what happened?!?!? What did I do wrong

[kingquad]

Hey Ski Bum, maybe if you talk to the landlord he/she would split the cost of a new insert with you if you told him/her you would like to do some heating with wood. (I wouldn't tell them you broke the glass door on your second fire ;-) ), but maybe if you told them it would help to keep your heat bills down. Might be worth a shot if you could sell them the idea.

I decided to get the tape measure out & measure the dimensions of the fireplace just out of curiousity, & after researching inserts, I honestly can't find any that will fit in this fireplace- not even the Avalon Pendelton, which is super small, can fit in it according to the min. dimensions it provides.


Here're the rough dimensions of the firebox (they might not be exact, but should be pretty close):

Width (rear): 24"

Width (front): 30"

Height: 20"

Depth: 15"

Enviro 1200 should fit. Flue collar attaches on the inside of the insert, so don't worry about close height clearances. I have the Kodiak 1700 model and I'm very pleased with it. Very ruggedly built. Several aesthetically different models(Kodiak, Venice, Bostonian), but firebox is the same.

thanks for your opinion... A few months ago when I was at one of the local fireplace shops that sells multiple brands (Enviro, Napoleon, Kuma, Kozy Heat, Morso, Archgard, Mendota, & possibly a couple other lesser-known brands), & when I was looking at a couple Enviro brochures they had, the guy said they tend to stear people away from Enviro, saying that they don't seem to be as well-built as some of the others they sell.

I checked out the dimensions for the 1200, & it looks like it'd fit this fireplace in every dimension... except for the rear width- my fireplace needs to be 3" wider in the back. It seems like most inserts are designed for LARGE zc-fireplaces...

My manual shows 23 inches minimum rear width for ZC fireplaces. I think you are looking at front width. Hopefully everything works out and you can get a free standing stove.

As far as build quality, I narrowed my search down to Regency, Lopi, and PE after ruling out many others. Minus the ceramic baffle, the Regency seemed to be the most heavy duty. I ruled out the Regency because the height was to close to chance. Regency dealer also sold PE and told me that the Regency was much better. Almost bought the Lopi, but the installer didn't want to get up on my terra cota roof for fear of breaking any tiles. I liked the Lopi Baffle and Bypass Damper system, but the burn tubes weren't as stout as the Regency. Called a dealer to price a PE and he steered me toward Archgard, but it wouldn't work for my setup. Called another dealer to price a PE and he steered me toward Enviro(I had never heard of them). He invited me to come in and compare the PE and Enviro's he had on the floor. I did some research and contacted Enviro with some specific questions that I had which they were happy to answer. I went and looked at both and walked out with a deposit on the Enviro. Enviro uses the same thickness and quality steel for their firebox as the other three. Burn tubes are equal to the Regency in quality. The Regency had the sturdiest feeling door handle system of all of them. Lopi and Enviro seemed about equal. PE just didn't feel like it had as much heft. Blower standard on PE and Enviro, extra on Regency and Lopi.

I can't speak for the venice or bostonian models, which have different facades and doors than the Kodiak, but the Kodiak is barebones, simple, and rugged unit. If you can't get a free standing, then I'd go compare some floor models for yourself. That is what swayed my final decision, and I'm very happy with it. If your dealer is suggesting that Enviro isn't as well built as a Napoleon, then he is hi as a kite. I haven't seen any of the others listed, but I've heard that the Kuma's are really nice. If you have any specific questions about the Enviro, just let me know. Good Luck

 

[Delta-T]

Hey Ski Bum, maybe if you talk to the landlord he/she would split the cost of a new insert with you if you told him/her you would like to do some heating with wood. (I wouldn't tell them you broke the glass door on your second fire ;-) ), but maybe if you told them it would help to keep your heat bills down. Might be worth a shot if you could sell them the idea.

I decided to get the tape measure out & measure the dimensions of the fireplace just out of curiousity, & after researching inserts, I honestly can't find any that will fit in this fireplace- not even the Avalon Pendelton, which is super small, can fit in it according to the min. dimensions it provides.


Here're the rough dimensions of the firebox (they might not be exact, but should be pretty close):

Width (rear): 24"

Width (front): 30"

Height: 20"

Depth: 15"

might also want to look at the Country Stove -Striker 160 insert (Lennox Product), looks like it should fit with those dimensions. Its built like a tank, not too fancy out of the box, but many esthetic upgrades available.

edit: maybe it wont fit, looks like they want you to have 21"h and 36"w for ZC install. my bad.

 

[Mt Ski Bum]

Hey Ski Bum, maybe if you talk to the landlord he/she would split the cost of a new insert with you if you told him/her you would like to do some heating with wood. (I wouldn't tell them you broke the glass door on your second fire ;-) ), but maybe if you told them it would help to keep your heat bills down. Might be worth a shot if you could sell them the idea.

I decided to get the tape measure out & measure the dimensions of the fireplace just out of curiousity, & after researching inserts, I honestly can't find any that will fit in this fireplace- not even the Avalon Pendelton, which is super small, can fit in it according to the min. dimensions it provides.


Here're the rough dimensions of the firebox (they might not be exact, but should be pretty close):

Width (rear): 24"

Width (front): 30"

Height: 20"

Depth: 15"

Enviro 1200 should fit. Flue collar attaches on the inside of the insert, so don't worry about close height clearances. I have the Kodiak 1700 model and I'm very pleased with it. Very ruggedly built. Several aesthetically different models(Kodiak, Venice, Bostonian), but firebox is the same.

thanks for your opinion... A few months ago when I was at one of the local fireplace shops that sells multiple brands (Enviro, Napoleon, Kuma, Kozy Heat, Morso, Archgard, Mendota, & possibly a couple other lesser-known brands), & when I was looking at a couple Enviro brochures they had, the guy said they tend to stear people away from Enviro, saying that they don't seem to be as well-built as some of the others they sell.

I checked out the dimensions for the 1200, & it looks like it'd fit this fireplace in every dimension... except for the rear width- my fireplace needs to be 3" wider in the back. It seems like most inserts are designed for LARGE zc-fireplaces...

My manual shows 23 inches minimum rear width for ZC fireplaces. I think you are looking at front width. Hopefully everything works out and you can get a free standing stove.

As far as build quality, I narrowed my search down to Regency, Lopi, and PE after ruling out many others. Minus the ceramic baffle, the Regency seemed to be the most heavy duty. I ruled out the Regency because the height was to close to chance. Regency dealer also sold PE and told me that the Regency was much better. Almost bought the Lopi, but the installer didn't want to get up on my terra cota roof for fear of breaking any tiles. I liked the Lopi Baffle and Bypass Damper system, but the burn tubes weren't as stout as the Regency. Called a dealer to price a PE and he steered me toward Archgard, but it wouldn't work for my setup. Called another dealer to price a PE and he steered me toward Enviro(I had never heard of them). He invited me to come in and compare the PE and Enviro's he had on the floor. I did some research and contacted Enviro with some specific questions that I had which they were happy to answer. I went and looked at both and walked out with a deposit on the Enviro. Enviro uses the same thickness and quality steel for their firebox as the other three. Burn tubes are equal to the Regency in quality. The Regency had the sturdiest feeling door handle system of all of them. Lopi and Enviro seemed about equal. PE just didn't feel like it had as much heft. Blower standard on PE and Enviro, extra on Regency and Lopi.

I can't speak for the venice or bostonian models, which have different facades and doors than the Kodiak, but the Kodiak is barebones, simple, and rugged unit. If you can't get a free standing, then I'd go compare some floor models for yourself. That is what swayed my final decision, and I'm very happy with it. If your dealer is suggesting that Enviro isn't as well built as a Napoleon, then he is hi as a kite. I haven't seen any of the others listed, but I've heard that the Kuma's are really nice. If you have any specific questions about the Enviro, just let me know. Good Luck

Thanks for all the info- I'll definitely keep all those in mind. As far as the rear width, my rear width is 20", so the Kodiak wouldn't fit- unless they can not install it as deep into the fireplace & let it stick out onto the hearth more.

I don't think that that dealer I was talking about was refering to any brand in particular when telling me that Enviro was inferior, but he was definitely steering me towards Kuma/Archgard. I think the Kuma Aspen might fit, but it seems that Kuma doesn't have fireplace dimensions for their inserts listed on their website...