Best Zero Clearance Wood Option

[syadasti]

I am looking for a zero clearance wood solution for new construction shown below in red (it's about 55" between the window and sliding glass doors - obviously the chair shown wouldn't be there if we put a hearth in this spot). I have seen there are at least a few zero clearance inserts like the Lopi Hybrid Fyre and some Superior models. Ideally I'd want a Blaze King Sirocco 25 but those aren't zero clearance compatible AFAIK. This is a very well insulated home with a winter heating design of only 16000-18000 BTUs so we'd only likely want 11-18000 BTU fire burning in it. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[begreen]

The RSF Opel is available in catalytic models but that may be too high output.

 

[syadasti]

Does anyone make any like the Rais Visio 3 available in the US:

(broken link removed to https://www.rais.com/en/inserts/rais-visio-3)

 

[begreen]

There are some nice North American made units, but very few of the contemporary designs available in Europe make it to our shores.

 

[syadasti]

So anything available or just questionable items like the Lennox CPF-38 (can't seem to find any data about BTUs, emissions, etc)

 

[begreen]

Rais US only lists stoves and outdoor fireplaces. Importing a single unit from the UK or Europe is possible, but very expensive. Lennox is no longer in the fireplace business. That unit is now sold under Astria as the Monterey. Most peninsula fireplaces sold in the US are gas these days, but there also is the Superior WRT40PF wood burning peninsula fireplace.
(broken link removed to http://astria.us.com/products/monterey-peninsula)
http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Firep...ed-Fireplaces/Superior-WRT40PF-Wood-Fireplace

 

[syadasti]

Saw the superior too but no specs on BTUs, emissions, etc.

 

[begreen]

I think that's because they are mostly for show, not heating and are with no special emissions control or efficiency options.

 

[jetsam]

I think that's because they are mostly for show, not heating and are with no special emissions control or efficiency options.

Forgive my ZC ignorance- I've seen people posting that they heat their houses with ZC units, but clearly some ZC units are purely decorative. How do you sort the heaters from the ornaments?

 

[syadasti]

The EU units seem to be high efficiency and have better doors on them. Why are the North American makers lazy?

 

[begreen]

The EU units seem to be high efficiency and have better doors on them. Why are the North American makers lazy?

Low demand most likely. Gas peninsula fireplaces are much more popular. Changing regs may affect this market soon.

 

[begreen]

Forgive my ZC ignorance- I've seen people posting that they heat their houses with ZC units, but clearly some ZC units are purely decorative. How do you sort the heaters from the ornaments?

There is a broad spectrum of ZCs on the market. They range from very cheap contractor specials to quite efficient, EPA phase II heaters. To sort out the better heaters, look for the EPA rating for starters.

 

[syadasti]

Not sure now if we're doing a fireplace or going back to a woodstove now. The fireplace was considered because we could have a hearth and put a TV over it but we have concern the TV will be too high for comfortable use because you have to tilt your head too much. Even with a zero clearance model it looks like the bottom of the TV would be about 5' off the ground. Does anyone have a TV setup like that - will having a tilt TV wall mount make that less of a problem? We'll be sitting 6' from a 55" TV in the room.

Alternatively we'll put a wood stove or fireplace where we planned but put the TV in the NE corner of the room at normal height so it would 2.5-3' lower but the max TV we could fit in that corner is probably 49"?

I was wondering if anyone can offer feedback on this ZC fireplace - Supreme Astra24CF

Similar to the RSF Opel 3C, it's output is more like what we need in our super tight house but the style is better than the RSF and the fact it doesn't have a cat means we wouldn't have to worry about cat replacement in 5-7 years which can be a significant cost. It's also the most user friendly in log size - 24" logs is huge (vs 18" for RSF) and it burns for up to 10 hours which is nice. It also can use a variety of cheaper 6" chimneys rather than RSF that requires an expensive 7" Excel chimney.

Output is 12,237 to 23,872 BTU/hr which good.

(broken link removed to http://www.supremem.com/astra_24cf.php)

Has an automatic air control feature that reminds me of the thermostat feature on the Blaze King:

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[syadasti]

Also if we did use the Astra24CF, which 6" chimney do you think is best? I'm not familiar enough to say which one is the best option and have only seen one or two brands in person - I think one was Duravent Plus HTC?


Manufacturer Models
American Metal  HS, AC Triple Wall, 6” inner diameter
 HSS, AC Triple Wall, 6” inner diameter
FMI (US only)  AC, AC Triple Wall, 6” inner diameter
ICC  Excel 2100, 1” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
Metal Fab  Temp Guard, 1” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
Olympia Chimney  Ventis, 1” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
Security Chimney  ASHT+, 1” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
 S-2100+, 2” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
Selkirk
 Super Pro (SPR), 1” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
 Super Pro 2100 (ALT), 2” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
 Hart & Cooley (TLC), 1” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
 Sure-Temp (ST), 1” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
 Super Vent (JSC), 1” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
 Super Vent 2100 (JM), 2” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
 Ultra-Temp (UT), 1” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
 UltimateOne, 1” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
 CF Sentinel (CF), 2” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
Simpson Dura-Vent
 Dura Tech, 1” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
 Dura Plus HTC, 2” Solid Pack, 6” inner diameter
 Dura Plus, AC Triple Wall, 6” inner diameter

 

[begreen]

Any of the 1" solid pack chimneys are better. Excel, Ventis, Ultra-Temp, DuraTech.

 

[syadasti]

Is it worthwhile to get the more expensive 2" solid packs and which ones? Given that my home is well insulated the majority of the time I'll be burning smaller fires which I assume might create more creosote buildup which is why I was thinking the 2" might be a worthwhile investment (plus if I did end up putting a TV over the fireplace the extra insulation could help protect the TV from heated related problems?)

Any comment on Supreme or their Astra24?

 

[begreen]

I don't think so. Ventis and Excel make first class quality chimney. Most of the heat the tv will see will be from the fireplace below it. The mantel will block some. If you are concerned you could insulate the area behind the tv.

 

[syadasti]

I am thinking the Supreme Astra24CF with Excel 6" would be a great option. Wish I could get some feedback on the fireplace or Supreme in general.

Thanks again.

 

[syadasti]

I looked more and found two options I liked better with lower minimum mantle heights too

Non-cat:
Superior WRT4820
http://superiorfireplaces.us.com/products/wrt4820

Cat:
FireplaceX 42 Apex Clean Face Wood Fireplace
http://www.fireplacex.com/ProductGuide/ProductDetail.aspx?modelsku=98500107

Given that I will typical run low to med all the time - likely between 13000-18000 BTU/hr, which model do you think would better suit my application?

 

[TJA]

I looked more and found two options I liked better with lower minimum mantle heights too

Non-cat:
Superior WRT4820
http://superiorfireplaces.us.com/products/wrt4820

Cat:
FireplaceX 42 Apex Clean Face Wood Fireplace
http://www.fireplacex.com/ProductGuide/ProductDetail.aspx?modelsku=98500107

Given that I will typical run low to med all the time - likely between 13000-18000 BTU/hr, which model do you think would better suit my application?

Curious what you ended up going with and how it worked out? I found this thread while researching the Supreme Astra24CF that I am considering for my new construction. Any feedback?
Thanks

 

[mcdougy]

My personal experience is that it would be a shame not to consider the pacifac energy line. The fp30 has run awesome for me and from what I see all people are happy with them.

 

[begreen]

I think that's because they are mostly for show, not heating and are with no special emissions control or efficiency options.

Modern EPA fireplaces can be very good heaters.

 

[webby3650]

There’s a terminology barrier in this thread. High Efficiency zero clearance Fireplaces are awesome heaters! Zero clearance fireplaces are decorative, like a masonry fireplace. A masonry fireplace is what an insert goes into. An insert is never inserted into anything but an existing fireplace.

The EU units seem to be high efficiency and have better doors on them. Why are the North American makers lazy?

I’m not sure why you think this is the case? The high efficiency ZC units that are American made are solid units.

 

[jetsam]

The difference between a fireplace and a stove is a little ambiguous, too. I bet if you asked ten people on here what the difference was, you'd get nine different answers.

Before I became a hearth regular, I would have told you that any airtight unit with air controls was a stove, and anything that didn't have a door that seals was a fireplace (or a real old stove).

 

[bholler]

The difference between a fireplace and a stove is a little ambiguous, too. I bet if you asked ten people on here what the difference was, you'd get nine different answers.

Before I became a hearth regular, I would have told you that any airtight unit with air controls was a stove, and anything that didn't have a door that seals was a fireplace (or a real old stove).

And your old definition of a stove is pretty accurate. The high efficency fireplaces could easily be called built in stoves because that is what they really are.