ZC options for Heatilator and frustrations with local dealers

I've got a Heatilator HD42b gas/fireplace insert and wanting to put a nice wood insert in its place. I've been frustrated with how each dealer says they have the only unit that will work (probably becuase they don't carry other brands). When I go somewhere else, they same somethign different. My wife really likes the Hampton unit and thats the most important thing but that unit probably can't be placed within the heatilator? Are there any options out there to do this? I've got a huge brick hearth, but I don't believe its a masonary fireplace, so I guess I'm limited to whatever inserts I can put inside the existing Heatilator, right? So, what are the units that can be placed in an existing fireplace insert...? I 'm tired of getting the one option from each dealer!
Thanks,

If it's a gas insert you need to remove it before installing the wood insert, so that might give you the room for the Hampton?

I believe the Heatilator HD42B would be a 42" wood ZC prefab fireplace. Not a gas fireplace. He probably has a gas log inside of it right now, which for some reason makes people call it a gas fireplace even when they know its a wood fireplace... trust me, I deal with this every day.

Here is what you cannot do to make an insert fit:
You cannot remove any refractory bricks
You cannot remove the hearth refractory
You cannot cut any metal out anywhere
You cannot block any air vents anywhere on the ZC unit, this includes the old pipe air cooling system.

You can remove a smoke shield if it is attached with removable fasteners (aka screws).

With that said, you can put any insert you want in there as long as it fits. You will want to watch mantle clearances, as well as exhaust outlet location to make sure it lines up nice. These will be your two biggest problems with an insert into a ZC box.

Wow, great information. Yes, it has a gas tube in it right now but is a wood fireplace. I left that info out Thats what I needed to hear. I wasn't planning on removing any of the structure, just hoping to find a unit that we like that fits in there. Thanks!

Oh I did forget to mention, make sure the insert you choose states it can be installed into a ZC wood fireplace. I am used to our brands, where they all are, but I forget sometimes that not every brand may be like that. There should be specific instructions in the manual for installation into a ZC wood fireplace.

Oh, also, make sure you dealer insulates the liner. If they do not plan to, or want to, send them packing IMO.

If you can find any of the other many threads I have posted in about ZC installs you will find some other info about this.

Well, I did some research and found out the heatilator HD42B meets UL 127, I really like the Hampton HI200/HI300 units and per Hamptons tech support and install manual UL 127 is what I need to install into a factory fireplace. So my next question, is it actually physically possible to connect the flue pipe to the insert if my fireplace opening is only 23 3/4" and the HI300 hampton is 21 1/2" high?? Seems like you would have to make the connection from inside the insert, there is no way to get your hand in 2" to connect the flue, right? The HI200 has a rod thing to do the connection from the front of the insert, why doesn't the HI300?

thanks in advance!
Y-it

Dunno how those work. The Quad units have a quick connect collar you can reach up through the inside of the insert and pull the liner down and twist lock it on to the collar.

They can do it, my buddy had one installed with 1" clearance on top and they did it. I guess they do it from inside the stove or from the sides.