Thanks for all the advice a few months ago. I still have some questions regarding sizing, and new questions regarding installation in an exterior chase.
We're building a new construction log home. 6" thick pine logs, 1200sf main floor with 30x20 open to roof great room, where the fireplace will be installed on the eaves side, the other half of the first floor has 2 bedrooms, bath, kitchen. Above the bedrooms is an open loft, and below all is a full walkout basement.
Our intent is to use our unlimited supply of oak as our primary heating source, and efficiency is not critical. We do realize that temperatures will not be consistent from room to room when the wood fireplace is near one end of the house, so we're looking for ducted models to help equalize temperatures. We'll also place the furnace thermostat and remote sensor in these closed rooms to ensure they remain comfortable.
We've considered a wood stove instead of a wood fireplace, but with the eventual likelihood of grandchildren and puppies romping about the room, we want to avoid the large safety dead zone that a freestanding stove creates. We live with that now, and it's sometimes a challenge.
The log walls are considered to be equivalent to highly insulated walls as there is no infiltration, and the ceiling is R-49. The basement walls that are below grade as well as the basement floor will be insulated, the windows and doors will feature insulated glass rated for our northern Michigan climate. According to the HVAC quotes, for an LP furnace we'd be looking at about 76 KBTU actual output.
We went to a fireplace store, but the salespeople couldn't answer some of my questions.
1. Installing the fireplace flush to the wall - I understand that we need to cut logs out to meet the chamber requirements for the stove we choose, and install non-combustible framing and finishing materials in their place on the interior of the log wall. But on the exterior of the log wall, what if any protection is required between the logs and the insulated chimney, between the insulated chimney and the chase, and are firestops in the chase often used?
2. Is it better to continue the chase up to the roofline (we're not building a "fake" chimney box around the insulated chimney pipe above the roofline to avoid excessive shade cast on the solar panels) or put a sloped roof on a short chase and continue the insulated chimney through the eaves exposed?
3. Does the chase need to be insulated or built of non-combustible materials? I imagine there is the potential for significant heat loss from around the wood fireplace into the chase when not in use.
The house will be lovely, but chimney aesthetics are not a priority. The chimney and chase will be facing the property line and forest, and will rarely be seen.
The plan shows "wood burning fireplace insert" but we will not be constructing a masonry fireplace.
We're building a new construction log home. 6" thick pine logs, 1200sf main floor with 30x20 open to roof great room, where the fireplace will be installed on the eaves side, the other half of the first floor has 2 bedrooms, bath, kitchen. Above the bedrooms is an open loft, and below all is a full walkout basement.
Our intent is to use our unlimited supply of oak as our primary heating source, and efficiency is not critical. We do realize that temperatures will not be consistent from room to room when the wood fireplace is near one end of the house, so we're looking for ducted models to help equalize temperatures. We'll also place the furnace thermostat and remote sensor in these closed rooms to ensure they remain comfortable.
We've considered a wood stove instead of a wood fireplace, but with the eventual likelihood of grandchildren and puppies romping about the room, we want to avoid the large safety dead zone that a freestanding stove creates. We live with that now, and it's sometimes a challenge.
The log walls are considered to be equivalent to highly insulated walls as there is no infiltration, and the ceiling is R-49. The basement walls that are below grade as well as the basement floor will be insulated, the windows and doors will feature insulated glass rated for our northern Michigan climate. According to the HVAC quotes, for an LP furnace we'd be looking at about 76 KBTU actual output.
We went to a fireplace store, but the salespeople couldn't answer some of my questions.
1. Installing the fireplace flush to the wall - I understand that we need to cut logs out to meet the chamber requirements for the stove we choose, and install non-combustible framing and finishing materials in their place on the interior of the log wall. But on the exterior of the log wall, what if any protection is required between the logs and the insulated chimney, between the insulated chimney and the chase, and are firestops in the chase often used?
2. Is it better to continue the chase up to the roofline (we're not building a "fake" chimney box around the insulated chimney pipe above the roofline to avoid excessive shade cast on the solar panels) or put a sloped roof on a short chase and continue the insulated chimney through the eaves exposed?
3. Does the chase need to be insulated or built of non-combustible materials? I imagine there is the potential for significant heat loss from around the wood fireplace into the chase when not in use.
The house will be lovely, but chimney aesthetics are not a priority. The chimney and chase will be facing the property line and forest, and will rarely be seen.
The plan shows "wood burning fireplace insert" but we will not be constructing a masonry fireplace.
