Is this true?!

[ForestLady]

Hello, so I am in the process of having a wood burning fireplace put in our log cabin. We have a furnace as our main heat.
I asked for a Majestic Biltmore but they said no because they will suck a bunch of the heat out of the house when not in use, which of course a big deal here in Northern Minnesota.

The fireplaces they recommended were much more expensive; the kind that are used as the main heat source, like a Nap high country 5000.

In this age of modern technology, are there any simple, regular type of zero clearance fireplaces, like the biltmore, that don’t suck a bunch of heat?
I mean, I don’t expect an unsealed fireplace to be perfect, but It was surprising to hear that regular fireplaces are still as bad at sucking heat as they were in the 70’s.

Thanks 😊
Lady

 

[moresnow]

I Falls. Brrrrrrr!
Have you considered a freestanding wood stove? Worth a cost/performance comparison imo. Good luck.

 

[bigealta]

Yes i second freestanding woodstove. Some can operate with the door open if you want the open fire feel sometimes.

 

[Ashful]

Most old fireplaces had a net-negative efficiency, so I guess it’s all relative. If trying to heat a home, as I am, the freestanding stove will always beat a fireplace or insert.

 

[begreen]

Modern EPA fireplaces are good heaters. Some have the same firebox as their freestanding stoves.

If you want a large fireplace, maybe consider the Astria Montecito Classic. It is the only one qualifying for the tax credit. Also look at fireplaces from Quadrafire, RSF, FPX, Pacific Energy, Valcourt, etc. FWIW, we don't see many big Napoleon fireplace installs. In the past, there were reports of issues with the huge and heavy doors. This led to premature wearing or weak hinges and poor sealing where the two doors meet in the center.