Advice on liner and insert

[burntsienna]

I have a 1890 2 story colonial in NY, going to be remodeled soon with new windows. Downstairs sq feet roughly ~1600sqft, upstairs ~1400sqft.

Existing ~10year old stainless liner, oval, connected to original fireplace (roughly 9"x5.5"). Roughly 27' high.

Installer suggests running an oval liner of appropriate size inside this existing liner, and then insulating around it with poured insulation. Per my calculations a 5 in. x 8.15 in. should provide equivalent area to a 6" liner - provided it could fit. Questions are thus:

1) Do you think this is a functional solution if the appropriate size liner could be made to fit? The alternative is to remove the existing liner, which was apparently well installed and it might be a complex and expensive job to remove.

2) I'd welcome any recommendations on insert and insert sizing. I'd like one that qualifies for 2021 tax break. Thus far I am looking at Blaze King Ashford 25 and Lopi Hybrid Medium Flush (If I can find one!) I have radiators and a natural gas boiler. The living room where the fireplace is, is about 310sq ft. The stove won't really be used for regularly heating the house; rather more for ambiance burns and to complement the boiler/radiators when running.

Per the stated numbers, the Lopi puts out 2x the BTUs of the Ashford, but I don't know if these numbers will obtain; I also don't know if either stove is oversized - given that this is an old house, and not an open floor plans, I'm not sure how well heat will actually circulate and whether I risk overheating the room.

The only other inserts I've found that qualify are the regency I1500 and I2500, but both protrude a bit much for my liking.

 

[begreen]

What is wrong with the existing ss liner? If not serviceable it should be removed. A poured-in liner will not effectively provide zero clearance. If space is tight, ask about having a pre-insulated DuraLiner oval liner put in. They make a 6" equivalent oval liner with the fittings to transition to the round flue outlet on the stove.

An insert that protrudes onto the hearth often will heat better, especially during a power outage.
Unfortunately, the new Lopi insert doesn't qualify for the new tax credit as of right now. They discontinued the hybrids. Have you looked at the Kuma Cascade LE?

 

[Raoul]

I’m in a milder climate than you with a similar sized room running an AF25. I wouldn’t be terribly concerned about overheating as you can turn off the fan on the insert or just dial the stove down.

We do not have an open floor plan so little heat makes it upstairs even with two ceiling fans blowing it around downstairs.

 

[burntsienna]

I have been told - and have also read on this forum - that there is no way to safely/correctly join a liner that was set up for a fireplace, and connect it to an insert. Additionally, the size of the liner is probably a bit too big.

re: poured in - what I meant was, they will put a SS oval liner in, then they will pour in some sort of insulation around it to fill any gaps between the inner liner and the outer liner.

re: protrusion - that's a good point. My wife likes the flush, but I can see why the protrusion would allow more radiance.

re: the new Lopi - yes you are correct - that is one of the reasons I'm also looking at the Blaze King, and I'm also seeing if I can hunt down a hybrid that someone still might have in stock. I will look again at the Kumas.

 

[burntsienna]

I’m in a milder climate than you with a similar sized room running an AF25. I wouldn’t be terribly concerned about overheating as you can turn off the fan on the insert or just dial the stove down.

We do not have an open floor plan so little heat makes it upstairs even with two ceiling fans blowing it around downstairs.

Thanks Raoul. Yeah it sounds like we have a similar setup. Glad to know turning off the fan and turning it down helps - that's very useful to know. I've never had a wood stove before so am learning as I go...

 

[begreen]

re: poured in - what I meant was, they will put a SS oval liner in, then they will pour in some sort of insulation around it to fill any gaps between the inner liner and the outer liner.

Getting an even pour all the way around the liner is not an easy task. It requires frequent spacers to assure there is an even gap all the way around. AIf pure vermiculite or perlite is used it can create a real mess if the liner is not sealed tightly by a block off plate at the damper area and even then it can leak. It's not an elegant solution. A preinsulated oval liner is better.

 

[burntsienna]

Ok thanks. I think due to the age of the chimney, and the fact it already has a (flexible I think) SS liner installed, there's a risk a rigid system would have trouble getting down, but I will ask installers their opinions. It's quite hard to find someone who is both an authorized dealer for the stoves I'm interested in as well as someone who is deeply familiar with Duravent's product line...