About to pull the trigger on an insert - Thoughts??!??

[HeartofDixie_Burner]

Greetings!

I am about to pull the trigger on a Enviro Cabello 1700 wood insert and I was hoping to get some feedback in regards to this unit and/or other Enviro wood inserts. I have not been able to find any real (not brochure) pictures of an Enviro Cabello insert installed, so if anyone has any pictures please post/send them my way!

Little Background: Currently, my home (3200 sq feet, two level - just looking to help heat the downstairs, around 2000 sq ft) has a pre-fab fireplace (Heatilator T4200) that is pretty to look at but is absolutely terrible at producing any real heat. I am just looking at flush wood inserts - per my wife's orders. My fireplace opening is 42 inches wide by 24 inches tall - and I settled on the Enviro Cabello 1700 because it is the largest firebox capacity (2.5 cubic feet) that is less than 24 inches tall and will fit into my opening. Based on the specs for this unit (74,000 BTUs, 3000 sq ft heating area, 2.5 cubic foot firebox) do yall think this insert will be able to adequately help heat (I also have a heat pump) the first level of my home? The quote I have from my dealer for the total cost (which includes the Cabello 1700 insert, 35 feet chimney liner kit, and installation) is around $4800 - is that a reasonable price?

Any thoughts/advice/questions are appreciated! Thanks

 

[Grisu]

Welcome to the forum!

Enviro inserts are very solid units and have many happy owners here. You made a good choice. Based on your climate it should make a good dent in your heating bill. How open is your floorplan?

As any modern wood stove it will need dry wood with an internal moisture content of less than 20% to work well. That usually requires to stack the split wood in a sunny and windy location for one to three years depending on the wood species. It is very rare that you find a wood seller that even splits the wood more than a few weeks before delivery. Without dry wood you may be disappointed with that insert. Try to get at least 2 years ahead in your wood supply.

One caveat: It is hotly debated in the hearth industry whether an insert could/should be installed in a prefab fireplace as there is no proper testing procedure in place. Make sure your local building inspector and home insurance agree with that kind of install. Enviro is also ok with it and when you can get Heatilator to give their ok you should be good. The quote sounds reasonable. Is the liner insulated?

 

[HeartofDixie_Burner]

Welcome to the forum!

Enviro inserts are very solid units and have many happy owners here. You made a good choice. Based on your climate it should make a good dent in your heating bill. How open is your floorplan?

As any modern wood stove it will need dry wood with an internal moisture content of less than 20% to work well. That usually requires to stack the split wood in a sunny and windy location for one to three years depending on the wood species. It is very rare that you find a wood seller that even splits the wood more than a few weeks before delivery. Without dry wood you may be disappointed with that insert. Try to get at least 2 years ahead in your wood supply.

One caveat: It is hotly debated in the hearth industry whether an insert could/should be installed in a prefab fireplace as there is no proper testing procedure in place. Make sure your local building inspector and home insurance agree with that kind of install. Enviro is also ok with it and when you can get Heatilator to give their ok you should be good. The quote sounds reasonable. Is the liner insulated?

My floor plan is not very open, and most importantly I have a very high ceiling (20 ft) in my living room where the fireplace is that concerns me in regards to how well I will be able to heat the first floor. I sure would hate to drop nearly 5k on an insert and still have to run the heat pump 24/7 like I did on the coldest of nights last year. But again I am really just hoping to use the insert to keep us comfortable on the first floor and offset the use of my 17 year old heat pump to help extend it's life. I do not expect to be able to solely heat my house with the insert, especially considering my very high ceilings.

I am very fortunate with firewood - I live on a family farm and have access to all the wood I can cut/split. Typically, we cut down and saw up trees in the winter, split the logs the following spring and stack the wood pile, and burn the split wood that winter.

The liner is not insulated - my dealer told me since the fireplace is in the interior of my home an insulated liner is not necessary. Does this sound right?

 

[disamatic]

Greetings!

I am about to pull the trigger on a Enviro Cabello 1700 wood insert and I was hoping to get some feedback in regards to this unit and/or other Enviro wood inserts. I have not been able to find any real (not brochure) pictures of an Enviro Cabello insert installed, so if anyone has any pictures please post/send them my way!

Little Background: Currently, my home (3200 sq feet, two level - just looking to help heat the downstairs, around 2000 sq ft) has a pre-fab fireplace (Heatilator T4200) that is pretty to look at but is absolutely terrible at producing any real heat. I am just looking at flush wood inserts - per my wife's orders. My fireplace opening is 42 inches wide by 24 inches tall - and I settled on the Enviro Cabello 1700 because it is the largest firebox capacity (2.5 cubic feet) that is less than 24 inches tall and will fit into my opening. Based on the specs for this unit (74,000 BTUs, 3000 sq ft heating area, 2.5 cubic foot firebox) do yall think this insert will be able to adequately help heat (I also have a heat pump) the first level of my home? The quote I have from my dealer for the total cost (which includes the Cabello 1700 insert, 35 feet chimney liner kit, and installation) is around $4800 - is that a reasonable price?

Any thoughts/advice/questions are appreciated! Thanks

Oh no! Don't shoot your stove! I will not work properly!

 

[prezes13]

You won't be able to burn wood which you split in the spring the same year. At least not in a modern EPA stove unless it's pine or other soft wood. Most of the hardwoods require at least two year to season. You want a moisture content below 20%.

 

[HeartofDixie_Burner]

Thanks for the replies and the info about the firewood. I'll work on trying to get a year ahead on my firewood stack. Does anyone else have any input about the Enviro Cabello insert? It looks like this is a new unit because reviews are few and far between.

 

[Grisu]

Don't focus just on the Cabello. All stoves of the 1700 series are the same on the inside; they only changed the outside design which will essentially have no effect on its performance. Here are some members who have burned in a 1700 insert:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/lets-see-them.140486/page-2#post-1892375
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/regency-i2400-vs-enviro-venice-1700.144943/#post-1954233
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/fireplace-insert-advice.143875/#post-1941461

The liner is not insulated - my dealer told me since the fireplace is in the interior of my home an insulated liner is not necessary. Does this sound right?

It is what most dealers will say but in reality code requires that an interior masonry chimney has 2" clearance to all combustibles. Very few chimneys fulfill that requirement. Plus, an insulated liner will draft better and accumulate less creosote. Since you are in a warmer climate it will also make the insert easier to get going when it is not that cold outside. For the few hundred dollar more I highly recommend one. Make also sure to get a block-off plate to keep the heat in the house: https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/make-a-damper-sealing-block-off-plate/

Do you have ceilings fans with those high ceilings? And honestly, properly installed and fueled with dry wood I expect that your heat pump will rarely run. Those modern inserts can put out the heat. I have a 2 cu ft insert in moderately insulated 1300 sqft in Vermont and outside temps need to be below 0 F before it starts struggling a bit.