Fireplace insert question

[zookeepertomany]

We are down to the wire and have to make a choice.
Does anyone have any opinions on either of these inserts? We are hoping to heat the main floor of the house with it. The main floor is about 1700sqft and is L shaped with one of the fireplaces located in the heel of the L. The 1 story chimney to that one is in the garage.

The choices are:

Napoleon 1402
or
Lopi Republic 1750

This would be our first time ever heating primarily with wood. So we want something easy to use.

Thank you, Yvonne

 

[begreen]

Welcome Yvonne. Both are good heaters and easy to use. The Napoleon has received a minor criticism for the fan location at the back of the insert, which means it needs to be pulled in order to clean them. But either will heat the house well.

Do you have plenty of dry wood already? This is critical to having an easy to start and run stove and a satisfying fire.

 

[zookeepertomany]

Oh on the 1402, he told me everything is in front and no need to pull it for cleaning.

We have plenty of wood. We had about 25 oak trees that came down in our ice storm in 12/07 that have been split and stacked since spring 08 just sitting there looking pretty as a 100 x 4 feet wall and not to mention what still has to be split for the future when we free up some stacking places. We have been burning it in the fireplace with the built in fans going, but want to heat the whole house now instead of just that room efficiently.

Yvonne

 

[tickbitty]

LOVE love love our Republic 1750 insert. We have a ranch a little under 1500 squ feet and we are just thrilled with the stove. We have had it less than a year and it seems less effective when it is quite cold, but I know that it's probably just we need better insulation in the house. I don't know much about the Napoleon you are looking at, I am sure it's a good comparable stove though. How big is the firebox and what is it lined with? The Lopi has a 2.2 firebox and I wouldn't go any smaller for my application, sounds like you could potentially use even bigger! the Lopi is brick lined. It's really well made. The Napoleon appears to have more really nice options for the outer appearance. I've never seen another stove that offers colored surrounds like that, it's a good idea!

 

[begreen]

I just dug deeper and found that it is the smaller Nap 1101 that has the blower in the back. The 1402 has it on the side and forward. Sorry for the confusion, my bad.

 

[robertmcw]

I have the Avalon 1190 Insert, the sister of the Lopi Freedom. It has a 3.1 cubic foot box. We live in a 1200 sq ft home and it works fine. I can’t full it up to the gills or it gets way to hot. I have to use small fires or really pull out the air control and keep to about 90% closed but it warms the whole house. It has been in the low 40’s at night here and the inside is in 78 or better. We live in Houston so the cold is not so bad as the north is. I guess I am still learning the unit because the glass won’t keep clean.

Robert

 

[tickbitty]

I have the Avalon 1190 Insert, the sister of the Lopi Freedom. It has a 3.1 cubic foot box. We live in a 1200 sq ft home and it works fine. I can’t full it up to the gills or it gets way to hot. I have to use small fires or really pull out the air control and keep to about 90% closed but it warms the whole house. It has been in the low 40’s at night here and the inside is in 78 or better. We live in Houston so the cold is not so bad as the north is. I guess I am still learning the unit because the glass won’t keep clean.

Robert

Robert, yah that's their biggest insert, and in a smallish hosue in texas it's likely to be way overkill! Your glass is black because either your wood isn't dry/seasoned enough, OR, you are having to keep the air down a lot in order to avoid cooking yourselves out. I bet if you had real well seasoned wood and made smaller hotter fires in there your glass would stay clean. I shut ours down really low every night to maximize the length of the burn and even with really dry wood we get some shmutz on the door, it burns off the next day though when we get it hot enough for the airwash to work.

 

[robertmcw]

tickbitty

The wood is red oak, 6 to 7 years old, covered in the shed. The meter reads avereages 10%.

I know it is a big insert but I got used.

This week we are going have some cold, FRIDAY. I am going scale back the wood.

It really works!! The whole is in the warm, from 78 - 80. My wife has Arthritis so she like the heat.


Robert

 

[zookeepertomany]

Thanks all, I guess it doesn't really matter which one we choose. The Napoleon is $1,000.00 cheaper installed compared to the Lopi.

If this works well and heats well or close to well we still have a 2nd fireplace that we could add another insert too and maybe that would help heat the upstairs which is another 750sq feet. I don't know if 2 is justifiable though.

Can you only burn split wood in them?? Can you throw those smaller nonsplitable whole limbs in mixed with split?

Yvonne

 

[robertmcw]

With mine, I think if the door opens and the wood fits, I burn it.

If it matters, but Travis won’t sell parts direct, you have to go through a dealer.

Robert

 

[tickbitty]

You can burn ANY wood in them (except like, treated lumber or painted wood!). Rounds and branches etc are fine as long as it fits and as long as it's well-seasoned (20% moisture or under)