Fireplace Insert Advice for Newbie (floorplan & pics incl.)

[begreen]

Ask them pretty please. If they are decent folk they should oblige a quick measurement.

Guessing from the picture I would estimate the opening at 27-30" high.

 

[serinat]

Unfortunately, the house is vacant.

Is there an easy way to add onto a hearth to make it wider? It doesn't seem easy. Or, an easy way to remove the hearth and add a new one? Again, doesn't seem easy...

 

[fossil]

If you're buying this house, and the previous owners have already moved out, then the real estate folks involved most certainly can get you into it to take all the measurements you want. Don't take no for an answer. Rick

 

[begreen]

Unfortunately, the house is vacant.

Is there an easy way to add onto a hearth to make it wider? It doesn't seem easy. Or, an easy way to remove the hearth and add a new one? Again, doesn't seem easy...

It's easier to determine this with some examination. Sometimes it can be done if the final top surface spans the old and new hearth.

How much in love are you with current style and design of the fireplace black brickwork? If not at all, take the old out and build new.

 

[fossil]

You can paint that brick a different color, if you want. But trying to get the existing paint off to reveal the underlying brick is next to impossible. I tried it once, and it was ridiculous, so I ended up just repainting it. A sandblaster would be the best tool for the job, and even with that, what you'll end up with, in all likelihood, is a surface that has that "used brick" appearance that many people seem to find quite attractive. But you'll probably have to bring in a professional to do that for you. A mason could extend the existing brick hearth, then you could finish it all to match. Or, if it's not a question of support for the insert or stove, but just a question of the required clearance to combustibles in front of the appliance, you can add floor protection out in front of the existing hearth, and around the sides if necessary, or just for looks if that appeals to you. Rick

 

[serinat]

How much in love are you with current style and design of the fireplace black brickwork? If not at all, take the old out and build new.

Not so much. I don't much like it at all. I'm not sure how difficult it will be for us to remove the old fireplace, and then the expense of the new one.

Probably, we'd like to paint over the existing one. I just really need to get in there and measure everything. We live out of state, so I can't just pop over until next week.

 

[begreen]

Depending on how it is made you might be able to remove just the cut faced bricks that surround the fireplace and maybe completely remove the hearth in front. Then you could face the fireplace in your preferred treatment and build a deep hearth.

 

[serinat]

BeGreen, I just checked out the pictures and specs of your Pacific Energy Alderlea T6, and I think I'm in love.

It's so pretty! And classic! That split, swing out cooktop! It's just what I want! (Okay, okay, I'll stop gushing.) If I'm going to have all that heat there, I want to be able to cook on it. And raise bread dough, boil water for tea, etc.

Is it ridiculous to put a freestanding stove in my house? Looking at my floorplan, and remembering what all the various walls/doorways look like, there really isn't anywhere else to put a stove that makes sense, except where the fireplace already is. I'd have to have one heck of a hearth added to my fireplace to have a PE Alderlea T6 (or, more likely, T4 or T5) freestanding in front of it.

Does the T6 really hold heat like soapstone, as you said in your review? Am I nuts to even consider a freestanding stove?

 

[begreen]

I don't think you're nuts to want to be warm this winter, but can't recommend the T6 here. The reason is that you need a rear-exit flue stove for the fireplace. The Alderleas are great stoves, but not ideal for a fireplace installation unless the fireplace is tall and the stove can be placed deep into the fireplace. Looking at the picture, I doubt it, but certainly could be wrong.

It will be easier to figure all of this out next week when you can provide accurate dimensions for the fireplace. So far it looks like a nice soapstone or perhaps a cast iron Jotul F500 (Oslo) will work best in this installation if you want a freestanding stove.

 

[fossil]

Well...not necessarily. If you're willing to lose the mantle, rebuild the hearth (extended/reconfigured), seal up and decommission the old fireplace completely, and run a stovepipe straight up from the stove through the ceiling and roof, then you can have just about anything you want. Rick

 

[begreen]

Good point fossil. Or there may be a chance of tapping into the chimney liner at a higher point. Where there's a will (and a wallet), there's a way.

 

[serinat]

The will I have; the wallet I have not.

Is this something a clever DIYer can figure out, or shall I call up a mason and get a quote that will knock me firmly back into insert shopping?

 

[begreen]

There are freestandings like the Hearthstone Homestead and maybe the Jotul Oslo that look and work great on a hearth. Given your desire to have a cooktop, an insert may disappoint. In order to accommodate a stove like the Alderlea T5 or T6, the hearth would need to be extended. These are deep stoves.

However, it will be much easier to figure out options once you are in the house and can measure the fireplace, assess the flue and consult with a mason. One thing for sure, it'll cost ya. But a good mason may guide you into options and even help you out if you want to do part of the work yourself.

 

[fossil]

No way anyone here can answer for you the question of whether or not this is where you should spend your limited resources right now. Do you feel compelled to do something about a woodburning appliance immediately, or can it wait a year, or even two? You've got a lot on your plate. Perhaps you don't have to spend your time & your $$$ on this right away. I've moved many times, and I know that it takes a while (years) to really make the new place my own. Some of the changes will probably entail significant monetary outlays...what are the priorities? Maybe put the woodstove/insert on the back burner (so to speak) for now, move into the house, get settled in, get to know the place, fix all the little stuff you find, and sit in that living room for a while and think about what you'd like it to be. You might not be as warm & cozy in that room this coming winter as you want to envision yourself being (and will be one day), but you'll have given yourself a good chance to live with the new house for a while, hang out with us here on the forum, research the nearly limitless possibilities, and then build yourself something to be proud of and to enjoy for years to come. Just a thought... Rick

 

[granpajohn]

So far it looks like a nice soapstone or perhaps a cast iron Jotul F500 (Oslo) will work best in this installation if you want a freestanding stove.

He is saying, (correctly), that only "hearth-shaped" stoves will fit on your traditional hearth. If you still want to cook on an insert, there is the Regency H2100 (broken link removed to http://www.regency-fire.com/Wood/Inserts/H2100/index.php)
I coveted on of these for a long while, but found the firebox to be small, and I don't know how I would sweep the chimney without moving the thing every year. (Might've been able to work it out though.) After careful evaluation, most find that the cooking bit isn't so important.

During winter power outages, we just cook on our propane crab-cooker. (Uh, that's something that all Marylanders are required to own and it looks like those turkey fryers that are so popular with tailgaters.) We do, however, keep a tea kettle on the insert shelf, and it makes water hot enough but not boiling away fast. If I had to boil it quickly, I'd have to turn off the blower, thus cooling the room, etc....and it's all a big Catch-22. I seem to think that modern EPA stoves just don't cook as well as the older styles we all grew up with.

 

[gpcollen1]

That soapstone stove looks just like another one mentioned in another thread with 2 cracks in the back - apparently.

 

[begreen]

We seem to have differing opinions on whether that is the back or just firebrick. It looks more like firebrick to me, but I have never owned one and the manual lacks a parts diagram to show how it's assembled. But the manual does have firebrick listed in the parts and no rear soapstone mentioned, so I'm inclined to believe it has the firebrick back.

 

[serinat]

Okay, we're moved in. Or, at least nearby. We are putting in pine floors this week! Which means camping outside. =)

At any rate, I'm back for more advice. We had the wood stove dealer (the only one I can find in the area so far) come out and look. He really only sells Regency and Hearthstone, though he officially carries other brands. (He just doesn't install them much, nor does he push them, because he's obviously more comfortable with the other two.) He recommended the Regency insert or the Hearthstone Homestead. He does not carry Pacific Energy, which is kind of a bummer.

The Regency insert would only require that we add cement board and tile on the floor in front of the existing raised hearth (which is only about 14" deep, btw). We can do that ourselves pretty easily.

The Homestead would require extending the raised hearth, removing the current limestone slab, and putting another larger one top of the new hearth. More work, more money. But in the end, pretty soapstone, and more even warmth.

We're leaning toward the Regency insert. Seems easier. I'm not thrilled about the idea of an insert, as I don't want to have to rely on an electric fan to get the best efficiency. Any thoughts on these inserts? The reviews seem alright, but it's obvious that this insert won't keep us toasty during power outages (unless we bunk up in the living room).