Do inserts allow you to hear or smell the fire?

[CrankAddict]

Hi Everyone,

Quick background: I haven't had a wood burning fireplace since I was a kid. It was an open hearth with no doors and I'm guessing by today's standards it would be completely illegal for many reasons lol. But when I think about having a "real" fire in my living room I recall the sounds of wood popping and hissing, the smell of wood. Basically like being at a campfire but with less smoke Fast forward to today and I'm trying to find a solution for a permanently-cold wife that would provide more ambiance than a gas fireplace. Recently we were at a friend's house that has a Lopi and I was a bit bummed to discover that you don't hear or smell the fire at all. Is this the case for all wood inserts? Theirs didn't have a blower, so I wasn't sure if adding a blower would bring some of that into the room or not. I felt like the insert (though I completely understand the safety and efficiency aspects) removed you from the fire's personality almost as much as gas.

Thanks for reading!
Jeff

 

[EJL923]

Short answer is no, because it just doesnt make much sense. But, when i was doing my homework 10 years ago, there was at least one insert that came with a screen to place over the opening for exactly that. Sorry i dont remember which ones. However, i also remember reading just about everyone saying using it was short lived because it was really in efficient and just wasnt the same.
Personally, i dont think this should be a feature that steers your buying decision. I would buy an insert that has a large window.

 

[jatoxico]

you get a little action when starting and loading but that's about it. In the end I don't miss it and you'd never know I burn wood when you enter my home. Remember wood smoke has particulates that are not real good for your health so if you can smell the smoke its not a positive. When running an efficient insert wood particulates go from something like 50 g/hr in an open fireplace to 2 or less when done correctly.

 

[trail guy Mike]

Glass door for sure, and you can have the door open while you are there, if that's your thing. Pretty quickly you will prefer to have just the (closed door) view of the fire without the smell and draft.
Louder snap/crackle/pops can still be heard with the door closed. And wife will be much warmer.
As a kid, you probably did not notice smelling like smoke.

 

[Bad LP]

In that smoky smell is super fine ash. I’ll pass.

 

[Grizzerbear]

I would go for a non cat stove with a large glass for viewing the fire like mentioned above. I say non cat just because of the flame show to appeal to thw op. Nuthin against cats. Open flame viewing is great for just that.....viewing.....not keeping you or probably more importantly your wife warm. Their are certain models with screen viewing as a option tho.

 

[spudman99]

One thing that we all tend to forget is the agent of change. Simple explanation....

We all year for things from the past that bring pleasant memories, such as a warm, crackling open fireplace. I just installed an insert this November and my wife was initially against it. She wanted the open traditional fireplace to remain, but since I had obsessed over an efficient and heat Producing unit for 2 years (plus had accumulated 5 cords of wood by this point) she relented. Now after 3+ months she enjoys watching a Netflix movie while being toasty. Also she enjoys the kitchen and family room being warm all the time (does not enjoy the cold bedrooms though... and that's where the space heater helps). Still early to calculate, but initial savings are about $200 p/mo in fuel and electric.

So while you and she may yearn for the past, consider the future as I did above and it may not be so bad. If you are leaning in that direction, then certainly try to obtain a wood supply late this winter so that you may have a decent quality of splits for next year.

 

[EJL923]

OP, i reread your post. I am not an expert on all insert models, but to the best of my knowledge any insert will require a blower to get the most out of it. I dont know how your friends Lopi works. My insert being flush, my blower is on 24/7. The only time it is not is when i have a family party and the people do the circulating. Inserts that stick out will provide a little more radiant heat, i dont know how much though. House layout affects that as well.

I still get plenty of the ambiance from my large glass window, without the chill in adjacent rooms an open fireplace would give you. I think my insert looks better than an empty fireplace. As far as the smell, i know what you are saying, but I reserve that for outdoors. The new stoves today are great and not smoky. As Jatoxico said there is no smell in my house either, which is something i like compared to my in laws. I didnt know stoves could be like this growing up around smoke dragons, and its a big plus.

 

[CrankAddict]

Thanks everyone for the input! Definitely makes sense that if I can smell the fire that's not a good thing. After going and looking at models today we are leaning more towards gas now. Just seems to fit our needs a bit more and cost-wise they seem about the same (for unit + install, no idea how firewood vs natural gas compare really).

 

[Stinkpickle]

Gas certainly isn’t as messy.

 

[EJL923]

I dont know how gas fireplaces heat, but after talking with a coworker and what he pays for NG for his furnace, i probably wouldnt be burning wood if it was available to me. I have oil.

 

[Grizzerbear]

I had a grandpa that just installed one and he is pleased with it. I visited with him a week or so ago and he had it sweltering in there. So they will heat lol. I would suggest pre buying your propane in summer when the prices are lowest.

Edit: The gas firplace he had installed was a buck but i couldnt tell you which sorry.

 

[maple1]

Sounds like your initially posted priorities or preferences kind of got pushed to the side?

IMO a wood insert would be more apt to give you those, than a gas fireplace - but there is also nothing wrong with gas, either. As long as it is a good one that can put heat into your space, and isn't just an ambiance only thing.

(Do you mean natural gas, or propane?)

 

[CrankAddict]

We're going with a Lopi gas insert that looks identical to the wood insert of theirs minus the door handle. With the "HD" log set the fire looks pretty convincing. It has a blower and multiple flame intensities and seems to put out quite a bit of heat (and our living room is tiny anyway). So it'll definitely keep her warm, not concerned about that. For me, if I'm not going to hear or smell the fire with a wood insert, then the extra work of dealing with the wood, cleaning the ashes, building the fire, etc. is hard to justify. I'll have to save my desire for real fire for a backyard fire pit or something. It will be interesting to see what this does to our utility bill. I live in the city, so I'd have to pay for firewood, but I'm not really sure how the pricing of the two will compare (our house's main 20 year old furnace runs on natural gas and the bills are reasonable). In any case, I suppose it's hard to put a price on an adequately heated wife lol.

Thanks again for all the input!

 

[Grizzerbear]

Sounds like your initially posted priorities or preferences kind of got pushed to the side?

IMO a wood insert would be more apt to give you those, than a gas fireplace - but there is also nothing wrong with gas, either. As long as it is a good one that can put heat into your space, and isn't just an ambiance only thing.

(Do you mean natural gas, or propane?)

Doink i didnt think about that. Ng isnt very common down here but its obviously in his area.

 

[begreen]

Some stoves do have a screen option that allows one to run it like a fireplace.