Insert recommendations - Settled on Jotul 450 due to space considerations, looking for input.

[CT-Mike]

The wife and I are starting to research inserts for next winter's heating season. We went to the local joint today and looked at the Quadrafire 5100i and the Jotul 550. What other options are out there and what do you recommend?

The house is 1850 sq. ft, fireplace dimensions are:

- 35" wide at the opening
- 26" high (to the bottom of the brickwork)
- 22 1/4 wide at the back wall
- 21" deep at the bottom (19.5" deep at the top of the opening - rear wall slopes inward?)


We do not have the room for a hearth mount stove, and so we must go with an insert.

Thanks for any and all help,

Mike

 

[jadm]

CT-Mike - Someone ran a similar topic you might like to check out. It's title is ' Jotul Oslo and 550 overnight burn times'. It is currently on page three. Several of us with 550's responded there.

To get info. from Quadrafire owners try running a topic specifically for Quadrafire 5100i owners so you can find out how they like their inserts. Their input will probably be more accurate than ours because that unit has been around longer than the 550. Most of us are in the beginning stages of learning how to operate our units and I know I really can't offer any advice yet because I am so new at this. Give me at least a year

 

[jtp10181]

I can't compare the two but if you have any questions about the 5100i I can answer them.

 

[CT-Mike]

jtp,

Thanks for the response. How does the 5100i work for you? Are you able to get overnight burns out of it, problems you have had, etc? I am just getting into this and looking to gather as much info as I can to try and minimize any buyer's remorse.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[jtp10181]

Sorry, I don't actually have any wood burning appliance but I do work with fireplaces and Quad products daily. I can give you some info about an experience with our most recent 5100i customer.

The lower grille kept falling off no mater how tight the screw was made. It is a silly design, but was easily fixed by me by adding a washer behind the screw to give it more grip on the grille.

The left and right bay glass windows were really black. This customer was burning sub-par wood but I did not see an air wash on those side glass windows. Their stove was 400 deg when I arrived so I could not stick my head in it to check. After burning some wood we brought there the front glass was staying clean but the side windows did not improve much. I have a feeling with good wood it would stay cleaner.

They claimed they could not get enough heat out of it! Problem was the outside walls of the house were 60F. It was 62F on their stat when I got there and after cranking the stove for about an hour I raised it to 65F. The ceiling above the unit was 90F! I think their claim was partially due to heat loss and partially due to the wet & rotten wood they were burning. IMO it put out tons of heat, the guy I brought with me was like 6ft back and said if he sat any closer he would fall asleep.

I can't attest to overnight burns but that is basically going to depends on firebox size. With the big firebox and Quads proven secondary burn system overnight burns should be attainable with the right wood and burn rate settings. As with any stove good overnight burns will require a learning process by trial and error.

You can see a thread I started regarding issues with this last install here: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/16212/

 

[grizzly2]

If you would like to burn 24/7 and produce substantial heat all night, consider going to a coal insert. Coal is low labor and cleaner than wood.

 

[CT-Mike]

Well after making a paper template of the bottom of the fireplace, I can not use either the 5100i or the 550. So we have decided on the Jotul 450. I would appreciate any advice, tips, experiences (positive and negative) that any owners of the Jotul 450 may have.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[boostnut]

Mike, I've now been thru a few winters with my 450 (along with my next-door neighbor). My original preference was to have a freestanding stove but it only made sense to use an insert in my case. Both of us have been impressed at the amount of heat and length of burns we've acheived with the 450. A 10 hour burn time is a daily occurence for both of us.
I currently have but 1 complaint with this unit. In order to clean the liner you must do 1 of 2 things, either pull the entire unit out of the fireplace OR drop the top baffle inside the stove. It makes no sense to pull the whole insert (to me) so I have dropped the baffle each year to clean the liner. It sounds simple but because of the weight of the baffle it is a challange.
I learned immediately that good, dry wood is very important if you plan to see your fire. The air wash works fine to keep the glass clean IF your wood is dry. Stay at least a year ahead on your wood supply and you'll be happy with your purchase. Good luck and dont feel like you're making a compromise, you're buying one of the best looking and best built inserts out there. Aaron