Wood insert problem or wife problem

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johnsopi

Minister of Fire
Nov 1, 2006
696
MD near DE&PA;
My wife hates my wood insert and wants a gas fireplace in the living room. It's a Osborne 1800 is there any way to use a wood insert in a room that does not have a fireplace. Is there anyway I could use it in my sitting-room.
 
You should have the installation manual for your insert. Read it carefully and see if installing it as a stand alone stove is allowed or contemplated.

As an old bachelor who lives alone, my living room is rather a mess because of wood, wood chips, axes and such littering the room. THAT would surely annoy most women.

Are you doing some small particle of that which might be a reason for your wife's disapproval? Just wondering if extreme neatness and care for such things might damp down her distress.
 
Give us some sense of how attached you are to the wood stove versus how attached you are to the wife.

I mean, the fact that you are asking the internet about this gives us SOME indication, but refine it for us a little. ;lol
Hmmmm, +1
 
As long as she pays for the gas and install, why not?
 
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Put a gas stove in the sitting room for her, and leave the insert right where it sits. Problem solved. Let her pay for the gas and maintain it also.
 
As to your question as to whether it is possible to use an insert in a room without a fireplace, I believe the answer is: no. You would need to use a wood stove in such a room.
 
Follow the clearances per manual. Use some common sense. I'd have no problem installing it as a standalone. However, others on this forum talk about their local districts requiring professional installers, permits.... Then that would require something formal from the manufacturer about legitimate applications.

https://woodstoves.net/documents/osburn/1800_wood_insert.pdf
 

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This insert can not be used as a standalone stove. It has not been tested in this application, no clearance requirements have been established or hearth requirements as it is designed to sit in a fireplace. It would also look ugly. How neat and clean is the area around the current installation in the fireplace? Could that be her primary objection?

At the beginning of the manual is this statement:
This unit is certified and intended only for installation as an insert for masonry fireplaces in residential homes when installed and used according to the information given in this manual. Zero clearance, steel liner or heatform fireplaces are suitable if they meet the criteria under “Pre-Installation Requirements”.

This unit is designed for safe operation. Altering or modifying the unit, or installation, without proper authorization will void the certification, warranty and safety listing and may result in a safety hazard.

 
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Put a gas stove in the sitting room for her, and leave the insert right where it sits. Problem solved. Let her pay for the gas and maintain it also.

This may be the answer I cut the damper out to get the liner in. If I could get the stove to put out good heat that would help. It is true that the stove is a disappointment. It puts out very little heat even with dry seasoned wood.
 
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That insert should be heating well. It's a decent heater by all reports. Tell us more about the installation. Is this with an exterior or interior chimney? How tall is the liner on the insert?

Tell us how the stove is being run. Are you able to reduce the air once the fire is burning well and are you seeing robust secondary combustion? Do you have a thermometer on the stove top? If yes, what does it read?
 
I did the installation myself last year full-length stainless steel chimney liner with insulation wrapped around it. Last year I bought wood and had some hickory Oak and Poplar that was 10 months old. This year the Hickory is 22 months old going on 24. I have a stovetop thermometer on it and it doesn't seem to get over 3:50 or so. The living room has never gotten hot as in over 7 2 degrees. At my other house with the big Jack furnace I was able to eat heat 3000 square feet to the point that you would open up a Windows
 
It's burning right now no smoke or Steam from the chimley it's around 50 degrees outside the stove top thermometer says 350 degrees but it's not going to warm up the living room. Much I'm going to call tech support tomorrow in a way I'm glad that she was complaining about the stove because now I feel motivated to get it running right
 
When we talk about secondary burn is that the same as I call it goes Flames with this is fire dancing without touching the wood
 
Something has to be up with your stove. Guy I work with has the same insert in an exterior masonry fireplace. 16 ft stainless liner. Sits in a 500sqft living room in a 2000sqft house. It will almost cook them out of the room even when below zero outside. His has the blower on the bottom. Do you have that ?
 
Yes, those temps are low. Is this a one or two story chimney? Interior or exterior wall?
 
I did the installation myself last year full-length stainless steel chimney liner with insulation wrapped around it. Last year I bought wood and had some hickory Oak and Poplar that was 10 months old. This year the Hickory is 22 months old going on 24. I have a stovetop thermometer on it and it doesn't seem to get over 3:50 or so. The living room has never gotten hot as in over 7 2 degrees. At my other house with the big Jack furnace I was able to eat heat 3000 square feet to the point that you would open up a Windows
That Oak & Hickory ain't no where near ready to burn. 3years minimal for those species if you want optimal burn from them.
 
Something has to be up with your stove. Guy I work with has the same insert in an exterior masonry fireplace. 16 ft stainless liner. Sits in a 500sqft living room in a 2000sqft house. It will almost cook them out of the room even when below zero outside. His has the blower on the bottom. Do you have that ?
This is what I would except. Interior masonry fireplace. Even if the wood is perfect I would hope for more heat. Its been burning for over 2hrs still at 350 stove top. I could get some of that firewood from acme and see if that would get a hotter burn.
But it's a metal box it should heat up.
 
This is what I would except. Interior masonry fireplace. Even if the wood is perfect I would hope for more heat. Its been burning for over 2hrs still at 350 stove top. I could get some of that firewood from acme and see if that would get a hotter burn.
But it's a metal box it should heat up.

Does your insert have the electric blower?
 
Just looked at exhaust from chimney. No smoke just that heat tremors. That should mean a clean burn?
 
That Oak & Hickory ain't no where near ready to burn. 3years minimal for those species if you want optimal burn from them.
Not true at all both can be ready in a year in the right situation. I agree with you the wood probably isnt dry. But it is certainly possible.
 
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Just looked at exhaust from chimney. No smoke just that heat tremors. That should mean a clean burn?
Yes that means its clean.
But where do you have the air control set at?