Just wondering everyones opinion here..
After a bunch of research, my wife and I have decided on a Clydesdale insert. Here are the main reasons for the insert purchase:
1. Enjoy our fireplace and the atmosphere it provides, instead of making our house actually colder...
2. Off set some of our heating bill
3. Get rid of the old hideous brass glass door
4. My friend is a tree surgeon and I can get all the free wood I need
I work from home about 2 - 3 days per week, and I figure at most we'll use the insert over the weekend and when I am home (say 4 days per week when its really cold at most. We have a 2 story 2500 sq feet colonial. The insert would go in the family room which is open to the kitchen and adjacant to open hallway to the 2nd floor. We should get pretty good airfloe.
After reading a whole bunch of posts, we are starting to re-think this, and here is why.
1. We live in Central Jersey, and have two zone gas heat...It doesnt get much cheaper than that and its not below freezing here for 5 months out of the year.
2. All these posts about over heating, checking the water content on your wood, and sweeping the liner every month is making us think this may be too much hassle for us. I realize there is a learner curve, and there are hundreds of people who run their inserts everyday with no issues that dont post here, but still, I dont want to be tied to the house every weekend because I dont want to run the insert low when I leave for 20 minutes to go to the store and get tons of cresote...like wise, I dont want to have to climb on the rough every month to clean the liner.
I'd love to hear from some "casual" users who dont run there inserts 24/7 to offset a huge oil bill....I totally understand how all of the above makes that worth it....
Thanks so much!
After a bunch of research, my wife and I have decided on a Clydesdale insert. Here are the main reasons for the insert purchase:
1. Enjoy our fireplace and the atmosphere it provides, instead of making our house actually colder...
2. Off set some of our heating bill
3. Get rid of the old hideous brass glass door
4. My friend is a tree surgeon and I can get all the free wood I need
I work from home about 2 - 3 days per week, and I figure at most we'll use the insert over the weekend and when I am home (say 4 days per week when its really cold at most. We have a 2 story 2500 sq feet colonial. The insert would go in the family room which is open to the kitchen and adjacant to open hallway to the 2nd floor. We should get pretty good airfloe.
After reading a whole bunch of posts, we are starting to re-think this, and here is why.
1. We live in Central Jersey, and have two zone gas heat...It doesnt get much cheaper than that and its not below freezing here for 5 months out of the year.
2. All these posts about over heating, checking the water content on your wood, and sweeping the liner every month is making us think this may be too much hassle for us. I realize there is a learner curve, and there are hundreds of people who run their inserts everyday with no issues that dont post here, but still, I dont want to be tied to the house every weekend because I dont want to run the insert low when I leave for 20 minutes to go to the store and get tons of cresote...like wise, I dont want to have to climb on the rough every month to clean the liner.
I'd love to hear from some "casual" users who dont run there inserts 24/7 to offset a huge oil bill....I totally understand how all of the above makes that worth it....
Thanks so much!