Insert - or - freestanding on the hearth ???

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Not familiar. Can a person run a Sooteater up through a fireplace insert?
Yes. Though the specifics escape me as I have never owned an insert. Others on here do, and I believe some use a sooteater.
 
As long as you can run the rods of the Sooteater through the door of the insert and up the chimney without any sharp bends, it should work.
 
You need to get a model where the baffle or burn tubes can easily be removed to access the chimney from the firebox. The PEs are easy and a coworker told me that this is possible with his Jotul, too. I am not sure about a Regency with its burn tubes but someone who has one may chime in.
Please be aware that the PE Vista is a small stove/insert. I doubt it will heat your place sufficiently but you will not get overnight burns for sure. For that you will have to go up in firebox size e. g. with the PE Super. Looking at the inside of your chimney, I am still unclear how you can get a 6 inch wide liner in there. The screws used to attach the metal "tiles" may prove to be a major obstacle and potentially tear your liner apart. Plus, you will have a metal liner on a metal surround and loose a lot of heat that way leading to creosote formation. Putting an insert in that fireplace will be a real challenge.
 
Possible access to a second-hand, affordable Lopi Revere insert. Any thoughts? That's where I'm leaning right now.
 
Not a bad choice, Lopi make good stoves. The bypass will help with starting. Inspect the interior of the stove closely with a bright light. Look for warped, sagging or cracked burn tubes. Inspect the secondary manifold that supplies them too. Check the exterior for any whitish spots in the paint.
 
A 2.2 cu ft stove. Sounds like a good choice. Take BeGreen's advice and inspect the stove.
 
As of today, a Lopi Revere insert has been procured. It really is as perfect a fit for this particular fireplace as I could ask for. A relative is bringing it down here in a week or so. I'll do a new thread, with photos, of the install. Hopefully I'll be bragging, not seeking "how to fix" advice. Thanks for all the thoughtful input so far.
 
As of today, a Lopi Revere insert has been procured. It really is as perfect a fit for this particular fireplace as I could ask for. A relative is bringing it down here in a week or so. I'll do a new thread, with photos, of the install. Hopefully I'll be bragging, not seeking "how to fix" advice. Thanks for all the thoughtful input so far.

Awesome! Congratulations. I hope it works out really well well you.
 
Did you end up with the Revere?
I'm sorry I didn't see this thread when it came up, because 1) Your house is SO COOL, I love seeing those pics and 2) This would have been my perfect chance to beat my drum of certain inserts (the Revere being one of them) giving you some of the advantages of a freestanding stove while taking up less of a footprint (and less revision to the house) than a freestanding might. I also particularly like the idea of inserts with the surrounds left off, so they appear more like freestanding stoves too. Here's a link where I had a bunch of pics of this, but it looks like many of the pictures didn't make the transition to the new forum. Some did though. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/inserts-without-the-surrounds-pics-or-advice.45405/page-2
 
Did you end up with the Revere?
I'm sorry I didn't see this thread when it came up, because 1) Your house is SO COOL, I love seeing those pics and 2) This would have been my perfect chance to beat my drum of certain inserts (the Revere being one of them) giving you some of the advantages of a freestanding stove while taking up less of a footprint (and less revision to the house) than a freestanding might. I also particularly like the idea of inserts with the surrounds left off, so they appear more like freestanding stoves too. Here's a link where I had a bunch of pics of this, but it looks like many of the pictures didn't make the transition to the new forum. Some did though. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/inserts-without-the-surrounds-pics-or-advice.45405/page-2
great comments. It would seem clear that for a given quantity of fuel burned that more heat will enter the room from a freestanding stove than an insert.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.