Finally pulled the trigger

[willywil]

hello everybody. Happy to announce that I've joined the wood burning for real heat club. I just purchased a PE summit insert for my old, inefficient, drafty, as well as smokey fireplace. I'll make sure to start the pictures because we all no if there are no pictures, then it didn't realy happen.

I have about 1 1/2 cords maybe 2 of oak and locust that has been split and stacked for a 2 1/2 years now. It should be ready to go.

Now about the install. As much as I would like to wrap the liner in insulation it doesn't seem possible due to the interior dimensions of the chimney. I guess if have issues with buildup I can use the mix stuff and dump it down the tod later. Not installing the block off plate but I did ask the installer to put roxul above the insert in the damper area. What do you all think?

Happy about the insert choice, to me it seemed like a no brained, but the wife and both would have rather put a free stander in front if we had either a larger fireplace (ours is 36x26) or larger hearth( 17") and raised.

The house is a 1800 sq ft ranch with tall ceiling. Half the house has r thirty something in the rafters with 1 inch closed cell on the ext. The other half of the house is drafty. The insert is in drafty side.

On I side note. If I ever plan on going for a wood stove in the future I can always put the summit in open fireplace in the basement.

Thanks to all the members that are reading this. You guys and gals have been my source for info for everything. Without this site I would be walking into a lot ng island dealer blind. The whole kit n caboodle will cost $3500 with installation. I thought that was fair.

 

[Sean Truesdell]

Congratulations on the purchase, I just bought and installed the same unit back in October and have been loving it I wrestled with the same question and in the end made the same decision to go with the insert, mainly because of the mantle clearance and hearth depth. I really wanted to tell you that if you are getting it all done for $3500 that it is a great deal! I spent $3700 and did the installation myself. What kind of price did you get for the unit itself? With tax, I paid almost $3000 so I am very curious about a $3500 total package deal.

I don't know if you saw this thread, but it has some useful information that you will want to know before the installers get there:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...ovides-little-heat.139121/page-2#post-1871623

 

[jatoxico]

Hi willywil welcome aboard. For what it's worth in my experience most professional installers, around LI anyway, don't want to deal w/ insulating well and putting in a block off plate and they don't like using insulated liners because they are potentially harder to work with don't want to waste their time. They want the easiest install they can do then they are on their way.

Especially if this is an exterior chimney, try and have Roxul on site and do some insulating yourself once the liner is through the damper and while they are working up top. I had my installer agree, reluctantly, to use Roxul (wanted to use pink stuff) but let them do it and in the end there were two little useless pcs stuck 18" on either side of the liner (top was sealed good).

Once the liner is in tell them you want to take a 10 minutes and fill up the damper area and smoke shelf fully. You could also dry fit a block off plate now but don't cut the hole. Cut it in half and once the liner is in where they want it cut each half with a semi circle around the liner and put it in. If you can't do that use some wire to hold the insulation from dropping onto the insert later.

I know in the excitement and busyness of the day it can be tough but if you can manage it, it's well worth it. Or you can be like me and have to redo it later.

 

[willywil]

Hi willywil welcome aboard. For what it's worth in my experience most professional installers, around LI anyway, don't want to deal w/ insulating well and putting in a block off plate and they don't like using insulated liners because they are potentially harder to work with don't want to waste their time. They want the easiest install they can do then they are on their way.

Especially if this is an exterior chimney, try and have Roxul on site and do some insulating yourself once the liner is through the damper and while they are working up top. I had my installer agree, reluctantly, to use Roxul (wanted to use pink stuff) but let them do it and in the end there were two little useless pcs stuck 18" on either side of the liner (top was sealed good).

Once the liner is in tell them you want to take a 10 minutes and fill up the damper area and smoke shelf fully. You could also dry fit a block off plate now but don't cut the hole. Cut it in half and once the liner is in where they want it cut each half with a semi circle around the liner and put it in. If you can't do that use some wire to hold the insulation from dropping onto the insert later.

I know in the excitement and busyness of the day it can be tough but if you can manage it, it's well worth it. Or you can be like me and have to redo it later.

Thanks for the good advice. I totally agree about Long Island dealers taking the shortest route to complete the install. I planned on having extra roxul on hand and now I think I'll try to fabricate the block of plate into halves to have ready. Even if it's not perfect it'll help somewhat I guess.

 

[willywil]

Congratulations on the purchase, I just bought and installed the same unit back in October and have been loving it I wrestled with the same question and in the end made the same decision to go with the insert, mainly because of the mantle clearance and hearth depth. I really wanted to tell you that if you are getting it all done for $3500 that it is a great deal! I spent $3700 and did the installation myself. What kind of price did you get for the unit itself? With tax, I paid almost $3000 so I am very curious about a $3500 total package deal.

I don't know if you saw this thread, but it has some useful information that you will want to know before the installers get there:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...ovides-little-heat.139121/page-2#post-1871623

$2600 for the unit and $500 for the instal. The rest was the cost for liner and other hardware.

 

[jatoxico]

Thanks for the good advice. I totally agree about Long Island dealers taking the shortest route to complete the install. I planned on having extra roxul on hand and now I think I'll try to fabricate the block of plate into halves to have ready. Even if it's not perfect it'll help somewhat I guess.

Yeah do what you can, don't have to look pretty. I originally told my guy that the floor of the firebox was lower than the hearth by 3/4" and they would need tiles or something to raise it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Guys show up w/o anything, didn't know what I was talking about. Ended up cocked in the firebox, trim not quite right.

Made them come back almost a year later and I oversaw the install and got it done my way. Could've saved us both some aggravation though. If you've been hanging around here you're already ahead of the game. Good luck, ask any questions you have and make sure to post some pics! BTW whens the install date?

 

[Dix]

Allrighty !! Another member ready to roll on the Island

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