Which insert to purchase Lopi, Regency, or Jotul

[udflyer]

Hello all,
I am considering purchasing a wood burning fireplace insert for my home. My choices are the Lopi, Regency 2400 and Jotul Rockland. The Lopi is a little more expensive but I was looking for your reviews on each one and the pros and cons on each in regards to the loading size of the stove, time of burn rate, and cleaning. Also the insert will be in the living room with an open floor plan with about 3000 sq. ft of house above ground so will this be enough to heat the house? I can run the fan on the furnance to circulate air would that help? I have about 3 cords of wood split and ready to go if I do make the purchase would that be enough to run 24/7 for about 4 months time. Any recommendations are greatly accepted. The fireplace is 32" high, 36" wide, 23 inches deep and tapers to 28" wide in the back of the fireplace.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Todd]

3000 sq ft is asking a lot of an insert but doable. Check out the stove rating section on this site and look for the biggest one that will fit. The Jotul Rockland is relatively new, but some people here have reported great results with it and it's a great looking insert as well.

 

[begreen]

I'd go for the biggest insert that will fit. Stick with a 3cu ft sized firebox. Generally using the furnace fan to circulate heat is a no win. It uses more electricity and the warm air cools down too much to be meaningful. However, a ceiling fan may help depending on the ceiling height, or maybe just a small box fan? Depends on the house layout and ceiling heights.

 

[blujacket]

udflyer, Have you looked at any Buck stoves? There are a couple dealers here in the Dayton area. They make some great stoves/inserts.

 

[BucksCoBernie]

If you go Regency you're going to need the I3100 (large insert), not the I2400 (medium) to heat 3000sqft.

 

[rdust]

Generally using the furnace fan to circulate heat is a no win. It uses more electricity and the warm air cools down too much to be meaningful.

I figured you would still benefit since you're still moving air around the house. You figure if you're pulling cold air from the cooler rooms it would let the warm air move in. I'll play around with it this year, I figure the box fan method will probably work best.

 

[begreen]

Very often the heat loss in the ductwork negates the gains of moving the air within the system. Most hot air systems, unless a modern heat pump system, are designed for high temp air being blown through the ducts and often have a fair amount of heat loss. However, if the entire ducting system and furnace are well insulated and in a conditioned (heated) space, then it might work. YMMV.

 

[Dieselbreath]

I have a 2400 Regency insert in a similar sized residence. It was the biggest that would fit in my zero clearance fp. If you can get a bigger insert, do it. Mine comfortably heats our place (upstairs bedrooms) but I don't get the window opening temperatures my neighbor does with a standalone quadrafire with a larger fire box (3+ cf). You will need the blower option also.
3 cords of firewood for 4 months? I doubt it but maybe.

 

[weatherguy]

Id go with the Blaze King Princess, mainly because I bought one and have it sitting in the garage ready to install. Im going to try and heat 2800 sf with mine, at the very least it should make a huge dent in oil usage.