wood stove vs fireplace insert

[Beno]

Hi all,

I need to decide between a VC cat Defiant wood stove and a VC cat WinterWarm Large fireplace insert. They will have to warm about 1600 sq.ft. level in Ottawa, Canada.
I prefer the look of a fireplace insert but I am concerned with higher maintanance costs of a fireplace insert (harder to access).

I'd like to get your thoughts about this as well as your personal preferences, between the two.

Thanks,
Beno

 

[wg_bent]

Hi all,

I need to decide between a VC cat Defiant wood stove and a VC cat WinterWarm Large fireplace insert. They will have to warm about 1600 sq.ft. level in Ottawa, Canada.
I prefer the look of a fireplace insert but I am concerned with higher maintanance costs of a fireplace insert (harder to access).

I'd like to get your thoughts about this as well as your personal preferences, between the two.

Thanks,
Beno

If your only concern is higher maintanence costs, the difference is minimal. I have an insert and while I'd bet a stove would be easier, it's not a big diff.

go with what you like the look of.

 

[Highbeam]

I have an insert and want a stove. Mainly because I do not like the sound of that fan running all the time. Without the blower running the insert does not throw anywhere near the heat that it does with the blower running.

Inserts seem to cost more to purchase and install.

Maintenance is the same since with a full liner installed, you simply brush all the junk down the liner and into the stove for collection.

 

[yukiginger]

I'm with Highbeam on this one. I have an insert and the blower is just plain loud (the insert is in the living room). If I had to do it over again I would rework my hearth/fireplace to accomodate a freestander and go with a unit that does not have a jacket around it (to reduce clearances but also in my opinion would require a blower for maximum heating efficiency).

I have had the blower on mine replaced twice already because it developed some strange (louder than normal) sounds. I did this under warranty, which has now exprired, and I dread the prospect of having to cover the costs myself (after paying for the unit, install, and full liner) should it arise again. To me a freestander that heats well without a blower is just a simpler, gentler system. If you need to aid air movement regular room fans can help a lot and are much quieter than a blower.

MarkG

 

[MrGriz]

So far, I love my insert. I do run the blower almost all of the time that I am burning and mine seems quiet. In my case, it was much easier to go with the insert than a stove. I do wish I had a good spot for a stove on the main level of the house, but I'm not disapointed with my set up at all.

 

[BrotherBart]

After 20 years of burning in a large insert I replaced it with a freestanding step-top steel stove half-in and half-out of the fireplace this year. It made a significant difference in heating. All of the heat that was trapped behind that surround now gets out into the room. It has a blower on it that shoots the air straight across the top and out into the rest of the house when needed. Just the convection alone does a great job without the fan.

I will never own another insert after this experience. If you do get an insert with a full liner then the difference in maintenance is negligible.

 

[hilly]

I too have an insert and our first winter with it has been great. We don't have a blower on ours and I don't anticipate getting one, mainly because of our chimney placement. the stove is in the middle of the house (an open floor plan) and the chimney goes up the center of the house. Any heat that stays in the surrounding masonary gets radiated back into the house again. If the hearth was on an outer wall I would get a stove or an insert with a blower.