Looking for Wood Insert opinions

Mike N' Maine · Apr 24, 2018

I've been reading the heck out of this forum for 4-6 weeks now. I've decided on a wood insert for my existing fireplace. (37W x 26.75H x 30D) I'm having my 25ft chimney repointed at top, new cap and 6" insulated Stainless flue installed. It's a end of house, exterior chimney. We are in a 70's split with all new windows and "fair" insulation, but about to have my entryway (the one trouble spot) re-insulated with blown in wall and over head. should make a big difference as the stairs leading to the main living room are right off the entryway. The living room is 25' x 15' and is where the insert will be and where we spend the bulk of our time. upstairs is the kitchen and bedrooms with 1 of the 2 bathrooms and we like to sleep fairly cool, so our heat needs are primarily for downstairs only. We heat with oil, so like most folks it seems we are looking to save on oil by holding off on cranking up the thermostat and heating the entire downstairs ( 2 other BR's and a utility room) when we are just sitting in the LR. Concerns: don't want to blow ourselves out of the LR with a ton of heat. We sit about 5-12 ft from the insert location. We had a VC Intrepid in our old 25x50ft 3 bdrm ranch and we'd have to sometimes crack windows to offset the woodstove. Don't really care about a blower. 1) we are sitting right nearby, don't want the heat blowing on us. 2) although we are set up with a Gen if power goes out, I only like to run it occasionally to use appliances, pull water from the well, heat the water etc. I'd like a decent enough insert to keep the downstairs warm during a outage, and hopefully the upstairs about 50-55.
Number 1 contender is the Lopi 1750i Republic. Major attractions are 2.2 cf Box, sticks out about 10" for more (perceived?) radiant heat, I like the flue damper for quick starts and smokless restocking and of course a good name brand. Most feedback is positive, but some on here note "hard to start"? "Not happy with heat output" , "burns wood too fast". I'm thinking/hoping wood quality comes into play here as most folks love it. I've read independent review articles that sing its praises. Cost for me, stove only, $2100 without the blower. Can add it later for $400 I was told.
Others being considered are SBI Century 2900 at $1400 bigger box at 2.4cf, takes a 20" log vs 18. But 3.9g/h particulate vs Lopi's 1.9g/h. Does this effect burning, or ash build up, or is it a "emissions" issue only?
Drolet 1800 at $2200. Same specs as the Century (Both SBI) however only 1.54g/h particulate. Much less then the Century!
Timberwolf EPI22 at $1800, same 18" log as the Lopi, but a slightly smaller box at 1.9cf.

Before I pull the trigger on the Lopi, just want to be sure I'm considering all. The $1400 Century with a larger box is tempting me, but I'm always happy to spend more for a quality product if there is a true benefit.
Sorry for the LONG post, but I know others have been asked a lot of these questions by members after they post a question. BTW, I just received and stacked 2 cord of 2 yr seasoned hardwood and anticipate burning 1 to 1.5 cord per yr. Thank you!

DuaeGuttae · Apr 24, 2018

I can’t comment on all your insert options, but I can say that we loved our Lopi Revere. We bought it originally to heat the walkout basement of our raised ranch because it was always cold down there, and we didn’t want to crank the thermostat upstairs more than necessary. The Revere (same box as the 1750i) took care of that very well. It made the basement rec room into everybody’s favorite place to spend time.

I was pretty adamant that we weren’t going to heat our whole house with the insert, so we bought with just the plan of heating the downstairs. Over a couple of seasons we did move to heating the whole house. When we pushed the insert then, we would overheat the downstairs (mostly when we loaded up with a full load of oak before bed) but that was because we were pushing it to heat 2500 sq ft, which it wasn’t really meant to do. If you’re not doing that, you should be able to control heat output by wood species and load size and reload frequency.

The bypass feature is great. It made cleaning the chimney from below very easy. We chose the Revere because of its extending out on the hearth, but I would not skip the blower. It’s nice for bringing the room up to temperature more quickly and helping to distribute heat when you want to. If you don’t want too much heat, just leave it off.

From your description of your goals, it sounds as though the 1750i would be a fine choice. I can’t compare it to the other brands you mentioned, but if you have questions about our experience with the Revere, ask away.

Mike N' Maine · Apr 24, 2018

DuaeGuttae said:
I can’t comment on all your insert options, but I can say that we loved our Lopi Revere. We bought it originally to heat the walkout basement of our raised ranch because it was always cold down there, and we didn’t want to crank the thermostat upstairs more than necessary. The Revere (same box as the 1750i) took care of that very well. It made the basement rec room into everybody’s favorite place to spend time.

I was pretty adamant that we weren’t going to heat our whole house with the insert, so we bought with just the plan of heating the downstairs. Over a couple of seasons we did move to heating the whole house. When we pushed the insert then, we would overheat the downstairs (mostly when we loaded up with a full load of oak before bed) but that was because we were pushing it to heat 2500 sq ft, which it wasn’t really meant to do. If you’re not doing that, you should be able to control heat output by wood species and load size and reload frequency.

The bypass feature is great. It made cleaning the chimney from below very easy. We chose the Revere because of its extending out on the hearth, but I would not skip the blower. It’s nice for bringing the room up to temperature more quickly and helping to distribute heat when you want to. If you don’t want too much heat, just leave it off.

From your description of your goals, it sounds as though the 1750i would be a fine choice. I can’t compare it to the other brands you mentioned, but if you have questions about our experience with the Revere, ask away.

Thank you for your detailed reply. It sounds like we have very similar setups and goals for the insert. Did you ever run the insert without the blower on while in your family room and felt warm? That is my main concern. We want to be comfortable, but not hot. I know that’s relative. We like it around 68, maybe 70 tops. The only reason I’d run it “all out” would be during a extended power outage. Otherwise, it’s only going to be run from about 6pm-10pm M-F and during the days most winter weekends. No concerns about 8hr overnight burns for me. Does it run well with a smaller fire? Some have noted the glass can blacken if not run fairly hot? Thank you.

begreen · Apr 24, 2018

The advantage of the Lopi1750i is a relatively square firebox that permits both N/S and E/W loading. It's a good basic insert that sticks out far enough on the hearth so that it will heat reasonably well with the blower off. I suspect though you'll want to run the blower when temps get very cold outside. Even running it at low speed will make a notable difference.

The Drolet is also a good insert, with a little less depth to the firebox so more of an E/W loader unless the wood is a bit shorter. The price for the 1800i seems high. List is $1199. Costco has it with liner kit for $1399.
https://www.drolet.ca/en/products/inserts/escape-1800-i-wood-insert/

DuaeGuttae · Apr 24, 2018

Mike N' Maine said:
Thank you for your detailed reply. It sounds like we have very similar setups and goals for the insert. Did you ever run the insert without the blower on while in your family room and felt warm? That is my main concern. We want to be comfortable, but not hot. I know that’s relative. We like it around 68, maybe 70 tops. The only reason I’d run it “all out” would be during a extended power outage. Otherwise, it’s only going to be run from about 6pm-10pm M-F and during the days most winter weekends. No concerns about 8hr overnight burns for me. Does it run well with a smaller fire? Some have noted the glass can blacken if not run fairly hot? Thank you.

The similarities in goals and layouts struck me as well. Mind you, the wood heat was so pleasant and the low gas bills a delightful cherry on top that we changed our goals and became determined to heat as much as possible with wood. Be warned, it’s addictive.

We keep our thermostats at 68 during the winter, but we find that chilly. For us a benefit of wood heat was having a place to bask that was warmer. This past winter in our new home in Texas we really missed that heat.

I think that you’d not find it difficult to keep the heat in check if you’re just burning evenings and weekends. It takes time to warm up a cold stove. The blower can help distribute heat quickly, and you just cut it off when you don’t need that. You might make mistakes and load more wood than you need at some point, but you also might find that you need a bigger fire than you’d thought originally. It takes time to get to know how best to operate your stove in your house to your desired comfort level, but it’s a fun learning curve.

We had no problems with small fires in the insert. We would use three-split fires when we wanted a small load. The splits need each other to burn well, so that was our minimum to prevent smoldering. A full firebox was usually at least nine to twelve splits. The only time the door getting black was an issue was if I loaded a piece too close to the glass and obstructed the airflow or if I got into a section of the woodpile that was under seasoned. Wet wood is a major problem for beginners, and often when you hear complaints of black glass (on a non-cat) or hard to start, that’s a problem with the fuel and not the stove. That raises the question, do you have a supply of wood already? If not, you’re pushing the limit time-wise to get even faster seasoning woods ready for next fall. This forum has a great woodshed forum if you need more information about that.

DuaeGuttae · Apr 24, 2018

begreen said:
The advantage of the Lopi1750i is a relatively square firebox that permits both N/S and E/W loading. It's a good basic insert that sticks out far enough on the hearth so that it will heat reasonably well with the blower off. I suspect though you'll want to run the blower when temps get very cold outside. Even running it at low speed will make a notable difference.

The Drolet is also a good insert, with a little less depth to the firebox so more of an E/W loader unless the wood is a bit shorter. The price for the 1800i seems high. List is $1199. Costco has it with liner kit for $1399.
https://www.drolet.ca/en/products/inserts/escape-1800-i-wood-insert/

We liked the squarish firebox a lot. Eighteen inches was also a good length for me to manage with splitting, stacking, and toting into the house. My husband would have preferred the stove to take a longer log. (He did lots of bucking of scrounged wood that was already bucked, but too long, and that was a bit tiresome.). We were generally N/S loaders as that was just convenient for a stove with a door in the front, but we played with configurations. I don’t think I would prefer an E/W loader that didn’t have a side door, but people often like what they’re used to, and I’m used to easy N/S loading from the front.

If you’re not often loading wood on top of hot coals, an E/W loader might not be so much of a drawback.

Mike N' Maine · Apr 25, 2018

Thank you. These are all very helpful comments. I was set on a free standing (hearth set) stove from the onset as I have more experience with stoves. We are limited in height however, 26.75”, so the number of rear flue stoves at that height max was limited. I’d settled on the Jotul f400 as it has a optional short leg kit. Our local stove dealer came out to do a house check & measurements, room size & heat goals etc. After that visit the owner actually called me to ask that I consider a insert. I was pretty stubborn about the stove route, but went back to talk and walk around. The Lopi 1750i hit me straight away as it looks more like a insert/stove crossbreed. A compromise. They had many others, but most were flat faced and came with blowers. Now he too recommended a blower, but maybe to appease my stubbornness said I could go without and add later. I’m very happy to hear folks are successfully doing 3 split burns with this model. Also nice to be reminded about the square box for N/S loading. We have a wood stove at our northern Maine cabin (avatar pic) that has front and side doors. I typically load from the front to get going, but find it easier to use the side door for longer/larger splits when feeding after the fire gets going. Without that side door on a insert, the N/S load style seems more important to me now. I’m prepared with wood as well. Knowing this was happening I bought 2 cords of two year seasoned hard wood and stacked it this weekend. I plan to order 2 more cords of green to stack now for the fall of 2019. Buying wood for the cabin made me realize the importance of a good supply of dry stuff!

Mike N' Maine · Apr 25, 2018

Mike N' Maine · Apr 25, 2018

So I’m 90% sold on the Lopi. I won’t be ordering/buying for another 3-4 weeks as I’m having my chimney work done first. If there are other similar models that folks have had good luck with, I’m open to compare features, sizes and costs. Thank you again.

yooper08 · Apr 26, 2018

For what it's worth, I have the Century 2900 on about 27' of chimney and I'm happy with it. It may not be as pretty as the others but it does it's job and has the core things you'd want. It works as expected (but don't have anything to compare to), puts out decent heat and burns cleanly, and can go for 8-10 hours if you let it. You can load E/W or N/S with it; going N/S you can fit a log under 16".

Regardless of which insert you get, I would recommend getting the fan. It will really help spread the heat around, plus a nice thing to have for those times when the unit gets really hot and you don't want it to get any hotter.

Mike N' Maine · Apr 26, 2018

yooper08 said:
For what it's worth, I have the Century 2900 on about 27' of chimney and I'm happy with it. It may not be as pretty as the others but it does it's job and has the core things you'd want. It works as expected (but don't have anything to compare to), puts out decent heat and burns cleanly, and can go for 8-10 hours if you let it. You can load E/W or N/S with it; going N/S you can fit a log under 16".

Regardless of which insert you get, I would recommend getting the fan. It will really help spread the heat around, plus a nice thing to have for those times when the unit gets really hot and you don't want it to get any hotter.

I like the cw2900, it’s been on my radar. I like that it’s made by SBI, by all accounts a good manufacturer. I like the larger firebox. I also like that it comes with the blower. Although I’d like to think after warming up my LR with the blower, I could turn it off and maintain comfort with radiant heating. I’m more than fine with the plain looking stoves. My top choice/comparison is Lopi’s (“Budget”) model the Republic, which is a no frills unit as far as looks go. I’m just interested in beating that $2,100 price of the Lopi while keeping similar attributes if possible. I like the Lopi’s smaller surround of 29Hx44W, the flue damper and the true N/S loading. Then again Amazon’s price for the cw2900 is $1399 delivered. So are the Lopi features worth another $700? Thank you for piping in, I really appreciate this site and the real world opinions of stove/insert owners.

Mike N' Maine · Apr 27, 2018

begreen said:
The advantage of the Lopi1750i is a relatively square firebox that permits both N/S and E/W loading. It's a good basic insert that sticks out far enough on the hearth so that it will heat reasonably well with the blower off. I suspect though you'll want to run the blower when temps get very cold outside. Even running it at low speed will make a notable difference.

The Drolet is also a good insert, with a little less depth to the firebox so more of an E/W loader unless the wood is a bit shorter. The price for the 1800i seems high. List is $1199. Costco has it with liner kit for $1399.
https://www.drolet.ca/en/products/inserts/escape-1800-i-wood-insert/

I was poking around other insert reviews on here and saw a comment you made about insert surrounds that I’ve been meaning to ask about. You noted that surrounds, or faceplates, weren’t required and that some people preferred the look or performance without them. My set up will be end of house/external chimney, clay tile lined but with 25’ insulated stainless 6” flue and my installer will be using a block off plate where the flue goes through the old damper.
Now, to me common sense dictates that the lack of a faceplate would allow more heat to circulate around the stove and flow into the room. So part of my thinking has been the faceplate is strictly decorative. However, I also see that the inserts are designed a bit different than standard stoves. So is there a “engineering” purpose for the faceplate I’m not understanding? Something else I’ve thought of is why not a “heat shield” of some type in the back of the fireplace that directs the heat back out vs allowing the bricks to soak the heat up? I wonder about this because I tend to prefer the hearth standing stove (half in/half out of the fire place) and my wife prefers the look of the insert with “finished” appearance. So we’ll go with the insert more than likely, but might a large insert, without face plate be a middle ground as it would be 3/4 into the fireplace and only have (depending on the model) about a 4-5 inch gap on each side and a few inches on top.
Thanks again for some feedback.

begreen · Apr 27, 2018

It depends on the design. Most insert faceplate are trim pieces, but some are a bit more integral to insert's convective outlet. In that case the insert may look a bit raw or unfinished without trim.

EBFIRE · Apr 27, 2018

Mike N' Maine said:
I've been reading the heck out of this forum for 4-6 weeks now. I've decided on a wood insert for my existing fireplace. (37W x 26.75H x 30D) I'm having my 25ft chimney repointed at top, new cap and 6" insulated Stainless flue installed. It's a end of house, exterior chimney. We are in a 70's split with all new windows and "fair" insulation, but about to have my entryway (the one trouble spot) re-insulated with blown in wall and over head. should make a big difference as the stairs leading to the main living room are right off the entryway. The living room is 25' x 15' and is where the insert will be and where we spend the bulk of our time. upstairs is the kitchen and bedrooms with 1 of the 2 bathrooms and we like to sleep fairly cool, so our heat needs are primarily for downstairs only. We heat with oil, so like most folks it seems we are looking to save on oil by holding off on cranking up the thermostat and heating the entire downstairs ( 2 other BR's and a utility room) when we are just sitting in the LR. Concerns: don't want to blow ourselves out of the LR with a ton of heat. We sit about 5-12 ft from the insert location. We had a VC Intrepid in our old 25x50ft 3 bdrm ranch and we'd have to sometimes crack windows to offset the woodstove. Don't really care about a blower. 1) we are sitting right nearby, don't want the heat blowing on us. 2) although we are set up with a Gen if power goes out, I only like to run it occasionally to use appliances, pull water from the well, heat the water etc. I'd like a decent enough insert to keep the downstairs warm during a outage, and hopefully the upstairs about 50-55.
Number 1 contender is the Lopi 1750i Republic. Major attractions are 2.2 cf Box, sticks out about 10" for more (perceived?) radiant heat, I like the flue damper for quick starts and smokless restocking and of course a good name brand. Most feedback is positive, but some on here note "hard to start"? "Not happy with heat output" , "burns wood too fast". I'm thinking/hoping wood quality comes into play here as most folks love it. I've read independent review articles that sing its praises. Cost for me, stove only, $2100 without the blower. Can add it later for $400 I was told.
Others being considered are SBI Century 2900 at $1400 bigger box at 2.4cf, takes a 20" log vs 18. But 3.9g/h particulate vs Lopi's 1.9g/h. Does this effect burning, or ash build up, or is it a "emissions" issue only?
Drolet 1800 at $2200. Same specs as the Century (Both SBI) however only 1.54g/h particulate. Much less then the Century!
Timberwolf EPI22 at $1800, same 18" log as the Lopi, but a slightly smaller box at 1.9cf.

Before I pull the trigger on the Lopi, just want to be sure I'm considering all. The $1400 Century with a larger box is tempting me, but I'm always happy to spend more for a quality product if there is a true benefit.
Sorry for the LONG post, but I know others have been asked a lot of these questions by members after they post a question. BTW, I just received and stacked 2 cord of 2 yr seasoned hardwood and anticipate burning 1 to 1.5 cord per yr. Thank you!

Mike,
I read these forums front to back before purchasing my insert. I purchased a Fireplace x insert by Travis Industries and installed in existing heatilator fireplace. I did not have the option to put a freestanding stove on my hearth because of dimensions required. I did all the work myself which included applying a metal sheets surround riveted and welded to existing fireplace walls, cut out damper to fit insulated liner, insulated block off plate, and had the top of the chimney fixed and finished to accept new cap for liner. I have a small cape in Massachusetts 1800 Sq ft and it keeps my living room very warm 78-80 deg and the rest of the house 68-72 depending on which room your in. I use 4 large oak splits for 7-8 hour burns so I average about 10 pieces of wood a day. I don't burn 24/7. My parents have a camp in maine and I would never consider an insert in Maine due to the extreme cold and long winter season. An insert needs a blower to work properly. My insert is flush and needs the blower to throw any heat in to the room. I don't think if half of my insert extended into my room it would matter much without the blower. If you can get a free standing stove I would 100% go that route. When I lose power I get zero heat unless I hook up the generator. I bought an inverter generator just for that reason so I can get heat. Free standing stoves are so much easier to run than inserts, are easier to clean, don't need a blower, not much fabrication needed compared to insert and produce more heat in my opinion. That being said,if you are only going to burn from 6-10 pm or about 4-5 hours a day get a gas insert and save yourself the aggravation. My insert needs two reloads to get the house to operating temp where my walls, floors and furniture heat up enough to keep you warm.

begreen · Apr 27, 2018

Some non-flush inserts do a decent job at area heating without the blower, but the blower of course still helps with convection and distribution. Flush inserts need the blower.

yooper08 · Apr 27, 2018

Mike N' Maine said:
I like the cw2900, it’s been on my radar. I like that it’s made by SBI, by all accounts a good manufacturer. I like the larger firebox. I also like that it comes with the blower. Although I’d like to think after warming up my LR with the blower, I could turn it off and maintain comfort with radiant heating. I’m more than fine with the plain looking stoves. My top choice/comparison is Lopi’s (“Budget”) model the Republic, which is a no frills unit as far as looks go. I’m just interested in beating that $2,100 price of the Lopi while keeping similar attributes if possible. I like the Lopi’s smaller surround of 29Hx44W, the flue damper and the true N/S loading. Then again Amazon’s price for the cw2900 is $1399 delivered. So are the Lopi features worth another $700? Thank you for piping in, I really appreciate this site and the real world opinions of stove/insert owners.

My experience is that a flue damper isn't all that necessary, especially with long chimney runs which will draft stronger than shorter ones. The only times I've had smoke issues is when draft was an issue, a damper isn't really going to solve that. Start up doesn't take long either.

As for the face plate, mine's not actually attached to anything, I just let it rest in place. If the power goes out, put on the gloves and slide it out to expose the rest of the insert to the room. Could put an Ecofan on top then to increase heat exchange.

With the Lopi, based on the dimensions in the manual, you're still getting 16-17" logs in N/S. The 18" listed is E/W.

Not trying to sell you on the Century but if you like $700 in your pocket more, it's a good insert. Firebox construction is the same as the higher-end Drolet and Osburn models, each just has added features.

If you were to ask me what I wish I had, that would be the adjustable handle in order to get a little more life out of the door gasket. That's about it.

begreen · Apr 27, 2018

16-17" is better but I thought the 1750 could handle an 18" log N/S. @webby3650 do you know for sure?

webby3650 · Apr 27, 2018

begreen said:
16-17" is better but I thought the 1750 could handle an 18" log N/S. @webby3650 do you know for sure?

18” sounds right.

DuaeGuttae · Apr 28, 2018

begreen said:
16-17" is better but I thought the 1750 could handle an 18" log N/S. @webby3650 do you know for sure?

The Revere which is the same firebox as I understand definitely took 18” logs N/S. That was our standard bucking length, and it was perfect. It sat behind the ash lip, not on it. We would occasionally leave some slightly too long (We scrounged a lot of wood already cut) because E/W could accommodate a little longer split, so the firebox isn’t perfectly square, but 18” is fine for N/S loading.

I liked the bypass. I had never used a stove without one, so it was strange to me when a friend got a fireplace insert, and it didn’t have one. What I liked was that we didn’t have to remove burn tubes or baffles to clean the liner from below.

I don’t have good answers about the surround. We preferred ours on, and it wasn’t easy to take on and off, so we didn’t. A main reason we chose the Revere was because it was a more stove-like insert, and it solved the problem of the big hole in our house (the masonry fireplace). If we could have managed a freestander, we would have liked that, but it would have been a harder solution in our case. We lived in Virginia, not Maine, but you’re not looking to be a full-time wood only heater.

If a freestander would work in your situation, why was the dealer pushing an insert?

Mike N' Maine · Apr 28, 2018

Boy did I pull a 180. But, it seemed like such a good deal I had to do it. Part of my reasoning was listening to all the folks saying, “get the blower, even if you don’t think you’ll use it.” Common sense dictated that was the way to go. Hey, I can run the blower for an hour or so and then maybe shut it off and enjoy some radiant heat. Again, we’ll be sitting 5-10 ft from the unit in our LR.
Anyway, we have a fellow in the next town from me that reconditions and sells stoves and inserts. I picked up a Jotul 550CF Rockland from him with new fire bricks, new gaskets and a fresh coat of paint. Looks brand new. He was asking $1750 and I bought it for $1550. They retail for about $3400, so we hadn’t considered a new one. We’ll see how it works out for us. I do love the look, my wife is half Norwegian, so she loves that it’s a Jotul. Thank you all for the comments & suggestions.

begreen · Apr 28, 2018

To get maximum heating be sure a damper area sealing block off plate is installed.

Mike N' Maine · Apr 29, 2018

begreen said:
To get maximum heating be sure a damper area sealing block off plate is installed.

Absolutely. I have Supaflu lined up to do my brick repair & repointing. As well as cap, stainless liner and block off plate.
2 questions about this process. First, I had two contractors say that my external chimney was fine to run a regular stainless flue. However the local stove shop said I’d need an insulated flue due to being a external chimney it “would draft properly” if insulated, otherwise may not. Are folks using insulated or non with 25ft external chimneys?
Second, the stove shop and Supaflu said they’d make the metal block off plate for the damper area, however another contractor said rather than a metal plate he uses blanket insulation and stuffs it around the damper area and above the shelf to prevent air from leaking in or out.
Preference? I’d think a combo of both plate and insulation would be best.

begreen · Apr 29, 2018

The liner should be insulated because a) most likely the chimney doesn't have 1" clearance from the house structure and b) a long cold liner can be balky for startup draft and c) an insulated liner is going to stay cleaner and draft better

Blanket insulation breathes and will still allow hot air up the chimney that you want staying around the insert. The proper way is to stuff insulation around the liner and then install the metal block-off plate below it. The flange attaching the block-off plate should be sealed with silicone.

If there is room behind the insert you might also consider insulating behind the insert to reduce the effect of cold exterior masonry wicking away heat.

Mike N' Maine · Apr 29, 2018

begreen said:
The liner should be insulated because a) most likely the chimney doesn't have 1" clearance from the house structure and b) a long cold liner can be balky for startup draft and c) an insulated liner is going to stay cleaner and draft better

Blanket insulation breathes and will still allow hot air up the chimney that you want staying around the insert. The proper way is to stuff insulation around the liner and then install the metal block-off plate below it. The flange attaching the block-off plate should be sealed with silicone.

If there is room behind the insert you might also consider insulating behind the insert to reduce the effect of cold exterior masonry wicking away heat.

Good points. I just signed the work contract today with Supaflu. He did include the insulated flue and metal block off plate. I’ll ask him to also install insulation around the flue above the plate and behind the unit as well. I should have about 3-4” back there. Thanks again.

begreen · Apr 29, 2018

Mike N' Maine said:
Good points. I just signed the work contract today with Supaflu. He did include the insulated flue and metal block off plate. I’ll ask him to also install insulation around the flue above the plate and behind the unit as well. I should have about 3-4” back there. Thanks again.

Good deal. It's money well spent.

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