Hello, I am new to the site and looking for some good advice on a new Wood Burning Fireplace Insert. I have a large fireplace opening and I think most if not all inserts will work. The dimensions are: 43" Width opening, 34" width at back of fireplace, 28" opening height, 21" depth and the only issue I have is the extension onto hearth is only 12" which I can fix with one of the hearths that they sell at fireplace stores. I have looked at a couple different inserts so far, Hearthstone Clydesdale, Quadra-fire Voyager Grand, and Jotul C500 Rockland. I prefer the looks of the flush mounts but would be open to suggestions Pros and Cons. Let me know what you think.
Looking for New Insert Advice
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Welcome. How large an area will the insert be heating? Flush inserts look nice to some, but they are not as efficient for heating if that is the goal. Inserts that project out onto the hearth generally will heat better without the blower running. Also, some flush inserts tend to pick up ash from the hearth in their blowers due to the lack of an ashlip.
Sorry, Forgot to mention that. I have a Cape Cod style home that is about 1200 Sq ft ground level and a little less than that upstairs so probably 2000ish square feet. It is a brick home that was built in 1962 with 2x4 walls and fiberglass insulation throughout. I just replaced the ground level windows last year and replacing the upstairs windows this year so not too bad but still need to replace entry doors yet too. So not too drafty but hope to make it even better as I have the time and money to do so. So would the Clydesdale be considered as more efficient than the flush mounts that I mentioned?? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
The Clydesdale is an excellent heater, though I am wondering if you should go to a 3 cu ft insert. That will depend on how well the heat will convect throughout the house. Does the house have an open floorplan? Is the fireplace in a room that is wide open to the rest of the house or closed off?
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The living room, dining room, and kitchen is pretty much open and then the hallway back to the bathroom, bedroom and den. the stairs to the upstairs is in the living room where the insert will be located.
Sounds like a good setup for heating with wood. Will you be using the insert for 24/7 heating or more nights and weekend burning?
More for nights and weekends than anything but I plan on retiring in about 5 years so then it will be used pretty much 24/7. I have about 5 acres of hardwood to burn too.
Lockpicker
Member
Take a look at the Enviro 1700 series of stoves. Big box , nice looks, gobs of heat, easy to operate.
The Clydesdale will definitely do the job. Similarly sized, the Enviro 1700 is also a good choice, it comes with different surrounds for a classic look if desired. In the 3 cu ft range look at the Pacific Energy Summit.
I looked at the Enviro Series on line but the closest dealer to me is like 50 miles away. I have a couple of the Hearthstone dealers nearby but the Envro's look pretty nice too. After researching a little more and talking to some of the dealers that sell multiple brands, it sounds like the Hearthstones really absorb and hold the heat longer than the fire brick which sounds like a good selling point and they said they will not need replaced like fire brick will, although I don't know how often they would need replaced.
BradleyW
Burning Hunk
I would guess if you go smaller than 3 cubic feet you might regret it. 50 miles doesn't sound too far away to me for a dealer if they are reputable. And let me be the first to say it--get that wood css asap.
I just don't know if they will want to do the install that far away, but it may be worth asking. I will have to give them a call and then maybe take a ride. I don't know how tough it is to do an install but I think I would just feel a little more comfortable having someone knowledgeable to do the install. Any thoughts???
BradleyW
Burning Hunk
I feel the same way, but I am not particularly handy. For me I'd rather spend the money knowing it is done safely and correctly. It's also nice to have a relationship with someone should any issues occur. But I know a lot of people here do it themselves with no issues whatsoever.
OK, I am going to look at an ENVIRO Boston next week to see what it looks like. I am kind of torn at this point since the soap stone sounds like the ticket. I think that this is going to be a tuff decision. Any more thoughts or pros and cons???
Clydesdale is sensitive to draft. We had one but had to exchange it due to our excessive draft. Do you know the chimney setup? Us, Interior chimney 23' tall. We ended up with a freestanding Hearthstone stove with a flue damper and could not be happier. Not sure how you can check the draft beforehand and if the Enviro is also sensitive to draft. We tried putting a reducer at the top of the chimney per manufacturer recommendation but that did not help.
We had the Jotul C550 before the Clydesdale. Thinking about it now we had the same excessive draft but did not know about it before the Clydesdale. Clydesdale has a draft port built in and that is how we found out. Jotul would always burn hot now I know why. Depending on the chimney setup I would ask about a flue damper.
We had the Jotul C550 before the Clydesdale. Thinking about it now we had the same excessive draft but did not know about it before the Clydesdale. Clydesdale has a draft port built in and that is how we found out. Jotul would always burn hot now I know why. Depending on the chimney setup I would ask about a flue damper.
IIRC the Clydesdale has a shallower firebox and is an E/W loader. The Enviro has a more square firebox (20" x 18"?) for more flexible N/S and E/W loading. The Enviro projects more out onto the hearth which theoretically should make it heat better with the blower off in a power outage.
Clydeburner
Member
Jumping in on this late, but I had installed a Clyde myself on an outside chimney with a smooth wall, insulated liner. I first tried to customize the air intake allowing it to close more, little effect. I too then tried the restrictor at the top (see https://www.hearth.com/talk/posts/2017391/choking the chimney) cutting the 6" to 5" and even 4" with the same results. I have engineered a push/pull rod through the surround that is attached to an in line flue damper
and I can say it is a night and day difference with control on the fire. With a full load and the air "closed" and the damper fully closed it will burn for hours at 500°-575°F with secondaries the whole time. It does leave a ton of coals to make a hot reload fast and easy. Hope this helps anyone with similar draft problems.
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