Advice on a wood insert

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moor

New Member
Sep 14, 2022
15
Northern MI
Hi fellas, I would like to make use of your collected experience like many others to answer some questions. I have a 1500 sqft main floor and a 600 sqft 2nd floor with an open fireplace in my greatroom. I have attached a pretty approximate drawing of the first floor. The main obstacle on this job is my foreman, she has very strict requirments on fit and appearance namely a flush finish and whatever fancies her at any given moment. :) Anyways this has severely limited my options as I would also like to qualify for the tax rebate on efficiency. At this point my main goal would be to heat the great room and possibly the dining room and kitchen. I currently have a mono flow boiler system with adjustment on each register. If I was able to heat this area I would be able to close off about 60-80 feet of register which would be over half of my registers. My firebox is 36w at the front 27 at the rear, 30H and 22D. Because of this I am looking at the Osburn 1900. My biggest concern is that the 1.2 cubic firebox and proposed 45,000 btu wont be adequate for the job. Osburn states that this insert will heat up to 1200 sqft but I do not want to end up in a situation where I am grossly undersized. Any and all advice is appreciated.

Layout2.PNG
 
I think the main concern for that size stove is how long of a burn you'll get - 1.2 cu ft is going to be hard to do overnight. If you're just looking for supplemental daytime heat for when you're hanging out in those areas, though, it should be fine. FWIW, I heat 1500 sq ft in growing zone 5b with a 1.85 cu ft firebox.
 
Welcome to the Forums!!

A 1.2 CF box is not going to burn for a long time. Maybe 2-4 hours.

Have you (or the foreman ;) ) thought about a free standing stove with a much bigger firebox? Just a thought.

Heating the beds & the bath with a stove/insert is gonna be a challenge which ever way you go .
 
Yes, if this is the Matrix 1900 then the firebox is 1.1 cu ft. It's a small firebox that will give about a 3-4 hr. burn time. The bigger Matrix would be a better solution heat-wise, but that doesn't qualify for the tax credit. The Lopi Evergreen insert is better sized at 2.2 cu ft and qualifies for the credit. Or just bail on the tax credit and get what you want. If so, the Regency CI 2700 and PE Neo 2.5 are worth checking out too.
 
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Getting the air to circulate to the back is gonna be a real challenge, this is why I was leaning towards a smaller insert. I had originally planned on a larger unit but was afraid of overheating the great room.
 
Yes, the layout will keep most of the heat in the central core and upstairs. How high is the great room ceiling?
 
I don’t recommend going under 2.0 cu ft as the burn times are just two short. But I’d you just want to heat the great room when it’s occupied would you mind reloading every 3 hours. There are several flush inserts with good looks and are good performers.
 
The ceilings are 8ft. The room is great in dimension and name only. The house was built in the 40's and I have 3 8ft x4ft window sets that face the north. Although the windows are slightly newer with snug storms.
 
That will be easier to heat. If the goal of the insert is mostly for chill chasing on nights and weekends then the Matrix 1900 will suffice. If the goal is 24/7 heat, go up to a medium-sized, ~2 cu ft firebox.
 
What abouts the hearthside clydesdale. I ordered the Matrix 1900, and happy with it, but if you are willing to comprimise on the flush mount the hearthside looks promising. I was not able to comprimise on that for my applciation but it also has a larger firebox for the longer burns.
 
Can I get advice on a Fisher insert please. I'm new to sit
It would be best to start your own thread concerning this. What would you like to know