Wood insert for smaller fireplace, Enviro Cabello

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MikeStaten

New Member
Sep 21, 2016
18
Somerset, New Jersey
I've been lurking on this site for some time and was very close to buying a Jotul 450 but now i don't think it will fit and am back at looking into other models.

As a bit of background, I recently removed the face brick (they were full size bricks but not part of the original fireplace) as they were old and some were loose. I also removed the old hearth as it was done improperly and damaged the wood in basement ceiling. I will be replacing the face brick and also the hearth.

Anyway, id like to add an insert but am somewhat limited by the size of my fireplace. The front opening is 30.75" wide by 26.5" high. The max depth is 25.5". However the fireplace width tapers in as you go back. For the first 8" of brick, the walls go straight back and then angle back after that. At 18" deep it's 23" wide, at 17"d = 23.75 wide, 16" deep = 24 wide, at 15" deep = 24.5 wide, at 14" deep = 25" wide.

The front of the fireplace brick is 47" wide, then next to that, although behind and not flush with the brick, is sheetrock wall. The face of the brick wall will be approximately 5" out from the face of the sheetrock.

The jotul 450 won't fit unless I have it extended out all the way and if I do that, the sheetrock is too close to the sides of the stove but may have been ok if it was not extended.

The Enviro 1200 models would be fine but the surround is too wide at 46+" for all the models but the Cabello at 41 7/16". Everything looks great about the Cabello except the blower is mounted on the side so in order to center it in the firebox, the firebox needs to be 32" wide, not 27" like on the other Enviro models. My max width is 30.75".

My first question is, does anyone know how deep the blower is on that model? My thinking is that if it is only 4" or so, I will cut the face bricks back, on the blower side, before installing them so that the gap in the first column of bricks will accommodate the fan. Then the whole unit can be centered in my 30.75" opening.

Not that the following matters much but the chimney height is just over 25' tall. My house is around 2200 sq feet but I'm more interested in the aesthetics than the potential to heat the whole house with it. Would be nice if I could get an 8 hour burn if possible.

Does my idea about cutting the bricks for the Cabello make sense?

If not, can anyone recommend another insert? My wife prefers a flush face insert with the largest glass possible but I'm flexible.

Max budget is $3,500 for the insert but I'd rather keep it lower if I can still get good quality.

Thank you,
Mike

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I have the Cabello 1200 great insert just a little small, if you can go with the 1700 or did you take a look at the Boston 1700? feel free to to pm me if you want come over to check it out.
 
Thank you. I may take you up on that offer. The Cabello 1700 wont fit and the Boston Surround is too wide at 48".

My only issue with the Cabello is that the fan is to the side so if I installed it without modifying the existing firebox, the insert would be offset to the right by about an inch which may look funny given that the brick surround is fairly narrow so the difference in gaps on each side will be noticeable.

Does anyone have the height, width and depth of that blower? With that info I could decide whether I can chip out the brick on the one side.

Or, if that is not a good idea, I am open to other brands of inserts.

I think the Hearthstone Morgan and Vermont Casting Montpelier may fit without any modifications but from reading posts on here, it sounds like the Enviro Cabello is better than those two.

Thanks again for any info. I'm somewhat lost in the variables and most places in my area (NJ) don't seem to be particularly knowledgeable/helpful.
 
Since you are going to redo the hearth and surround anyway why not just go bigger to get your clearances and do a rear vented free standing stove. There are several models that have a nice fire view.


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Since you are going to redo the hearth and surround anyway why not just go bigger to get your clearances and do a rear vented free standing stove. There are several models that have a nice fire view.

The hearth is no problem making any size I want. However, I would prefer to not start ripping apart the existing masonry.

Right now I have 8" of brick between the inside of firebox and the sheetrock on the wall. If I add another layer of brick to the face of the existing fireplace, does anyone know if it is ok if the new brick face is cut to only 6" wide instead of 8"? This would only be on the left side to accommodate the blower so that the stove could be centered. The 1st pic above would be the "after" picture (the black marker indicates the new brick), the 2nd is the current brickwork. The existing brickwork sticks out about 1" from the wall beyond the sheetrock. i.e., they are not flush with each other. The additional layer of brick, that I will add, will not touch any combustible material.
 
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Another option would be to have a custom surround made for the insert you like best. I have seen a few people on here do that with good success.
 
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