Hot in California

[blueberry1]

Hi Everyone!

We just purchased a home which has a gas insert placed inside an old wood brick burning fireplace. Our plan is/was to replace it with a wood burning stand alone or last resort a wood insert. However, it has become difficult to find any rear exit stand alone fire boxes. I'm sure I can find a wood insert but we really hoped for the efficiency of a stand alone. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Facts:
1300 sqft home single level
Prefer 10hr burn time
Lots of free oak to burn
Only source of heat
Cast options?

 

[begreen]

Greetings. IMO. For long burns in a cast iron stove in a moderate sized home, 10 hr burns are unlikely, especially in a mild climate. Sounds like this might be a good fit for a Woodstock Keystone.

The rear vent will need to fit under the lintel. What is the lintel height of the fireplace?

 

[begreen]

Where in CA are you? North or South? Is this a higher altitude location?

 

[blueberry1]

Thank you for the response!The lintel is 26" from the floor of the fireplace. We are located in central California at around 600ft.

 

[begreen]

Sounds like the Keystone's flue will just sneak under that lintel. Be sure to have the chimney thoroughly cleaned first before installing a good stainless liner.
(broken link removed to http://www.woodstove.com/keystone)

 

[blueberry1]

The Keystone is a very beautiful piece but probably a bit out of budget right now once we factor in the installation.

 

[blueberry1]

Said location. 21" from wall to edge of hearth. 44" mantel to hearth.

 

[Grisu]

That is a low lintel, you won't have many stoves to choose from. The Keystone is probably best for your area as you can regulate the heat output better since it is a catalytic stove. Plus, it will give you pretty long burn times although I suspect that for 10 hours you will need to run it on low most of the time. Two other options of non-cat stoves that would fit are the Hearthstone Castleton and the Regency H2100 Hearth Heater; the latter may be a bit small for 10 hr burn times, though.

Is that masonry fireplace at an interior or exterior wall? How deep is that hearth?

 

[begreen]

Sounds like it might be a good idea to save up for a season and do this next summer. The liner and cleaning could add about $1000 to the price assuming no complications.

 

[blueberry1]

The hearth is only 21" deep from the front of the brick. That might severely limit my options. See the above pic and measurements. The masonry fireplace is on a wall that has our garage attached.

 

[Fake coal burner]

Read the label. Has shown to cause cancer in California.

 

[Grisu]

The hearth is only 21" deep from the front of the brick. That might severely limit my options. See the above pic and measurements. The masonry fireplace is on a wall that has our garage attached.

That makes the Castleton too tight of a fit. The Homestead Hearthmount may work but be aware of its high r-value for hearth protection. Is the mantel combustible? You may need a shield for that when you get a hearth-mounted stove.

What kind of overall budget do you have in mind? And how tall is the chimney when your house is only single level?

I was asking for the placement of the fireplace because I want to see if an insert would not work almost as well as a stove for you. Inserts are not notoriously less efficient then stoves. What happens is that some of the heat goes into the fireplace bricks which takes time to warm up so people may not feel the heat right away and at an exterior wall some heat goes to the outside. Nevertheless, I have the PE Super insert and it heats 1300 sqft in Vermont just fine down to single digit outside temps. A medium size insert may just work as well for you and you will have a lot more models to choose from.

Btw. When was the oak split and then stacked in the open where it gets lots of sun and wind? It takes a while to get oak to less than 20% internal moisture although I guess in your area it will be dry within two years.

 

[begreen]

It looks like the hearth could be extended at floor level with basic ember protection to meet the hearth requirements.

What is currently installed in the fireplace?

What is the budget?

 

[Grisu]

I mentioned the hearth for the Homestead as it needs a r-value of 6.6. with the 4" legs and 2.5 with the 6" legs. Especially for the first one the OP should make sure the ledge is fully non-combustible probably even on the floor level and ask Hearthstone by how much the raised hearth reduces the required r-value in front of the stove. I think this is the highest thermal protection I have encountered so far.

 

[begreen]

Yes the Homestead has a very high hearth insulation requirement. I think it is also much more expensive than the Keystone.

 

[Grisu]

Yep, it is certainly not really cheaper; about the same according to their manufacturers' websites. When he finds one at a local dealer on sale and maybe without shipping added to the price the OP could maybe save a few bucks. Which reminds me of something else:

To the OP: Occasionally, Woodstock gets a stove back, especially when people want to upgrade to a larger model. They refurbish them and sell them for a reduced price. I am sure there is a waiting list but I would call to see if there is any chance you may be able to get one within a reasonable time frame.

 

[begreen]

Wow, you're right. The Keystone's price has really shot up. Very surprising for a stove that hasn't changed for a long time. Not too long ago that was an $1800 stove.

 

[Grisu]

With the sales they have ongoing all the time who knows what the "real" price for the Keystone is/was. I think it was about 2300 a year ago but that was also marked as "summer special". I am wondering whether the increase in price may be a reflection of strong sales in their other stoves. When it nearly takes as much time and materials to make a Keystone as it is to make a Progress there would not be a reason to sell it much cheaper.

 

[BrotherBart]

Somebody is really, really trying to become Woodstock Steelstove.

 

[begreen]

Yes, the current "sale" price is almost a thousand more than it was 3 yrs ago. Have materials inflated that much in 3 yrs assuming the labor is not 3 times higher?

 

[Highbeam]

Yes, the current "sale" price is almost a thousand more than it was 3 yrs ago. Have materials inflated that much in 3 yrs assuming the labor is not 3 times higher?

I have learned that something is worth whatever someone is willing to pay. Maybe Woodstock decided to increase their profit margin.

 

[blueberry1]

It looks like the hearth could be extended at floor level with basic ember protection to meet the hearth requirements.

What is currently installed in the fireplace?

What is the budget?

There is a propane gas insert in there now.

Total Budget is $3000 or so. Ouch!

Looks like an insert would be my best choice. I have a Pacific Energy near me.

 

[Grisu]

The PE Super should be able to do what you want. However, together with an insulated liner and professional chimney cleaning even installed yourself you may be looking more at $3500. And check with your insurance plus local building inspector whether a self-install is ok.

A few budget insert options: Heatilator Eco-coice WINS18, Englander 13NCI, Drolet Escape, Timberwolf EPI22

Be aware that some of those fireboxes may be a bit smaller so your burn times could fall short of 10 hours.

 

[Starstuff]

I'm curious why some people are suggesting a chimney cleaning. If the chimney was previously burning a gas insert, then it should be pretty clean, right? I suppose whatever was there before the gas insert may have left some crud if the flue wasn't cleaned, but certainly a quick look from the bottom and the top could determine if it needs a sweep.

 

[begreen]

A liner is going to get sealed in place. Too often the cleaning step is skipped setting up a potentially dangerous condition. Of course if the sweep finds the chimney is clean then no need to do it again.