Help a Gringo

[Loco Gringo]

Ive been messaging back and forth a little with coaly discussing Fishers. I like Fisher especially Honey Bears, but they arent common in my area. However Ive been really wanting to share exactly what Ive got in hearth and get your expert/experienced opinions on what I can do with other models including a Fisher. Safety is first, funds are second. I plan to use income tax refund money and invest it to get us warmer next winter. My intentions are to keep us comfy ESPECIALLY in the event of a power outage along with a means of cooking and having hot water. I have a good generator but dont want the hastle or expense of gasoline for more than about 4 hours should I need it. And we are fine with that. "We" consists of the wife and a 2 and 4 yr old girls. There was a rough below freezing period of 3 days last winter that we suffered using the fireplace to cook and keep warm with. Im looking to buy used btw and save money there. But Ive got to do this right otherwise as you know, its not worth doing. Ive had a house burn down and got burned up trying to save it and Im not going through that again I assure you.

Here are the dimensions and a few pics up the chimney to help you help me. My fireplace is...

H 39 inches
W 29 inches

But the firebrick on the rear of it tapers

At the bottom it measures 23 inches deep
At the middle it measures 21 deep
At the top it measures 18 deep

I really want a glass door to see the fire since its in the living room. I want a blower, but would add an ecofan if thats what it took to distribute the heat throughout the 3 bedroom house. It would be blowing toward the hallway where the rooms are btw. I just measured our upstairs living are and not including closets and the bathroom I came up with 944 sf. So its safe to say 1000 sf right?
Coaly, please chime in and thanks to you and all that share this priceless knowledge at no cost to members. Youre all good people. Any questions please ask.

 

[Loco Gringo]

One more.. and a funny one.

 

[Loco Gringo]

Surely someone has an opinion?

 

[Dix]

How deep is that hearth area, in front of the fireplace?


Have you thought of a free standing wood stove on the hearth?

 

[Shari]

Answers are probably a little slow because we need more details - like, what's the diameter of your chimney, what's the height of your chimney, how many sq ft are you planning on heating, single story or 2 story home, do you want to be dependent on a built in fan to circulate the heat, etc.

In the meantime, take a look at the picture page to get some ideas: https://www.hearth.com/gallery/pics/woodcoal/

There are multiple pages there but you have to look around the top of the page to advance forward.

 

[Loco Gringo]

I have the measurements and living area in my original post, and I dont want another insert, hence the reason Im leaning toward Fisher. I dont wanna be dependant on electricity nor do I want most of my heat rolling up the chimney. And it looks like I have a mess up there. Like I said, safety is top priority but cost is an issue as well. I cant spend 2-5k on this.

 

[Loco Gringo]

I have to get on the roof tomorrow and Ill get a measurement of the chimney then.

 

[BrotherBart]

I have two bucks that say I am looking at 11X7 inside dimension flue tiles in that pic. You have almost the same situation I had after I busted my old insert. Except I would have loved to have had that extra few inches of height at the lintel and extra rows of brick out front on the hearth. A Englander 30 like the one in my fireplace would get'er done. You could have about two thirds of the stove outside the fireplace with that high front using an appropriate angle elbow for the liner attachment. One thing you have to realize is that if you ever went with a blower you would never be able to reach it to service it on the back of the stove. For that you need to go with one of the mid-size Buck stoves with the blower mounted on the front. My blower is dead after five seasons and is gonna stay that way. I just put two seven dollar four inch fans on the hearth blowing under the stove to move the heat out of the fireplace, because half of my stove has to be inside the fireplace, and they do a better job than the hundred and eighty dollar blower did and are quieter.

In your neck of the woods there should be a lot of newer model Buck stoves showing up for sale from time to time that would fit nicely in there.

If you went with the 30 the best pricing would be at overstockstoves.com and you would need to see if they could ship you one with six inch legs They come with nine inch legs now which is too high for a fireplace install.

Here is mine.

 

[Loco Gringo]

Thanks so much Bart, thats what I was looking to hear. Ive been looking at this all week after finding the link here on your site http://overstockstoves.com/50epacenowos.html Why couldnt I clean that mess up, install a liner, and connect it to that stove? If the blower needed service, surely I could dissconnect and get to it right? Ill be honest with you, I am a Buck Backer. This here smoke dragon has kept us going since we moved in here 3.5 yrs ago but it needs elec and I cant move it upstairs anyway since Im renting. And there is a Buck dealer less than an hr away if I need them, and Ive called before and gotten help over the phone in a prompt manner.

 

[Dix]

The 30 would work, and you can take it with you when you move on.

 

[BrotherBart]

Buck makes great wood stoves. If you can find one that fits your needs Do it. I don't get commissions from Englander. And try really hard just to speak to what I have experienced with my installs and stoves.

But as far as the blower thing goes. Ya don't wanna be having to go up top and lift up a liner and pull five hundred pounds out of a fireplace just because a blower gets dirty or craps out. I went into it knowing full well what the issues were. And was ready to deal with'em.

 

[Loco Gringo]

I have two bucks that say I am looking at 11X7 inside dimension flue tiles in that pic. .

I finally got up there and measured 10.5 X 14.5 inside diameter Bart. I also measured 14 feet top to bottom. I was glad to see that there is virtually no creosote build up in this chimney whatsoever. What do you think about installing a 30 in my situation now? Considering your reply where you mention so much stove actually being exposed whereas I could cook on it when I need to, which is what Im after, Im willing to spend the extra money. BTW, a quality liner is a must as far as Im concerned. Safety is top priority for my family.

 

[Loco Gringo]

So you guys know, that wire you may see hanging was used to hold a glass fireplace door in place. Go ahead and laugh. The damper handle broke so the damper is just set in place out of the way too. Will I be able to get that thing down and out of there?

 

[BrotherBart]

The 30 ought to be a hoss in that fireplace. If you consider the not being able to get to the blower to service it. As narrow as the fireplace is you won't be able to reach it. And the speed control is on the blower. I overcame that part by adding a twenty buck speed control outside the fireplace.

Logistically though a big Buck with the blower on the front would make more sense.

 

[Loco Gringo]

How would a Buck compare in price Bart? Ive looked at many sites but its like its illegal for them to add prices to descriptions.

 

[BrotherBart]

I haven't priced Bucks in years. But chances are in NC you should have a decent chance of finding a good one used on craigslist.

Or if you do put a 30 in there you could do what I did a month or so ago when the blower crapped out. I put a small 4" "personal" fan on each side blowing under the stove to the back of the fireplace. The heat just rolls out of that fireplace. They are quieter than the blower by a factor of ten and they cost seven bucks apiece. Not $180 plus shipping like the blower. That blower can sit back there and rot as far as I am concerned. It had a bad bearing from day one and I blamed the sound on vibration of the heat shield instead of replacing it in warranty. Like an idiot. But I also didn't wanna lift that liner and lug that heavy SOB out of the fireplace either. I am thinking about getting a sheet metal shop to make me a housing for the fans this summer and place it under the front of the stove. I wish there was a way to remove that worthless ash pan housing under the stove.

You have a lot of options for that fireplace. Don't rush into anything without doing some looking around and head scratching.

 

[VCBurner]

Hello,

First off, I dig your name and avatar, and laugh when I see it! :lol: Secondly, I'm sorry to hear about your fire hardships in the past. It's incredible that you like it still.

As far as the stove, whatever you end up with, I agree with Bart: "you don't want the blower stuck in the back of it not being able to get to it." I had my stove set 2 inches into my fireplace, leaving it too far in to just access easily. I could reach the controls with a poker and would be just able to squeeze my arm back there with a vacuum hose to hose off the dust. The blowers get very dusty, very quickly. At least I find it to be so in my case. It'll probably be a little less in your set up, because of the flush hearth, but the fan will be sucking everything towards it. All those pesky dust bunnies that gather under your furniture will be behind there for sure. You often hear of people complaining about their blowers increasingly getting lowder. This often happens because it has a hard time getting air through the dust balls that are stuck to it. This eventually kills the blower prematurely, not before driving you and the wife nuts!

I since moved mine out 2.5" and can easily stick the vaccum hose back there to clean it whenever the vaccum is being used. This keeps the blower quiet and the air really moving out of the stove. My dimensions, though a bit smaller, are similar to yours, minus the raised hearth. I bought my refurbished stove for $500 and it heats my 1000 sq ft single story ranch by itself. The weather here in north central Mass is a lot colder than the temps in Boston. Usually by at least 5-10 degrees, with a lot more snow. BTW, we are a family of six. The wife, 4 boys (10,9,7,4 y.o.age,) and myself. This is our third stove. I don't think I would have picked my stove if one of my main goals was to cook with it. We all love the wood heat!! I hope the stove you chose will make you as happy as our stove has made us.

I have seen 6" liner kits for as little as $249 with free shiping. Quality liners, SS 316Ti, cap, T and top plate, insullation is another $200 or so.

There is so much out there, good luck!

 

[Loco Gringo]

Glad to make you laugh VC. Cooking isnt a top prioritym unless we are without power. I hate when that happens for days at a time. Looks like you could get it done with yours though?

 

[VCBurner]

Glad to make you laugh VC. Cooking isnt a top prioritym unless we are without power. I hate when that happens for days at a time. Looks like you could get it done with yours though?

Yes, I probably could. The cooktop is small on it, so i could see cooking one pot on it but certainly not multiple things. A lot of people around here cook in Dutch ovens inside their stoves though. But I also have a camp style box stove in the basement. It has a chimney dedicated to it. I have not burned in it down there, it used to sit in the same fireplace you see above and the DW was in the basement. The box stove has removeable cooking plates, so I could get it much hotter and it has two for a couple of different pans. We got wood stoves as a result of the high oil prices back in 2007 and the ice storm of 2008 that left many here in Mass wihtout power for up to 21 days. We rent here too, but the landlord is a farmer (20 minutes away from us)and has heated with wood for many years. She has a wood furnace and 200 plus acres of land, which she just let me know I can get as much wood as I want out of! Good to know for next burning season.