Heatilator fireplace, Lopi 1750 freestanding, SS liner ???'s

[judith]

i'm new, though following for a couple years. i bought a beautiful, lightly used, freestanding Lopi 1750 which I thought was interchangeable as an insert. okay, it needs a couple of modifications by my installer. the FP is from 1962, using fans and centered metal screen below mantel, metal lined box and big tubes running under the flue to throw hot air into the room. heatilator or brickolator, vintage stuff. installer doesn't want me to have a s/s liner as he would have to cut into the 2 center tubes, to connect liner to 6" opening on top of the 'insert'. he cleaned my chimney 2 years ago when i moved in and says it is fine. 7" x 11" flue. he is willing to add the liner, but i'm questioning "should i be concerned with his futzing with the design, and don't i need a liner to be on the safe side?" i know i could forget about the current fans and go with smaller ones sitting on the hearth. i would really appreciate your comments.

basod and Motor7 talked about this fireplace in Feb of 2011

 

[begreen]

I don't think the freestanding 1750 can be installed as an insert. The insert version has a convective jacket surrounding the firebox.

 

[judith]

I don't think the freestanding 1750 can be installed as an insert. The insert version has a convective jacket surrounding the firebox.

begreen: my installer said something about removing (?) the jacket on mine, but i can't quote him. pardon me as this isn't my first language, and i may need clarification from him. i got it for a good price and bypassed a Lopi Answer which i imagined would take too many re-loads. even with a different insert, would my other concerns be valid? must i get that liner? thanks for your comment!

 

[judith]

begreen: he ordered a surround today and i asked about sealing it to the existing brick, which is more like a slump block. should i be questioning more re: removing the jacket?

 

[bholler]

Regardless you need a liner period. It is required by code and regardless it wont work well or be safe without one

 

[judith]

Regardless you need a liner period. It is required by code and regardless it wont work well or be safe without one

bholler: yes, that is what i said to him about the liner. i think i may need to scrap the whole plan as i don't really want those tubes cut into. thank you for weighing in on this.

 

[begreen]

The tubes get cut often to make an old heatilator install work. There needs to be a permanent sign attached to the back of the fireplace saying it can no longer be used as a fireplace. But I still don't like the plan for the 1750. The stove needs more than just a surround. It needs to be designed to be installed in a fireplace or at least do not install it with a surround which will trap heat behind the surround instead of releasing it to the room.

Based on what you have described I would find another installer with a lot more experience.

 

[judith]

The tubes get cut often to make an old heatilator install work. There needs to be a permanent sign attached to the back of the fireplace saying it can no longer be used as a fireplace. But I still don't like the plan for the 1750. The stove needs more than just a surround. It needs to be designed to be installed in a fireplace or at least do not install it with a surround which will trap heat behind the surround instead of releasing it to the room.

Based on what you have described I would find another installer with a lot more experience.

 

[judith]

yes, begreen, i see what you're saying. still a small town here, but i can branch out. the one store in town which does most of the work is $$$$. i may have to make do with the electric baseboards again. well, he talked me out of having the 1750 as a stand alone because of those costs, but maybe i will swing by the permit office and see what they say about venting it. i'm disappointed, but glad i followed my instincts which said something sounded fishy in denmark. thanks so much.

 

[begreen]

I would get a certified sweep or two in for a quote. You can find them by typing in your zip code here. www.csia.org. There may be another way to install that we are not seeing. But for sure you want someone more experienced.

FWIW the 1750 is a good stove. If the home is single story a new chimney install would probably run between $1200-$1700 depending on the setup. If you want to pursue the fireplace install it will cost a bit less probably but you need to get an insert. Hopefully you can sell the freestanding 1750 in that case for the same price or more than you paid for it. There are decent new inserts on the market starting around $1000. Finally, these stoves all want fully seasoned wood to burn well. That can be a challenge to find, especially at this time of year.

 

[judith]

I would get a certified sweep or two in for a quote. You can find them by typing in your zip code here. www.csia.org. There may be another way to install that we are not seeing. But for sure you want someone more experienced.

FWIW the 1750 is a good stove. If the home is single story a new chimney install would probably run between $1200-$1700 depending on the setup. If you want to pursue the fireplace install it will cost a bit less probably but you need to get an insert. Hopefully you can sell the freestanding 1750 in that case for the same price or more than you paid for it. There are decent new inserts on the market starting around $1000. Finally, these stoves all want fully seasoned wood to burn well. That can be a challenge to find, especially at this time of year.

yes, i will be sorry not to get to use it, but don't think i will have any problem selling it. the cherry is out back, starting on its 3rd year. i've been following along on this site trying to discern the right insert. when i found an Answer and read it was insert or S/A, i went to the Lopi site and saw the same for the 1750 (2011), but now see it wasn't the same. the Answer is still available on CL and i did view it (great shape, 2008), but didn't want to load it that regularly. as you may know, Eburg has not seen substantial snow in 5-6 years. i think that unit will heat enough of my house, but was hoping for the slightly bigger firebox. plus, grams on the Answer are 4.4, while 1.8 on the 1750.

 

[begreen]

I was thinking of the Englander 13NCi or a medium sized Century or Drolet insert. All are around 1.8 to 2.0 cu ft.

 

[judith]

I was thinking of the Englander 13NCi or a medium sized Century or Drolet insert. All are around 1.8 to 2.0 cu ft.

thanks, begreen, i will look into those. it seems i saw Englander is now at Home Depot? i could be confused with too many pans in the fire.

 

[begreen]

Yes Englander stoves are sold at Home Depot. Lowes also sells Englander stoves under the Summer's Heat brand with some additional bling.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_239295-76845-50-SNC13I_1z0w5u2__?productId=3027302&pl=1

 

[bholler]

i don't really want those tubes cut into

If you dont want the tubes cut you cant safley or properly install any stove or insert in that fireplace

 

[judith]

If you dont want the tubes cut you cant safley or properly install any stove or insert in that fireplace

thanks bholler - yes, i thought about that. i need to go free-standing, or cut the heatilator out and install the right insert. i think the right welding can seal off the overhead grate. really, more than a mess than i want at this point as i have half of my kitchen torn up and turkey day is at my place this year. this may sound dim, but is there any way to keep more of the heat inside the house and not up the flue. plus, i've noticed it does not draft well. only when i build a top down log system does it not smoke, but then i have to reload at just the right time about 3/4's into the burn. i don't have glass doors so leaving the flue open overnight is costly. i appreciate you sticking with this convo and the education i'm getting!

 

[bholler]

i think the right welding can seal off the overhead grate. really, more than a mess than i want at this point as i have half of my kitchen torn up and turkey day is at my place this year. this may sound dim, but is there any way to keep more of the heat inside the house and not up the flue. plus, i've noticed it does not draft well. only when i build a top down log system does it not smoke, but then i have to reload at just the right time about 3/4's into the burn. i don't have glass doors so leaving the flue open overnight is costly.

It is an open fireplace they are not efficent heaters at all there is little that can be done to fix that. There is no need to weld anything up

 

[judith]

It is an open fireplace they are not efficent heaters at all there is little that can be done to fix that. There is no need to weld anything up

bholler - locally on CL there is a Cawley 500 for sale.

 

[bholler]

bholler - locally on CL there is a Cawley 500 for sale.

A 500? They are not nearly as good a stove as the 400 and 600 but they are pretty rare

 

[judith]

A 500? They are not nearly as good a stove as the 400 and 600 but they are pretty rare

i had never heard of one and it got my attention from the beautiful detail on it. then realized i had seen that name recently.

 

[judith]

(broken link removed to https://yakima.craigslist.org/for/5243782268.html)

 

[bholler]

not a bad price either if it is in good shape. but not as good a preformer as the 4 or 6

 

[begreen]

Not an insert. You already have a good freestanding stove that is more efficient.

 

[bholler]

yes absolutly beegreen

 

[judith]

Not an insert. You already have a good freestanding stove that is more efficient.

i appreciate the beauty of it and some tribute i just read about it. for me at this point, efficiency and the least amount of carbon has to be number 1. i learned a while back, you can't have every truck you like and have to make do just looking. well, i will continue the research and truly appreciate the answers and suggestions. thanks again.