ZC fireplace for new build

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deernutz

Member
Feb 25, 2013
3
Hi all. Been a lurker on this site for a while and have learned a ton about everything related to wood burning, so thanks for all the great info here. Have a few different questions so sorry if post is long winded. In the process of building a new house and are looking to incorporate wood burning fireplace/stove into our plans. We are located in west MI with average lows in 20s Dec-Mar. Our new build will be a ranch on a walkout basement that will be finished by myself at some point after the main construction. The main floor square footage will be around 2100 square feet with the same in the basement. The floorplan for the main level is attached. Have no finalized plans for the basement.

My wife prefers not to have a freestanding stove on the main floor so ZC fireplace it is. Through research in this site I like the Quadrafire 7100. It would be located in the great room on the back wall bumpout with 14ft ceilings peaked above the fireplace. There will be ceiling fans to help circulate the warm air down. The house will have propane forced air heating with 2 zones (upper and lower) and want to cut down on the cost to heat the house. I have the OK for a freestanding stove in the basement so thinking would probably have one in the same location in the great room in the basement possibly using the same chase with an additional flue. My questions are:

1. Is the 7100 overkill for the main floor?
2. The additional zones from the 7100 interest me. I see maybe an outlet in the hallway by the bedrooms and one toward the end with the mud room. Is this needed? Could convection or running the forced air furnace fan be enough to distribute?
3. Is our climate too cold to have axillary air installed to pull from the outside? The idea of positive pressure seems in my mind to make sense.
4. Any suggestions for the freestanding stove in the basement? Most time will be spent on the main floor so not sure if I would run this all the time but prob would need to when temps get really low.

Thanks for any suggestions and sorry again for the long read.
Nate
 

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Welcome Nate!

The QF7100 has many positive reviews on this site. It looks great, has a large firebox for longer burns, and produces a ton of heat. I own the Northstar which is pretty much the same Model with a smaller firebox and we like it a lot.

The extra zones sounds good in theory, but people who have tried it seem to be disappointed with the results from what I've read. I would pass on that option. The biggest complaint being that the volume and force of the auxiliary heat is weak at best. Others - please correct me if you've had a different experience.

Lastly, I would suggest searching "7100" in the subject field on this site and I'm sure there will be some helpful threads from owners of the QF7100.

I hope this helps,
Matt