Insert for winter vacation home

[Tom Cat]

I'm looking into an insert for my winter ski house. Currently I mainly spend long weekends there but once I retire, I'll be spending a lot more time in the house for the winter. I realize I won't be saving much on oil if I only run the stove 2-3 days a week but figure some savings now is still worth it with more to come when I spend more time there. I'm new to the forum and new to burning wood and am looking for some advice/suggestions. My house is a double wide with a masonary fireplace at one end of the house. The chimney is around 15-20 feet made of cement blocks and I assume a clay liner. There is a cool drafft from the fireplace. I have found what I think is a decent deal on the PE super insert from a local dealer. My questions:
1) The price I was quoted was $1850 for the stove, $900 for the insulated chimney (25 foot length is the minimum size) and $550 for installation. Stove price looks good, chimney is a bit high I think.
2) Some of the PE reviews complained of a loud fan, but that comment is not present on the newer reviews. Does anyone know if that has been fixed?
3) Will a lot of heat be lost out the back of the stove?
4) Is there any benefit to placing insulation around the exterior of the chimney to reduce the draft?
5) Is it practical to leave it running when I return home for a few days? If I leave it burning, I can get ~8 hours of heat, but then possibly cold air coming down the chimney and into the house.
Any other recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

tom

 

[Moe Hunter]

I put in a PE super insert a month ago. I paid 2800 installed. It has been my only source of heat since it was out in. 1600sq foot rancher. The basement is a little chilly cause its on the main floor. This stove is awesome.

The fan on mine is a little loud I am going to take it out and lubricate it today. Hopefully that works.

Many people say PE makes the best stoves. I don't know about that; however it adequately meets my heating needs.

 

[DanCorcoran]

A block-off plate above the stove will prevent cold air from coming down the chimney into the house. It'll also prevent a lot of heat from going up the chimney when the stove is burning.

 

[Tom Cat]

I put in a PE super insert a month ago. I paid 2800 installed. It has been my only source of heat since it was out in. 1600sq foot rancher. The basement is a little chilly cause its on the main floor. This stove is awesome.

The fan on mine is a little loud I am going to take it out and lubricate it today. Hopefully that works.

Many people say PE makes the best stoves. I don't know about that; however it adequately meets my heating needs.

Moe,

Did the $2800 include any chimney or hearth work? I'm loking at ~$3700 with an insulated chimney and hearth extension. Thanks.

tom

 

[Moe Hunter]

My wife informed me that it was actually 3800. They removed the old screen and capped the chimney. I was at work during the install so I don't know if there was any other work. The hearth was fine though.

I don't know how the sales work but I got him to knock of 200 for the original 4000 quote. I think it was money well spent.

 

[TradEddie]

Remember there's a tax credit this year, no guarantee that it'll be available next year.
While I wouldn't necessarily recommend leaving a fire running in a house when you leave, I always tell my wife I'd prefer the house to burn down when I'm not home...
With properly seasoned wood, you can probably drive away with the air fully closed, and any air leak when the fire goes out is as low as it can be (you can't shut off the air fully on a modern EPA stove).
I would advise getting a block-off plate to prevent drafts around the new liner when the insert isn't running, especially if chimney is on an external wall. Even if the liner is sealed at the top, cold air will travel down the chimney creating its own circulation draft. Few here seem to have this problem, but maybe they burn 24/7, it's the only reason I made a block-off plate.

TE