hydrasports said:
Due to my constraints on my wall and mantel it appears that this is my best fit for a wood stove insert. Does anyone have info (likes or dislikes) regarding this woodstove insert? Any info would be appreciated. From what I hear it is a quality woodstove insert that will throw out a lot of heat. Again, any input will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Steve
We are going into our second year with our Clydesdale insert. I purchased it with the intent of having an emergency back-up heating plant in case of an extended power outage. We heat primarily with natural gas, but we have been using the stove about every other day. We had, prior to the Clydesdale, a Superior Heatform built-in fireplace. The problem with this system is that the fireplace lost more heat up the chimney than it produced. Our thermostat constantly called for more heat when we used the fireplace. Kinda of an oxymoron.
About the Clydesdale: We have a 2000 square foot ranch style home. When we use the Clydesdale, the natural gas thermostat never calls for heat. The living room in which the Clydesdale is located becomes comfortably warm - maybe about 75F - while the rest of the house is about 70F. The unit produces an even heat - not hot - even with the blower motor operating at its highest speed. And by the way, with wood-burning inserts, you will need that blower. Radiant heat is not as great from an insert as from a hearth-stove.
Dislikes?: The unit was expensive - we opted for the blue/black porcelain - but justified, I think, by the quality of the design, manufacturing and product quality. We discovered a few issues when I uncrated and installed the unit (myself) which were quickly resolved by our dealer:
http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/ and the factory. There was (is?) one issue concerning blower motor noise which has been resolved, by a retro-fit solution. At certain speeds the heat shield or blower motor would rattle. Like my old F-250 truck, a piece of elastomer placed under the blower motor fixed that problem. You should speak to your dealer and get his commitment to make this issue right, if it is still occurring.
Overall, we our very pleased with the Clydesdale. We have snow on the ground and it's in the low teens here in Idaho and the Clydesdale just cruses along, putting out that warm even heat.
Regrets? Only that I didn't install the insert years earlier.
Good luck with your insert, whichever it may be.