First time poster, but have been a reader for a few years. About 3 years ago I heated my entire home with a enerzone 2.9 freestanding woodstove. The home was a newer home with a very open floor plan. I then moved to an older 2 story home with a very choppy floor plan. The home does not have a wood stove but does have a large interior fire place. I don't think I will be able to completely heat my home with wood due to the floor plan, but I do think I could supplement it. But more than anything I just really enjoy it. I have always liked the Jotul stoves. I am considering the Jotul 550 rockland insert as well as the Jotul f45 freestanding stove and putting it in the fireplace. I have read a lot of threads regarding inserts vs freestanding stoves. I was hoping to get a few opinions about the pros and cons when the chimney is an interior chimney. One of the factors that makes me like the freestanding option is the jotul f45 appears to be about 1k cheaper than the insert. For that price difference in the future I might would consider putting another stove in another part of the house. Thanks for any advice or input.
Jotul Selection
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Welcome. It sounds like the freestanding F45 may work ok. Can you post a simple floor plan sketch so that we can see what you are up against?
Not sure how to post a sketch. I have a brick colonial style home. Bottom level is broken up into several rooms. The upstairs is 4 bedrooms. The interior fire place is somewhat centrally located in the house. It is in the den and this is where we spend the most time. But as mentioned there are several rooms vs the open floor plan I used to have. I was thinking with the hearth mount stove that I would have a decent amount of heat absorbed by the fireplace and then put back into the house. I will be able to keep the stove going most of the time. I am rarely away from home for long periods of time.
I have read a decent amount regarding hearth mount stoves vs inserts, but cant make up my mind. Due to my floor plan I do think it will be difficult to heat the entire home like i did my last home. I was thinking the chimney being interior vs exterior would make a difference. As mentioned much later I might would even put a second stove at the back side of the house. This is just a thought. oh and the house has an attic.
I have read a decent amount regarding hearth mount stoves vs inserts, but cant make up my mind. Due to my floor plan I do think it will be difficult to heat the entire home like i did my last home. I was thinking the chimney being interior vs exterior would make a difference. As mentioned much later I might would even put a second stove at the back side of the house. This is just a thought. oh and the house has an attic.
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You probably read this in your research, but with an insert a blower is pretty much essential for whole-house heating. Two things I don't like about that are potential noise issues and lack of blower during power outages.
I do think you will get more useful heat and do a better job heating with a free-standing stove. Personally, I like that look better than an insert, too, though many folks feel just the opposite. I have found it very beneficial to have a fan on the floor blowing cool floor air into the hearth, drawing heat off the stove and masonry and pushing it out of the fireplace... my version of a "blower." Again, many folks would prefer a built-in blower, but this system gives me a lot of control and is fairly quiet.
Although you mentioned Jotul, the fact that you are in NC made me think of Buck. Their stoves can be freestanding OR inserts... if you have a big enough fireplace, you could stick the big Buck cat in there and it would probably do the job:
I do think you will get more useful heat and do a better job heating with a free-standing stove. Personally, I like that look better than an insert, too, though many folks feel just the opposite. I have found it very beneficial to have a fan on the floor blowing cool floor air into the hearth, drawing heat off the stove and masonry and pushing it out of the fireplace... my version of a "blower." Again, many folks would prefer a built-in blower, but this system gives me a lot of control and is fairly quiet.
Although you mentioned Jotul, the fact that you are in NC made me think of Buck. Their stoves can be freestanding OR inserts... if you have a big enough fireplace, you could stick the big Buck cat in there and it would probably do the job:
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