Free standing stove in fireplace - good or bad idea?

[JeffL]

Hello everyone,

I have been reading forum posts for a couple of weeks and just registered. I have a cabin at elevation 2100 feet in Oregon that is about 650 square feet on the main floor, with a loft directly over the open living/sleeping and dining room. There is a large fireplace (arched opening 36 inches high, 48 inches wide) made of rough stone. There is a 30-year old Schrader sitting in the fireplace that I would like to replace. I've been looking at inserts like the Osburn 1800 and 2200, but am aware I would need a custom surround due to the size and shape of the opening. Also, the front of the fireplace is so irregular that the faceplate is going to have some huge gaps. So, I'm also considering putting in a free-standing stove with a blower and chimney liner, to avoid the hassles and the potentially funky look of the liner.

I read somewhere that with a chimney that is on an outside wall, like mine, a lot of the heat generated by a free-standing stove would go out to the outdoors due to conduction from the rock.

1) What do people think about this problem? Does anyone have experience with a fireplace-mounted, free-standing stove? My hearth is flush with the floor and extends 24 inches out into the room, so I can come out 6 or 8 inches, right? I can see one advantage with the Osburn 1800 or 2200 free-standing over the insert, which would be that I would not need to extend my hearth like I would with the Osburn inserts, which stick out about 11 inches.

2) Does anyone have any experience or photos of inserts in rough stone fireplaces, where you had to custom-make the faceplate? Is it important to seal the interface between faceplate and fireplace?

3) Anybody want to opine about an insert vs. free-standing in this situation?

Thanks a lot everyone!

Jeff

 

[titan]

A rear exit freestanding stove sounds like the simple solution.

 

[webbie]

For the most heat for the $$, I'd go with a stove...for certain!

Keep in mind that efficiency ratings on inserts DO NOT include all the heat lost behind the shrouds and to the masonry.....often to the great outdoors on exterior fireplaces.

A Jotul, VC, Woodstock, HearthStone or one of many others would do a bang up job (without a blower) in such a setup.

I had a fireplace in my old home and tested inserts in it....as well as stoves in front. I enjoyed the hearth stoves more.....

I think it is the opposite of what you read - the sealed-in insert will lose more heat than the stove, which is surrounded by a lot of open air.

 

[BrotherBart]

I had a monster insert for 21 years and last year replaced it with a free-standing stove in the fireplace. I will never go back. With a block-off plate above it to keep the heat from traveling up into the chimney masonry the sucker heats many times better than the insert did. Additionally with the free-stander brickwork of the fireplace holds more heat and releases it after the stove burns down.

If you get a free standing stove for it get one that aims the air from the blower straight out across the top of the stove into the room. The heat generation can't be beat by any insert with fans that I have ever seen.

Here are the old insert and the new stove in the same fireplace:

 

[JeffL]

Thanks to all who answered, I'm going to start looking at free-standing with rear flues again!

Jeff

 

[zzr7ky]

Hi -

I went with the freestanding stove mounted in my fireplace. It is on an outside wall. I installed a 6" insulated solid stainless liner and I love it. I installed it to heat a portin of the house but it heats 85% of the house or better, all with no blower noise!!


ATB,
Mike P