Just moved into an old house in Iowa that has a masonry/brick fireplace. House was originally built in 1900, but I'm not sure the fireplace is that old -- but, it's definitely old. It's a pretty large opening of about 39" wide and 29" tall (actual brick opening measurements). It's about 23" deep at the base. The inner facing wall is about 23" wide and 22" high. My hearth is 7 3/4" raised from our carpeted floor. There is another 3" lip from the hearth to the fire place floor. The hearth is 19 3/4" deep.
It does appear that there is a metal insert of some sort already in the masonry burning chamber (see pics) and a round damper. I don't know the diameter of the damper. The home inspector said the chimney was lined and in good condition.
It's very cold here in Iowa and I'd like a fireplace that's more efficient and can more effectively take the burden off our propane furnace. I don't know that I necessarily want wood to be my primary source of heat, but I'd like it to be a strong contributor. The fireplace is in the main living area downstairs of a 2-story home. The finished square feet is around 2,200, with probably around 1,500 ft2 downstairs with the remainder upstairs distributed among a bunch of individual rooms (4 bedrooms, bath, laundry).
I'd like to get a wood burning insert and I prefer the kind that protrude into the room and onto the hearth ... the opposite of flush mount. I'd like there to be a top to the stove that's prominent enough to place cast iron kettle, etc. Examples include the IronStrike Montlake 230 and 300 and the Regency i2500. I'm having a difficult time finding any additional alternatives. I'd also like medium to large size, with boxes in the 2.3 - 3.0 ft3 range ... and able to handle 18" wood.
I don't have any strong opinions on catalyst or not. I'd probably prefer not, just due to initial cost and ongoing complexity (though proponents swear that there isn't any additional maintenance or complexity). This is already going to be very expensive, so I'd like to limit costs where I can.
Based on my needs/wants and the various dimensions given above (and shown below in pics), I was looking for:
Front view of showing the offset fireplace. The right side is 8.5" between fireplace wall and the edge of the brick. The brick continues uninterupted to the roof. The wood ledge is inserted into the brick with on brick's depth and sits 48" above the hearth. Fireplace itself (not the old crappy bronze facade) is 39" W x 29" H x 23" D
Here you can see the 7 3/4" that the hearth is raised from the carpeted floor. Also, you can see the 3" step up from the hearth to the floor of the fireplace chamber.
Looking up the back of the fireplace. The left side of this image is the front of the fireplace and the right side of this image is the back wall of the fireplace. The damper is round, but I can't tell the diameter without getting really, really dirty. You can see the metal lining here.
View of the inside. You can the metal lining on the left side of this picture, as well as the running across the front here.
Pic of the chimney on the roof.
Chimney on the roof.
It does appear that there is a metal insert of some sort already in the masonry burning chamber (see pics) and a round damper. I don't know the diameter of the damper. The home inspector said the chimney was lined and in good condition.
It's very cold here in Iowa and I'd like a fireplace that's more efficient and can more effectively take the burden off our propane furnace. I don't know that I necessarily want wood to be my primary source of heat, but I'd like it to be a strong contributor. The fireplace is in the main living area downstairs of a 2-story home. The finished square feet is around 2,200, with probably around 1,500 ft2 downstairs with the remainder upstairs distributed among a bunch of individual rooms (4 bedrooms, bath, laundry).
I'd like to get a wood burning insert and I prefer the kind that protrude into the room and onto the hearth ... the opposite of flush mount. I'd like there to be a top to the stove that's prominent enough to place cast iron kettle, etc. Examples include the IronStrike Montlake 230 and 300 and the Regency i2500. I'm having a difficult time finding any additional alternatives. I'd also like medium to large size, with boxes in the 2.3 - 3.0 ft3 range ... and able to handle 18" wood.
I don't have any strong opinions on catalyst or not. I'd probably prefer not, just due to initial cost and ongoing complexity (though proponents swear that there isn't any additional maintenance or complexity). This is already going to be very expensive, so I'd like to limit costs where I can.
Based on my needs/wants and the various dimensions given above (and shown below in pics), I was looking for:
- Recommendations on inserts that have an interior profile and a top deep enough to accommodate a pot
- Comments on hearth depth required for (1) above. For example, IronStrike has a spec of 18" of hearth + the 10" that the Montlake 300 extends ... thus a hearth would need to be at least 28" per the instructions. That seems egregious to me, but maybe that's normal?
- I'm on the fence about DIY. Running a liner seems pretty difficult, particularly for a 2-story chimney. I'd also need to run some sort of power into the fireplace for the insert's blower (cords running out and across my floor won't work). So, it's a big job that I'm not sure I'm interested in. Still, are there any things that jump out from the descriptions or pictures that an installer (me or professional) should know about, look for, be aware of?
- Additional comments?
Front view of showing the offset fireplace. The right side is 8.5" between fireplace wall and the edge of the brick. The brick continues uninterupted to the roof. The wood ledge is inserted into the brick with on brick's depth and sits 48" above the hearth. Fireplace itself (not the old crappy bronze facade) is 39" W x 29" H x 23" D
Here you can see the 7 3/4" that the hearth is raised from the carpeted floor. Also, you can see the 3" step up from the hearth to the floor of the fireplace chamber.
Looking up the back of the fireplace. The left side of this image is the front of the fireplace and the right side of this image is the back wall of the fireplace. The damper is round, but I can't tell the diameter without getting really, really dirty. You can see the metal lining here.
View of the inside. You can the metal lining on the left side of this picture, as well as the running across the front here.
Pic of the chimney on the roof.
Chimney on the roof.