Considering a Morso 7110 half in and half out of a fireplace

[sean_999]

Hi All-

My girlfriend and I would like to install a wood burning stove in our living room, which has a fireplace (opening: 28.5" H x 33" W). Due to physical constraints, we'd really like to have the stove protrude into the room about 10 inches: more would be in the way too much, and protruding less would mean less effective heating (we assume), and not enough space on top to do a bit of cooking during a power outage. The single-story house is about 1200 sq.ft., and the area easily heated by a stove (LR, DR, and an entrance) is about 500 sq.f. This would NOT be anything like our primary heat (we have a brand new Mitsubishi heat pump system): we want the ambiance once or twice a week, plus ability to heat and cook during a power outage.

The desired stove placement (plus intended use) really seems to call for a moderately small stove, more wide than deep (front to back), with low height, that would be OK with rear venting. All of this, plus makes sold by the one local dealer (in Seattle) leads us to the Morso 7110. (Not that we're dead set on it, just that's how it looks to us.) We've had an installer come out and measure fireplace and chimney, and they say that installing round 6" insulated Duraliner will work (13 foot total, I believe, but I'm not totally sure about that number), with removal of all or some of the existing smoke shelf. There is an existing 18" deep (front to back) hearth at floor level of granite tiles, so we know that if the stove is out more than 2" from face of the fireplace we'll need to add ember protection.

MY MAIN QUESTION: is a non-cat cast iron stove like the Morso 7110 (which is about 22" W x 22" D x 26.5" H) likely to work out alright stuck halfway into our 28.5" H x 33" W x 26" D (at bottom) fireplace? This model is categorized by Morso (and by others, I believe) as a radiant rather than convective stove.

I'm also interested in opinions (especially by anyone owning one) of running a Morso 7110 with rear vent.

Chimney is brick, on exterior wall (3 sides exposed to outdoors), with a "9-brick" course design and no liner (built in 1910).

THANKS for all feedback!
-Sean in Seattle, WA

 

[sean_999]

Regarding stoves we have considered, I should maybe mention that we want to get something that qualifies for the federal tax credit (so: "Overall Efficiency-HHV" of 75% or higher on the EPA list), and we prefer to use our local dealer, who sells Morso, Jotul, Regency, Pacific Energy, and the Hearthstone Ambiance models.

Also, given the moist winter weather here in Seattle, which is prone to smog with smoldering wood-burning, we plan to burn hot in order to be clean: we're not looking for all-night burning.

For the curious: here's a link to a turn of the (last) century "mechanic's guide" that has a description of a "nine brick" chimney flue such as the one on our 1910 Craftsman-style house:

The home and shop mechanic.. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

1 v

archive.org

"Nine bricks in a course will make a flue eight inches wide and twenty inches long, and eight bricks in a course will make a flue eight inches wide and sixteen inches long."

 

[joop]

how well insulated is the house,i have a dovre 400 heating 900sqft bungalow well insulated and it cooked us out of the house. being in seattle i would assume less insulation but i think it should be fine

 

[EbS-P]

I have a cast iron stove in a 29”h x42”w opening. It is set back as far as it would go. Interior chimney.
To get maximum heat pump I need a blower.
I also have and inert down stairs.

I think the morso will work well. Does it have a fire screen option? I ask because that a good way to send more heat up the chimney and less into the room if you are wanting a fire but not much heat.

Cooking on it is over rated IMO. We have Cooke pizzas in our. It was a fun experiment. A real Dutch oven or two and a metal bucket will likely give you better results unless all you want is to heat up a skillet.

The stove will sit there cold many more hours than it will hot. Plan accordingly if space is tight.

Make sure to insulate the liner and get a good blockoff plate.

 

[sean_999]

how well insulated is the house,i have a dovre 400 heating 900sqft bungalow well insulated and it cooked us out of the house. being in seattle i would assume less insulation but i think it should be fine

Hi Joop - Thanks for your experience. You're right about insulation: this house is not especially well insulated. Not drafty, but the blown-in insulation in the walls has probably settled a bit since it was installed long ago (before we bought the place, which was about 1.5 years ago.)

 

[sean_999]

I have a cast iron stove in a 29”h x42”w opening. It is set back as far as it would go. Interior chimney.
To get maximum heat pump I need a blower.
I also have and inert down stairs.

I think the morso will work well. Does it have a fire screen option? I ask because that a good way to send more heat up the chimney and less into the room if you are wanting a fire but not much heat.

Thanks for all your comments, Ebs-P. I don't know about a fire screen option from Morso. I assume I could use a separate free-standing screen if really necessary, but to me that would feel like a real waste. But good to think about the issue, because the front edge of the couch will be about 8.5 feet from the stove door, if installed as planned.

Cooking on it is over rated IMO. We have Cooke pizzas in our. It was a fun experiment. A real Dutch oven or two and a metal bucket will likely give you better results unless all you want is to heat up a skillet.

Cooking would be for emergency only, if electric power is out for more than a few hours. Doing a bit of frying, boiling water to cook pasta would be great, but if that's a stretch, no big deal.

The stove will sit there cold many more hours than it will hot. Plan accordingly if space is tight.

Very, very true, especially for us: space is indeed a bit tight, and this will in no way be a major heat source for us -- except when power is out.

Make sure to insulate the liner and get a good blockoff plate.

Planning to do insulated liner. I don't know if they plan to do an insulated block-off plate, I should ask.

 

[kborndale]

Thanks for all your comments, Ebs-P. I don't know about a fire screen option from Morso. I assume I could use a separate free-standing screen if really necessary, but to me that would feel like a real waste. But good to think about the issue, because the front edge of the couch will be about 8.5 feet from the stove door, if installed as planned.

Cooking would be for emergency only, if electric power is out for more than a few hours. Doing a bit of frying, boiling water to cook pasta would be great, but if that's a stretch, no big deal.

Very, very true, especially for us: space is indeed a bit tight, and this will in no way be a major heat source for us -- except when power is out.

Planning to do insulated liner. I don't know if they plan to do an insulated block-off plate, I should ask.

A lot of dealers will tell you that you don't need a block off plate (or to insulate your liner). Don't listen to them.

 

[EbS-P]

Thanks for all your comments, Ebs-P. I don't know about a fire screen option from Morso. I assume I could use a separate free-standing screen if really necessary, but to me that would feel like a real waste. But good to think about the issue, because the front edge of the couch will be about 8.5 feet from the stove door, if installed as planned.

Cooking would be for emergency only, if electric power is out for more than a few hours. Doing a bit of frying, boiling water to cook pasta would be great, but if that's a stretch, no big deal.

Very, very true, especially for us: space is indeed a bit tight, and this will in no way be a major heat source for us -- except when power is out.

Planning to do insulated liner. I don't know if they plan to do an insulated block-off plate, I should ask.

When it comes to the fire screen it usually an option or the stove stays don’t ever burn with the door open. Consensus is most people who get one rarely ever use it.

 

[sean_999]

When it comes to the fire screen it usually an option or the stove stays don’t ever burn with the door open. Consensus is most people who get one rarely ever use it.

Thanks for explaining. Yeah, if we get too much heat, I think I'd rather just build a smaller fire, or maybe try moving some of the heat out/away with a small fan (like from an old "tower" desktop PC). Hmm, that probably would not help if the issue is too much radiant heat from the front of the stove.

 

[kborndale]

When it comes to the fire screen it usually an option or the stove stays don’t ever burn with the door open. Consensus is most people who get one rarely ever use it.

I do use the screen, my stove is in a finished basement and oversized for that space and we crank it to heat the main floors so it gets like 85-90 in the basement. When we hang out in the basement on the weekend we open the doors and have an open fire so that it stays in the 70s down there.