Hi Folks. I have been reading around for a bit now and have decided to make a post.
I am considering the hearthstone homestead stove. My research has shown that it is better (then an insert) at heating per wood burned and does not require a blower to achieve results.
My wife is a fan of the clydsdale, though I think we may have to run it too low for our area, and this is what I am not sure about, well among other things.
I do not have the specs with me but the fireplace opening is 27"tall by 34" wide. The fireplace firebox is big enough and wide enough to handle the largest inserts I have seen.
I do not like the idea of the inserts. I just do not want to have to run a blower all the time. I would rather run nice quite ceiling fans to circulate. So far this works well with the fireplace.
So, Question 1: Is there an insert that will get my current fireplace metal plates nice and hot:
If the insert will get the inside of the fireplace red hot then that would be a bonus for me as the masonry has a heatilator in place. This heatilator has vents and blowers built in. While I do not like the noise, one of the vents is in our bathroom and the other is aiming right at the bedroom doors. When we have a red hot fire going, it spreads the heat nicely. My understanding is that the inserts will not get the inside of the fireplace hot enough to work these vents, is that right? If the insert could be made to get the metal plates inside the fireplace hot then I would consider it again.
Question 2: Would the homestead work for our location. It is a 1978 house with a crawl space and basement. We are heating the upper floor. We have been working on insulation and have the bedrooms insulated. I am not sure we will finish insulation in the living room before winter. I may have the crawlspace below the bedrooms insulated before winter, but probably not the basement itself. I plan to put the Hvac T-stat in the basement set to 50F so the pipes do not burst while we are nice and toasty upstairs. We live at 7600 to 7700 feet altitude in the rocky mountains. It regularly gets below 0F with lots of wind and snow. These stoves are rated between 1100sq/ft and 1800sq/ft. We currently have 800sq/ft, but I read somewhere that they are rated for areas that see average temps of 40F. It is June and I wake up to 47F outside. The roof is 9ft tall at the walls and 15 ft tall at the center. Not sure what insulation is up there. Might not get the roof insulated before winter.
Question 3: the fireplace does not support anything at all above the first floor. In the basement it supports a beam. Should I just knock it down to level with the first floor and get a free standing stove. I am so tempted to do this. The house construction is horrible, walls are not square, floors are not level, this is not a fireplace that "adds" value to the home, it is a giant 4' by 8' eye sore. I am 100% sure it supports nothing on the roof at all. If I were to take it down I would add supports to the beam in the basement in-case it crumbled and had to be removed all the way down. I would only do this with plans in hand from a structural engineer so do not worry that I would go in blind.
Question 4:
What other stoves out there besides the homestead can be mounted hearth mount like the homestead? I would like other models or brands to compare, the homestead is the only one I have seen so far ( probably because I like the looks and have not looked around yet)
Question 5:
We plan to burn 24/7 once winter hits. Is a soap stone stove going to put out enough strong heat to heat this old leaky house in one of the coldest places out there.
Question 6:
Has anyone ever routed their stoves output directly into a forced air heat system's intake to spread the heat through the house?
Question 7: The dealer I spoke to when I asked him if he would pull all the permits for the install he said: "We do not pull permits. If you want to pay the county money to inspect it that is up to you" Should I run? I thought that was a bit unprofessional, should not their insurance require them to pull a permit? would my homeowners not want a permit?
We have up to $8,000 to spend on the whole adventure, but I do not want to just throw the money away, most of all I just want to make sure we are plenty comfortable in any room in our house all winter long while using as little wood as possible. I buy dry beetle kill from a local wood supply place, and we are chopping and stacking our own trees over the summer for winter 2017. It is all pine out here, I have a lot of cedar on my 5 acres. I do not want to depend on propane deliveries to stay warm. I do have a backup generator so I can do a blower, but prefer not to run the generator all night to stay warm during the 1 to 2 week power outs we get here.
Here is a video of the outside of the house. Note prep work was done on that tree prior to the start of the video.
I am considering the hearthstone homestead stove. My research has shown that it is better (then an insert) at heating per wood burned and does not require a blower to achieve results.
My wife is a fan of the clydsdale, though I think we may have to run it too low for our area, and this is what I am not sure about, well among other things.
I do not have the specs with me but the fireplace opening is 27"tall by 34" wide. The fireplace firebox is big enough and wide enough to handle the largest inserts I have seen.
I do not like the idea of the inserts. I just do not want to have to run a blower all the time. I would rather run nice quite ceiling fans to circulate. So far this works well with the fireplace.
So, Question 1: Is there an insert that will get my current fireplace metal plates nice and hot:
If the insert will get the inside of the fireplace red hot then that would be a bonus for me as the masonry has a heatilator in place. This heatilator has vents and blowers built in. While I do not like the noise, one of the vents is in our bathroom and the other is aiming right at the bedroom doors. When we have a red hot fire going, it spreads the heat nicely. My understanding is that the inserts will not get the inside of the fireplace hot enough to work these vents, is that right? If the insert could be made to get the metal plates inside the fireplace hot then I would consider it again.
Question 2: Would the homestead work for our location. It is a 1978 house with a crawl space and basement. We are heating the upper floor. We have been working on insulation and have the bedrooms insulated. I am not sure we will finish insulation in the living room before winter. I may have the crawlspace below the bedrooms insulated before winter, but probably not the basement itself. I plan to put the Hvac T-stat in the basement set to 50F so the pipes do not burst while we are nice and toasty upstairs. We live at 7600 to 7700 feet altitude in the rocky mountains. It regularly gets below 0F with lots of wind and snow. These stoves are rated between 1100sq/ft and 1800sq/ft. We currently have 800sq/ft, but I read somewhere that they are rated for areas that see average temps of 40F. It is June and I wake up to 47F outside. The roof is 9ft tall at the walls and 15 ft tall at the center. Not sure what insulation is up there. Might not get the roof insulated before winter.
Question 3: the fireplace does not support anything at all above the first floor. In the basement it supports a beam. Should I just knock it down to level with the first floor and get a free standing stove. I am so tempted to do this. The house construction is horrible, walls are not square, floors are not level, this is not a fireplace that "adds" value to the home, it is a giant 4' by 8' eye sore. I am 100% sure it supports nothing on the roof at all. If I were to take it down I would add supports to the beam in the basement in-case it crumbled and had to be removed all the way down. I would only do this with plans in hand from a structural engineer so do not worry that I would go in blind.
Question 4:
What other stoves out there besides the homestead can be mounted hearth mount like the homestead? I would like other models or brands to compare, the homestead is the only one I have seen so far ( probably because I like the looks and have not looked around yet)
Question 5:
We plan to burn 24/7 once winter hits. Is a soap stone stove going to put out enough strong heat to heat this old leaky house in one of the coldest places out there.
Question 6:
Has anyone ever routed their stoves output directly into a forced air heat system's intake to spread the heat through the house?
Question 7: The dealer I spoke to when I asked him if he would pull all the permits for the install he said: "We do not pull permits. If you want to pay the county money to inspect it that is up to you" Should I run? I thought that was a bit unprofessional, should not their insurance require them to pull a permit? would my homeowners not want a permit?
We have up to $8,000 to spend on the whole adventure, but I do not want to just throw the money away, most of all I just want to make sure we are plenty comfortable in any room in our house all winter long while using as little wood as possible. I buy dry beetle kill from a local wood supply place, and we are chopping and stacking our own trees over the summer for winter 2017. It is all pine out here, I have a lot of cedar on my 5 acres. I do not want to depend on propane deliveries to stay warm. I do have a backup generator so I can do a blower, but prefer not to run the generator all night to stay warm during the 1 to 2 week power outs we get here.
Here is a video of the outside of the house. Note prep work was done on that tree prior to the start of the video.
