I'm interested in buying a Stuv 16 - anything comparable I should look at?

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Another good insert to look at would be the Morso 5660 with blower.
 
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Napoleon Oakdale EPI3 with contemporary front might be worth looking at as well 1.8 cuft and a large viewing window .
 
rasputin , take a look at the Osburn Inspire 2000. That has a clean contemporary look and a blower. It could have a custom surround made to fit inside the arch.

That looks pretty nice!

So does the MF Fire Nova - although thats single burn rate too. Looks like it vents through the rear so it would likely stick into my living room.

I think should probably mock up the potential solutions in cardboard. I've been trying to avoid a surround so more of the fireplace is visible but maybe I should let that go.
 
The Morso and Napoleon look good too. I have options now! :)
Yes, between the Osburn, Napoleon and Morso you have some good options and all of them have blowers.
 
Another one to look at is the Supreme Fusion 24 insert.
 
Finally installed

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Fill us in on operation/performance details after you have run a few loads through it. It certainly has a nice fire view.
 
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Very nice! I like that you were able to save the stone archwork.

How will you be using the stove? 24/7 heating or mostly nights and weekend burning?
 
>Fill us in on operation/performance details after you have run a few loads through it. It certainly has a nice fire view.

I don't really have a reference point since this is my first functional fireplace as an adult. Its been easy to start - much easier than the open fireplace we had growing up. As others have stated, its single burn rate and won't be able to keep a fire going over night but thats not something I need. Its for night and weekends...but given the pandemic I might use it while working from home as well.

With one log the heat is pretty gentle, 3-4 is where is starts to kick off a good amount of heat. Its in a large room with a lot of brick work so I wonder if those absorb some of the heat.

I can definitely see the advantage of going with something with more control but I had a set of parameters I was working within. The most efficient option would have been to omit using the fireplace.

I'm very happy with the look of the fireplace as you can see more of it than you could before with the screen in place. Its more 3 dimentional now. The screen is likely to live its life in the basement....might make appearances during the summer.

Anyway, my wife saw this as a quixotic adventure and at some points it was but now that its here I think she enjoys it as much as I do. Its definitely something that makes the home feel distinctly ours. I'm well aware that I'm recreating a childhood memory and its damn comforting after a crazy and difficult year.

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Oh, one question - The space directly above the stove isn't sealed off - the space where the flue used to be. I'm curious if that would be worth pursuing to make the whole system more efficient. The installers didn't say anything about it so perhaps its fine.
 
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Oh, one question - The space directly above the stove isn't sealed off - the space where the flue used to be. I'm curious if that would be worth pursuing to make the whole system more efficient. The installers didn't say anything about it so perhaps its fine.

Research, block off plate, here on this forum. The benefit of installing one would likely be well worth the effort.

Nice that your efforts have been well received from your other half.

If your working from home it sounds like a perfect opportunity to get some serious use out of the new unit. You definitely get the required winter weather!
 
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After you have run the stove for a month, can you post a review in the Stove Reviews section? We don't see many Stuvs here.

For best heating, there should be an insulate block-off plate installed above, in the damper area. That will keep much more heat in the room.
 
I have something I need to investigate. The house smells a bit like campfire when we use the fireplace. Not some of the time but all of the time. My parents also have a wood burning stove and its noticeable to me how they do NOT have this. My main concern is that we would be breathing unhealthy levels of particulate matter when we use our fireplace.

I suspect my next step is to talk to the installers but I'd like to have some expectations before I talk to them.

Initially I thought I might need to check the air quality but now I'm thinking that smell alone should be enough to indicate a problem.

I have some ideas regarding what may need to be done but I think I'd prefer to hear from others first.

What am I likely in for?
 
Is there another fireplace in the house on another floor?
 
Did they install a full insulated liner and clean the existing fireplace flue before installing the liner?
 
Is there another fireplace in the house on another floor?

There's only one fireplace.



Did they install a full insulated liner and clean the existing fireplace flue before installing the liner?

I suspect 'no' to both.

I did thoroughly clean the fireplace. It hadn't been used in 2+ decades or so. The installers didn't tell me they cleaned the flue so I guess I should assume they didn't.
 
The installers didn't tell me they cleaned the flue so I guess I should assume they didn't.
That is a necessity. Not doing so could lead to some very serious problems. You don't want creosote build-up to ignite in the sealed chimney with no access.
 
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I would assume then that the smell is probably coming from the old flue, smokeshelf, or some other area of the smoke path.
 
I purchased the Stuv 16 insert, my first insert and woodstove for that matter. I'm finding it somewhat challenging to get the fire going to full inferno, you have to keep the door open for a long time to feed it air and the logs must be well split, but once it gets there I get a lot of heat. Far more than an open fire. My installer did not create a vent to the outside, I may ask that he redo the installation to take that recommendation into account.

Also, I was forewarned that there would be an initial burnoff of solvents, which happened. But then I also had the same problem Rasputin mentioned of the house filling with woodsmoke, triggering the fire alarms. This despite the insert window being closed. Not sure where to go from here, will contact the seller / installer.
 
The MF Fire Nova is now available with top vent as well. I have the rear vent Nova, and love it. But their newsletter said that Nova can be top vented as well.
 
Also, I see people trashing single burn rate stoves frequently on here, but we don't have any complaints about lack of control with our Nova. I was skeptical originally too and MF Fire told me you can help to adjust heat by how much wood you load and how often. We don't have any issues doing that. Super easy and it works.
 
Rasputin and stuved: also considering the Stuv 16-in and would be interested in any updates/thoughts on A) the smoke smell you mention and B) any additional thoughts on how much heat they kick out w/o a blower. I'm concerned that the lack of blower will leave me with a $6000 accessory in my living room rather than a functional heater.

Also considering the Morso 5660, but it appears they might be having COVID-related supply chain issues?
 
As a Morso owner I would wait.
Do you have the 5660 by chance? My main question with that one is actually the opposite as the Stuv - whether or not it needs the optional blower. I've seen a couple of places online that say the convection is very strong and the blower is virtually unnecessary.