Help me pick my stove/ insert

[gac17]

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking to heat my home with wood next year and am continuing my research on how to do it. You guys have been a great resource so far! I'm torn between an insert or a stove and was looking for advice based on the space I have to work with.

My goal is to use as little oil as possible to heat.

The house is a 1200 sqft cape, 800 down, 400 up (approx)

I've attached a photo of the fireplace and here are some measurement;

Opening- 29" tall, 36" widest point, 26 1/2" narrowest point, 16" deep

There is 6 inches of brick around the opening and wood trim around the brick.

The hearth is 20" now but wouldn't mind going a little bigger.

I understand the basic pros and cons of stove vs insert but am hoping for some specific challenges i would face with either based on the layout I have.

If there's any brands you recommend throw that at me too, my local dealer seems fond of napoleon insert..

If there is any other info I can give you to help just let me know.

Thanks a lot everyone!

 

[BrowningBAR]

A Fireview would work well and fit as the rear flue height (center) is 22.75”.

I'm a fan of using a stove over an insert.

 

[gac17]

I haven't heard of a fireview stove. Is that a brand or a model?

Also given those dimensions should I expect any issues with clearance around the stove or insert?

 

[BrowningBAR]

I haven't heard of a fireview stove. Is that a brand or a model?

Also given those dimensions should I expect any issues with clearance around the stove or insert?

Woodstock is the manufacturer.

You have a lot of combustibles around that fireplace. Each stove/insert have different clearances to meet. Be sure you meet those clearances.

 

[dafattkidd]

gac, welcome to the forum. You will have no problem heating that space with an insert or a stand alone unit. An insert worked best for us in our application, but max heat output is dependent on electric to power the fan. So in a power outage we'll have heat, but not nearly the kind of heat I get with help from the blower.

The challenge for any unit (insert or stand alone) installed in your fireplace is going to be the legs on your mantle and built-ins on each side of it. You will need to pay close attention to the manufacturer's measurements for clearance as BrowningBar mentioned.

Napoleons are good inserts. I had the Napoleon 1101 for a year. I really like that insert, but it was undersized for my house, so I up-sized. If you have a well insulated house that unit will heat that space. That said, if it were me I'd go a step up to the 1402. But there are a myriad of other brands, stoves, inserts. An insert worked best for us because of limited space in the room.

If I had a larger fireplace in a more open room, I would probably opt for a stand alone in front of the fireplace. Something like this.

 

[begreen]

The clearances will be the primary concern. A 2 cu ft insert would also do the job if the clearance issue is tough to solve. That would be a Napoleon 1402 which is a popular unit. There are many other brands that might fit, but if you are looking for a dealer install and service, it may be a good idea to stick with the best one in your area. Get references.

 

[gac17]

As far as heating efficiency and maintaining adequate burn times, would it be wiser to get a small stove or a medium size insert?

 

[begreen]

I would shoot for a rough equivalent in stove/insert size. The reason being the length of the burn, not the heat output. I suggested an insert because it might present less installation clearance issues. Currently I was thinking a Jotul C450, but to be sure we need more dimensions, like the width of the space between the side cabinets, the height of the mantel, the thickness of the inside mantel trim boards etc. Here is an example page from the C450 manual for you to look at. It shows the clearance requirements for this insert. Not all are as fussy or as detailed. I'm just floating this one out as an example. Click on the image to enlarge.

 

[gac17]

Ok so here are some more dimiensions

The brick is 50" wide and 36" tall.

The top of the mantle is at 49 1/2"

The width of the hearth is 57 1/2".

The distance between the top of the bookcases is 59", the distance between the sides of the bookcases is 62".

Inside mantel trim boards are 6" on the sides and 14 1/2" to the top of the mantel.

Thanks for all the help. I think I would prefer a stove but am completely fine with an insert.

I absolutely want to be 100% by the book as far as clearances and am not willing to compromise, which I am sure everyone here would agree with.

Another piece of the puzzle here, I would like to keep total cost of the stove/ insert at or below $3500, as I also need to spend some money getting the chimney re pointed and work on

 

[begreen]

OK, double-check this to be sure I have it right:



Looks like you have enough clearance to just squeak in a Woodstock Keystone as a freestander, though I am not sure about the mantel clearance requirement for the stove.

I think you will have several choices, but to narrow it down take a look at the Jotul C450 (Kennebec) and the Enviro Kodiak1200 and Boston1200 inserts. Let me know which one you like the best.

(broken link removed to http://jotul.com/us/products/fireplace-inserts/j%C3%B8tul-c-450-kennebec)
http://www.enviro.com/fireplace-products/wood/fireplace-insert.html

 

[gac17]

That sketch is spot on. Great.

Based on those recommendations I like the options of the keystone as a freestanding unit, and I like the enviro boston of all the inserts. I'm going to look into both of them some more.

 

[hotprinter]

You will get your best heat and longest burns from a blaze king. We are heating our 2 story 2240sq ft home in interior Alaska with an ultra and it is simply amazing. I lit it nov 3 and it is still burning non stop and I can really control the heat with the thermostat. Our last fuel delivery was 83 gallons for 7 weeks and 3 of those were -45 f. The oil was probably for our domestic hot water. I have only emptied the ash 3 times since lighting it. Efficient.

 

[gac17]

The blaze king sirocco 20 certainly looks impressive. I'll have to see if that will meet my clearances, but the 20 hour burn time it claims would be nice.

 

[begreen]

That's a top exit stove. You will need a shorter stove to vent that way. Stick with a rear-exit stove or an insert that fits the fireplace for a much simpler install. I haven't checked on 2 cu ft catalytic inserts that might fit. That will be your homework for today. Start with Buck stoves.

 

[gac17]

So many choices. I can tell this is gonna be a tough choice.As far as cat inserts go buck they have the model 20 and 80 inserts. The 20 seems to be more size appropriate with a 1.9 cuft firebox. I have not found much info here on the forum about the 20, but buck says both are zero clearance units. It says the log size is only 15" quite small but I suppose I could process my wood a little smaller.Would a zero clearance unit such as this provide the heat I am looking for?

 

[gac17]

It looks like the enviro inserts won't meet clearances by about a half an inch on the top facing. The top face looks like its the problem that cuasing me to rule out most of the stoves I see.

I could not find a clear measurements for the top face clearance for the keystone.

Are the zero clearace buck inserts truly zero clearance?

If the keystone will fit its gonna be between it and the buck.

I'm going to keep exploring other options.

 

[gac17]

Looks like I can also fit a lopi republic 1250 insert. It has a low top facing clearance. Any thoughts on this insert?

 

[begreen]

It looks like the enviro inserts won't meet clearances by about a half an inch on the top facing. The top face looks like its the problem that cuasing me to rule out most of the stoves I see.

I could not find a clear measurements for the top face clearance for the keystone.

Are the zero clearace buck inserts truly zero clearance?

If the keystone will fit its gonna be between it and the buck.

I'm going to keep exploring other options.

That trim can be shielded fairly easily either at the stove level or with a piece of metal attached to the trim with 1" spacers.

The Republic is a good economy stove.

 

[ironworker]

Looks like I can also fit a lopi republic 1250 insert. It has a low top facing clearance. Any thoughts on this insert?

I have a Lopi Freedom insert and does the job just fine heating 3200 sq. ft. Good luck

 

[gac17]

So I stopped by the dealer today and he said that he can install the napoleon 1402 insert in the stove fireplace by putting a heat shield of some sort up. Does this check out? I was quoted $3400 for unit and complete install.

 

[begreen]

Sounds about right.

 

[gac17]

Pulled the trigger on the Napoleon 1402. Time to start processing firewood I suppose. Thanks for your help everyone. begreen your replies were very informative and certainly educational. Thanks again.