Been trying to figure out a way to add a nice heating appliance to my house, and been ping-ponging among options for a while now...hopefully I've clarified my thoughts to where I can at least ask an intelligent question.
Long story short, I've got a double-sided/see-through masonry fireplace, that's currently got a vented gas log in it- obviously not going to provide useful heat, and for me it misses the ambience mark as well. I love the look of the brick fireplace, but never turn the gas log on. This fireplace is upstairs in a house that's basically a ranch with a finished basement- about 2400 sf total, with probably 1300 sf upstairs- and quite adequately heated by oil-fired baseboards now.
I was initially thinking of a gas unit- either an insert or freestanding- but between the cost of propane and some rough figuring on consumption, I'm moving away from that idea. (Among other things, if I was using it for heat...I'd want a bigger gas tank than I currently have- but moving up a size increases required clearances to windows and so I'd have to relocate the tank...not impossible, but it becomes a lot of hassle for the result.)
I've also considered some options that would go in the basement- and they're still on the table- but it's hard to make that work for how we use the space and where the available flue is located. Its possible, but comes with some compromises. (If I lived here alone, it might be different...but I don't.)
Which leads me back to some kind of woodburning option in the fireplace. I was initially thinking an insert, but I really can't get my heart into the idea of one- I want a stove. Maybe that's a bit silly, as the only actual objection I can articulate is that I don't want to listen to the blower...but I also just prefer a freestanding stove.
Some measurement and thought leads me to the Hearthstone Castleton as a viable option for my space. It would sit on a raised hearth, with perhaps 6" of it set back into the fireplace. I'd have to add a chimney liner, obviously, and install some ember protection on the laminate floor in front of the raised hearth- probably cut the laminate out and put down some slate or tile in that area. I think (?) I'd also have to remove or raise the timber mantle- the rest of it's all bare brick, so that's the only combustible thing to worry about. Attached is a PDF of the fireplace, with dimensions noted and blue painters tape laying out approximately how the stove would fit in the space and what the bare minimum ember protection would be needed.
Am I headed in a reasonable direction here, or am I out to lunch? I know I'm probably making some sacrifices in the name of aesthetics over efficiency, and that's ok...but I do want it safe and generally useful.
Thanks to all who've read this far...it's a bit of a ramble of a first post. My apologies.
Long story short, I've got a double-sided/see-through masonry fireplace, that's currently got a vented gas log in it- obviously not going to provide useful heat, and for me it misses the ambience mark as well. I love the look of the brick fireplace, but never turn the gas log on. This fireplace is upstairs in a house that's basically a ranch with a finished basement- about 2400 sf total, with probably 1300 sf upstairs- and quite adequately heated by oil-fired baseboards now.
I was initially thinking of a gas unit- either an insert or freestanding- but between the cost of propane and some rough figuring on consumption, I'm moving away from that idea. (Among other things, if I was using it for heat...I'd want a bigger gas tank than I currently have- but moving up a size increases required clearances to windows and so I'd have to relocate the tank...not impossible, but it becomes a lot of hassle for the result.)
I've also considered some options that would go in the basement- and they're still on the table- but it's hard to make that work for how we use the space and where the available flue is located. Its possible, but comes with some compromises. (If I lived here alone, it might be different...but I don't.)
Which leads me back to some kind of woodburning option in the fireplace. I was initially thinking an insert, but I really can't get my heart into the idea of one- I want a stove. Maybe that's a bit silly, as the only actual objection I can articulate is that I don't want to listen to the blower...but I also just prefer a freestanding stove.
Some measurement and thought leads me to the Hearthstone Castleton as a viable option for my space. It would sit on a raised hearth, with perhaps 6" of it set back into the fireplace. I'd have to add a chimney liner, obviously, and install some ember protection on the laminate floor in front of the raised hearth- probably cut the laminate out and put down some slate or tile in that area. I think (?) I'd also have to remove or raise the timber mantle- the rest of it's all bare brick, so that's the only combustible thing to worry about. Attached is a PDF of the fireplace, with dimensions noted and blue painters tape laying out approximately how the stove would fit in the space and what the bare minimum ember protection would be needed.
Am I headed in a reasonable direction here, or am I out to lunch? I know I'm probably making some sacrifices in the name of aesthetics over efficiency, and that's ok...but I do want it safe and generally useful.
Thanks to all who've read this far...it's a bit of a ramble of a first post. My apologies.
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