insert inside fireplace or freestanding

[snaple4]

OP, you are getting a lot of feedback, I wish you luck

Anyways, you are getting some suggestions on having two fireplaces running. I think this is a great idea but for someone who is new to wood stoves (I installed mine 2-3 weeks ago) having just one stove is enough. Once you get use to a wood stove then add a second if needed. Your HVAC system will pick up the slack if any.

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[Poindexter]

Voted freestander, you are far enough north to not fool around.

Drawing of all three levels floor plan please. Crayon on construction paper cell phone jpeg is fine.

 

[weatherguy]

In our last house, my husband and I opted to put an insert in the existing fireplace for a few reasons. 1). Our basement was cold. If we set the thermostat to where the main level was comfortable, the basement was not. 2) We wanted to eliminate the fireplace as a source of drafts into the basement. 3) We didn’t have another good spot for a freestanding stove without much more extensive hearth work than we were willing to do. After we installed the stove, the basement became everybody’s favorite place during winter.

We wanted an insert that was as much like a stove as we could manage, though, and so we particularly chose one that stuck out ten inches from the fireplace. We built a little hearth extension with leftover tiles. We did use a blower on it as that helped move the heat around our house much better.

Your house and layout sound like you would benefit from more than one source of wood heat. I do like freestanding stoves, but I also like turning fireplaces into something efficient. What I wondered when reading your post is whether one part of your house is harder to heat than another. Would that part see more use if you located a stove/insert there?

Whether he puts an insert or free stander his fireplace will be more efficient. Mines more efficient than an insert so either way it will be more efficient. In fact I get more heat than the insert so a free stranded is more efficient.

 

[illini81]

Lots of votes on here for a free stander, and I don’t at all think a free stander is a bad choice. But please don’t feel like an insert is a bad choice either. There are definitely some very efficient inserts out there that can give you big heat and long burn times.

I just bought my first stove, and was at first convinced that I needed to get a free stander. However, after a few months of trying to figure out where to place the free stander, we ended up deciding it just wouldn’t work with the layout of our house unless we made major changes. We bought an insert and have been amazed at how well it heats our 2400 sqft Colonial. It can heat the whole house until average temps consistently get down to about 15 degrees. It could heat the house at colder temps, but it takes more work and attention than we’re willing to give at this point.

Here are a few of the large inserts (2.5 cu ft +). All of these inserts extend partially into the room, which helps with heat transfer to the room.

1. Pacific Energy Summit
   • 3 cuft firebox
     
   • Lots of happy summit owners on hearth.com. One of the most popular large inserts.
     
   • I believe people have reported burn times as long as 14 hrs in the shoulder season.
     
2. Enviro Boston/Kodiak/Venice
   • 2.5 cuft firebox
     
   • I bought the Boston. The Kodiak and Venice are essentially the same stove with different aesthetics. It’s rated for 3000 sqft. I believe that it could heat 3000 sqft, but not year round in your climate.
     
   • I easily get 10-11 hr burn times, and have gotten as long as 12.5 hr burn times.
     
3. Blazeking Princess
   • 2.85 cuft firebox
     
   • Another one of the most popular inserts on hearth.com
     
   • Catalytic stove, so you get crazy long burn times. I believe in the 24-30 hr range in the shoulder season.

A question that I'm not sure anyone has asked yet - how well is your house insulated? This will actually be one of the most important factors in the performance of your stove.

 

[kellnoon]

Are you planning on burning this year? If so, do you have any seasoned wood to burn?

Since you are new to woodburning, my 2 cents would be to 1. Resist the urge to buy anything this year, 2. Start accumulating wood as quickly as you can, 3. Spend the next six or so months researching stoves/inserts on hearth.com, and then finally 3. Buy a stove sometime in the Summer/Fall.

I also believe you're going to want two stoves. If you are patient, and are willing to go the used stove route, it is very possible that you could find some really good deals on Craigslist. Could end up with two stoves for the price of one.

Welcome to hearth.com!

We will burn this year. We will order in our friends bio bricks delivery next month for this season and buy cord wood from a local guy now for next season. I have been looking at craigs list too and there are some options there.

 

[kellnoon]

Whether he puts an insert or free stander his fireplace will be more efficient. Mines more efficient than an insert so either way it will be more efficient. In fact I get more heat than the insert so a free stranded is more efficient.

Is that a woodstock stove that you have? Their factory is about an hour from our house and I was thinking of making the trip next week to check it out.

 

[kellnoon]

Thanks everyone. At the moment we are thinking the main level will be the place for our wood stove. We spend the majority of our time there and would like to get enough heat up to the bedrooms in the evenings. We do have zoned heating with one of the zones being the basement. Still trying to decide between a stove and an insert - thank you for all the suggestions. A local dealer has the Pacific Energy Summit Inserts and then the woodstock factory store is only about an hour from our house so I think we will start with looking into those two options.

 

[illini81]

We will burn this year. We will order in our friends bio bricks delivery next month for this season and buy cord wood from a local guy now for next season. I have been looking at craigs list too and there are some options there.

Sounds like you've thought things through!

 

[weatherguy]

Is that a woodstock stove that you have? Their factory is about an hour from our house and I was thinking of making the trip next week to check it out.

Yes it is, if your that close check them out.

 

[snaple4]

An insert would be an easier option upstairs from what it looks like because of your wood floor. Unless you end up with a top vent stove that is short enough to fit inside the current fireplace.

I have the regency i2400 (medium insert) and it works great. Purchased used for a very good price. I wanted one that my wife would tolerate the visually and I could cook on it. A larger one might be nice down the road but for now this works just fine for me.


I have a 2700 sft 40+ year old house split into 3 section on 2 floors. Lots of window and air sealing wasn't a thought during construction. Our insert is in the downstairs kitchen/dining area. It heats up the kitchen area nicely but struggles with any other part of my house due to the construction design/layout of the house. I spend almost all my time in the kitchen anyways.

 

[yooper08]

Whether he puts an insert or free stander his fireplace will be more efficient. Mines more efficient than an insert so either way it will be more efficient. In fact I get more heat than the insert so a free stranded is more efficient.

Not necessarily, let's not generalize the free standing stove vs insert conversation just based on what you've had, which I imagine were very different from each other and not just the fact one was an insert and the other is a stove. The Progress is more efficient than many free standing stoves and by EPA numbers puts out a higher heating value than them as well, so either way it will be more efficient than those and put out more heat, too, and they aren't inserts. But definitely agree that an insert or free standing stove will be a heck of a lot better than a fireplace.

 

[firefighterjake]

Thanks everyone. At the moment we are thinking the main level will be the place for our wood stove. We spend the majority of our time there and would like to get enough heat up to the bedrooms in the evenings. We do have zoned heating with one of the zones being the basement. Still trying to decide between a stove and an insert - thank you for all the suggestions. A local dealer has the Pacific Energy Summit Inserts and then the woodstock factory store is only about an hour from our house so I think we will start with looking into those two options.

Both of the brands you listed are very well liked here.

 

[Zack R]

Be sure to compare costs of inserts vs freestanding. Also consider ease of use, for example on my Jotul F45 there is no ashpan and it only has one air control. It's easy to clean (less messy than an ashpan in my opinion) and the single air control simplifies the burning process.

In addition I highly recommend a stove that loads north/south, meaning the logs go in lengthwise vs sideways. With this configuration its easier to stack a full load of wood and none if it will fall out when you open the door. I'm not sure if its just the stove or the north south loading but the F45 always has clean glass (and I burn 100% pine). Once every few weeks I wipe the glass with a wet paper towel while the glass is warm but not too hot to touch (no sizzling) and it looks brand new.

Last but not least consider a jacketed stove that has a steel body with cast iron plating around it. I don't have experience with fully cast iron stoves but I know with the jacketed stove I get the advantage of the cast iron thermal mass (even heat over time) with the advantage of the steel body (no gaskets to worry about).

 

[illini81]

Not necessarily, let's not generalize the free standing stove vs insert conversation just based on what you've had, which I imagine were very different from each other and not just the fact one was an insert and the other is a stove. The Progress is more efficient than many free standing stoves and by EPA numbers puts out a higher heating value than them as well, so either way it will be more efficient than those and put out more heat, too, and they aren't inserts. But definitely agree that an insert or free standing stove will be a heck of a lot better than a fireplace.

Agree with this. I can't say that I fully understand the efficiency numbers put out for stoves, since I haven't really looked into how they are calculated. Personally, I don't put much stock into single numbers that are intended to capture the big picture performance of any machine. It's just too hard for a single number to capture all of the variables.

That being said, I just looked it up, and my insert has a higher published efficiency (84.7%) than the progress hybrid (81%).

 

[yooper08]

The efficiency number is calculated as follows:

1. Measure total energy input from wood
   
2. Measure total energy output from wood (combustion efficiency multiplied by #1 minus losses)
3. Divide #1 by #2 to get overall heating efficiency (BTUs put in vs BTUs put out)
   
4. Divide #3 by combustion efficiency

What this measures is total heat that is actually transferred by the system.

As an example, if we put in 100,000 units of energy (#1) and get back 86,000 units (#2), we have an 86% overall heating efficiency (#3). If we had a 96% combustion efficiency, we transferred 89.6% of the available heat (#4) and that's the efficiency rating a stove/insert would get. If we were able to capture all of the available heat (100% efficiency), we would have gotten back 96,000 units in #2.

 

[wisewelding]

Hello - I’m hoping to get some opinions on installing either an insert or a free standing wood stove for a home we purchased this December. It’s been a cold start to our winter here in Vermont and we’ve decided to move forward with putting in another primary heating source after recovering from the shock of how much propane we’ve used already! Last night I was leaning towards an Osburn 2400 but now we’ve been told to consider a free standing by neighbors.

The house is just under 3,000 square feet – finished basement with 2 additional stories - cathedral ceilings in the entry way then 12 foot ceilings throughout the rest of the house. Very open with 3 ceiling fans on main level and 4 on upper level. None in the basement.

We have a two fireplaces and the chimney runs along the exterior of the house. Both have a height clearance of 34” . I forgot to measure the hearth extension this morning but I have a picture here. My first question is - where should we put it? The basement fireplace or the main floor? The second is should we purchase a free standing stove or an insert. Slashing our propane bill is the most important thing then space and aesthetics is second. I’ve never considered a wood stove until a few days ago so please pardon if I’m leaving out information that would be needed to answer these questions. Any personal experiences and opinions would be greatly appreciated! Many of our friends have told use a free standing stove is the way to go, but none of them have put them in an existing fireplace.

You will be happier with a free standing wood stove. .. but never put a tv over and open fire... smoke will put a smokey film on screen. .

If you insert you will lose heat going up the chimney. ... do to the reason people slid it in tofar... for EPA.. reason. ... freestanding anytime you can.....

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