Woodstove to set in brick fireplace

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blackdog1

New Member
Jan 4, 2012
22
Maine
We live in a split level home with a brick fireplace upstairs and one downstairs as well (two seperat flues), looking to put a pellet stove insert in the upstairs one for approximatley 1000 sqft and trying to find a small wood stove to set in the downstairs fireplace as a backup heat source primarly incase of power outage or weekends when we will be around alot and the kids are playing down there (finsihed space is about 400 sqft)...problem I am having is finding many stove options that are lower than the 26 1/2" high opening of the fireplace. I have found the Jotul F100 Nordic Qt that is only 22 1/2" high but not really anything else, any thoughts?

Also any thoughts on if much heat would really make it upstairs to heat any of that area?
(any others have personal experience living in splits)

Thanks!
 
Do you have your heart set on a stove? A fireplace Insert would be a much easier fit.
 
Have you had a pellet stove before? It's kinda expensive to run. Lots of people love them, I personally couldn't see spending the money on pellets, I traded mine for a woodstove and haven't missed it for a second.
 
Yes, have thought about wood stove insert vs. a stove but keep coming back to a basic small woodstove that does not need a blower which I understand most inserts would need (also cost).

And, yes pretty much set on pellet insert for the upstairs.
 
My inlaws heat their split level ranch with a wood stove in the basement. They too have a fireplace up and one down. They have been heating with wood since the 80's. The stove heats their house quite well, too well sometimes! My FIL had a free wood source in the guy who ran a mill at the end of his road. He passed away, a couple of years ago and my FIL decided to buy a pellet stove. He bought a nice black enamel one with the fake logs and it's still sitting in his basement family room uninstalled! He still has wood to burn in his old stove, so until that runs out he'll just keep it there. He is doing just the opposite of what you are, pellet stove downstairs and wood stove upstairs. The noise of the pellet stove will be away from the main living area and the protection of the wood stove in the upstairs fireplace. I gave him a blue enamel vermont castings defiant encore in exchange for a new washer/dryer set. The wood stove is in his fireplace, but not connected. His fireplace is a tall 5' arch type so it fits perfectly inside with access to the top loader.

As far as a stove that'll fit with the 26.5" height, there are a few, I had a Dutchwest 2461 in my fireplace, just partially, so I could still use the side loading door. My fireplace had the same height as yours 26.5. I had to buy the optional 2" legs in order to make the height. The Vermont Castings Defiant Encore will also fit that height. Those two stoves are medium sized stoves and could heat your entire house in case of a power failure, you could also control the fires to keep them from overheating the downstairs, but truthfully you'll be better off shutting down the pellet stove and letting those wood stoves take over while they are burning! The new VC Encore has a new 2n1 technology, both catalytic and non cat. I'm partial to the Dutchwest, due to my affair with my last stove. Check the thread at the end of my signature.

I have a freestanding pellet stove now and my wife loves it! I miss my wood stoves! Those are just two of many possibilities that would suit your needs. Many people here report success with many other brands. I'm sure they will chyme in with various opinions. Good luck and welcome to hearth!
 
Look for stoves with short leg options - take the measurements and visit your local stove shop. While I won't necessarily recommend the following, this is what I did to get my 80's era Kent into my existing fireplace - I just removed the pedestal part and let the stove body sit directly on the hearth. There is about a 3 inch gap between the stove floor and the hearth floor, and it's just sitting on the brackets that would normally just attach the pedestal to the stove. You probably couldn't do this with a stove that had any kind of ash clean out though.
 
I have a VC Encore, rear outlet and it will make the 26.5" by the hair on my chinyu, chin, chin. Mine sets up pretty high on the leveling legs, so perhaps a bit more room. Mine sits just outside the fireplace facia, so only the oval-round transition pipe has to make it into the fireplace.

Personally, I prefer a stove to an insert. Other folks here can tell you about inserts that actually heat, but I pulled an insert that consumed vast qtys of wood with very little heat. I have an 8" oval Dura-liner system with an oval-round tee at the base. Worked out great. I wouldn't't have a pellet unit as it is not going to operate without power.

Just a thought, but see if any of the manuf sell a "short leg" option. Anyone know of any?
 
Hearthstone homestead. Looks like the woodstock keystone or fireview might just make it.
 
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