yes I set my stove on 8X16 cinderblocks and came out 2 rows past the stove for the hearth. I did install it myself. I have pics on my home computer Ill post some up tonight.