That's some kind of device that allegedly spreads heat into the room better using an open fireplace. The idea is that as the pipes get hot, they suck in air from the bottom and blow it out the top using convection. The top pipes exhaust is supposed to blow heat out into the room. It came with the house and I don't think it was really noticeable when in use compared to just a normal fire in the fireplace. There are some versions of this device that have a blower attached to them. Those might work a little bit better, but nothing close to the efficiency of an insert or stove.
Damper modification for liner
- Thread starter Tom Wallace
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That's some kind of device that allegedly spreads heat into the room better using an open fireplace. The idea is that as the pipes get hot, they suck in air from the bottom and blow it out the top using convection. The top pipes exhaust is supposed to blow heat out into the room. It came with the house and I don't think it was really noticeable when in use compared to just a normal fire in the fireplace. There are some versions of this device that have a blower attached to them. Those might work a little bit better, but nothing close to the efficiency of an insert or stove.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Well, with 5 feet of excess above and a foot below, I'd cut any beat-up bit off the bottom first, to have a clean interface at the collar.
Thanks begreen. I've just scheduled delivery of a cord of fir, cedar, alder and maple mix. Seems like a pretty professional company. So now I'll have 2.5 cords of wood and I don't think I'll burn more than 1 cord per year. I'm looking forward to the oil man coming by in February to check the tank and then not bothering to fill it.
Maybe it's time to cancel the regularly scheduled oil delivery! It was a pleasure to do that with Suburban propane.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I'm still on auto-fill, but they come a heck of a lot less frequently, now! I was getting deliveries twice per month, before setting up the second stove.
More importantly, how are you figuring just 1 cord per year replacing oil completely? Most in a home your size are burning 2 - 3 cords per year, if they're heating 100% with wood. Nothing at all wrong with just doing 1 cord per year, but you will still need some oil, if you do!
Look at how many gallons of oil you burned last year, and multiply by 135,000, to get your net BTU's consumed. Then, multiply by 0.85 (assumed efficiency of your oil rig) to get the BTU's delivered to your home.
Now, divide that number by 18 million BTU/cord for softwood (your "fir, cedar, alder and maple mix"), and then divide again by 0.7 (assumed efficiency of your new wood stove). That's very roughly how many cords you'll need to replace the oil you burned last year.
But wait... there's more! On oil, you had the luxury of turning your thermostat down at night, or when you're out of the house. Most burning with wood tend to keep the house closer to a constant temperature, around the clock, due to the work involved in getting the joint heated back up if you let it go cold. Add a bit more. Then you're going to find you like having it so much more toasty and warm with the stove, than you ever did running the furnace, and you're going to start keeping the joint at 75+ all day. Add a bit more...
We're in a much milder climate. It's easier to bring the house up to temp after letting it cool down at night when your winter temps are in the 30's instead of the teens. That said I suspect the total consumption will be closer to 2 cords unless supplemented with oil (which is ok if that works best).
Well it's a very rough guess, as I've never had a wood stove before. I don't plan on running it 24/7. I'm thinking I'll light a fire when I get home from work and top it off before bed, then let it go cold in the morning. I'm nervous about leaving the house with a fire going. I may get over that at some point. Typically the house temp doesn't drop below about 62F during the day in the winter with the furnace off. I've also got a 120g reef aquarium downstairs with two 250w halide bulbs, that's at 77-80F all the time. That probably has somewhat of a heating effect on the house. The house is fairly well sealed. I replaced all the single pane, aluminum frame windows with double pane, vinyl frame last year. However, none of the exterior walls have insulation. I was quote over $8k to have that added, so that's not going to happen soon.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Heh... webby is right! There's nothing at all wrong with your plan, Tom. Just do understand this:
A wood stove can easily keep your entire house warm. If you run it 24/7, you will actually be surprised how well heat reaches far reaches of your house stay up to temperature. However, it is only a space heater. If you let the house cool off, a re-light of the stove is only going to heat the room it's in for many, many hours. Eventually, heat will make it back out to the far reaches of the house, but in my case (large, un-insulated, all stone house) this takes about one full day.
So, there's nothing wrong with running it only in the evenings, as you have planned. However, you'll likely still end up using your furnace to get the bedrooms warm, in that scenario. Zoned heating will be your friend, here.
In your mild climate, this may be less an issue than I anticipate, but our local climate has been pretty darn mild the last two years (only had one stretch of 10 days in the teens last year), and I still noticed the problem mentioned above.
A wood stove can easily keep your entire house warm. If you run it 24/7, you will actually be surprised how well heat reaches far reaches of your house stay up to temperature. However, it is only a space heater. If you let the house cool off, a re-light of the stove is only going to heat the room it's in for many, many hours. Eventually, heat will make it back out to the far reaches of the house, but in my case (large, un-insulated, all stone house) this takes about one full day.
So, there's nothing wrong with running it only in the evenings, as you have planned. However, you'll likely still end up using your furnace to get the bedrooms warm, in that scenario. Zoned heating will be your friend, here.
In your mild climate, this may be less an issue than I anticipate, but our local climate has been pretty darn mild the last two years (only had one stretch of 10 days in the teens last year), and I still noticed the problem mentioned above.
I noticed that the interior of my fireplace is about 1/2" lower than the bench in front of the fireplace. Will that be a problem when putting the insert in? I'm unsure of what my options for leveling an insert are. I'm planning on a Pacific Energy Super and don't know if that insert has ways to level itself.
That's typical. There are leveling legs on the rear of the insert to compensate. If you want, you can cut a sheet of cement board to fit the fireplace to bring up the level of the floor and put a sheet of metal on top. That makes it easier to pull the insert for service. Also, having a scrap of sheet metal to put on the hearth when installing also makes it easier to slide the unit in without marring the hearth.
jaychino415
Member
Hi Tom,
I am thinking about getting a fireplace insert as well . Can you tell me how long it took to remove the damper and part of smoke shelf? Thanks in advance.
I am thinking about getting a fireplace insert as well . Can you tell me how long it took to remove the damper and part of smoke shelf? Thanks in advance.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Whoa... recall on an old thread. Lots of threads here on this subject... can you post a new thread, with details on your particulars?
jaychino415
Member
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