Lopi Revere vs. Kozy Heat Z42

[brainford]

Does anyone have advice on the advantages/disadvantages between the Lopi Revere and KH Z42? I am looking to upgrade my current inefficient ZC fireplace and these two were both recently recommended. Replacing a mid 90's Majestic ZC insert. I am new to the world of real wood burning stoves and want to make sure I am doing it the right way. I have a 2700 sq. ft. home and looking for a nice looking fireplace and also a secondary heat source for the first floor. Any other units I should be looking at?
This install will be done by a local professional. Thanks for any advice and recommendations.

 

[begreen]

The Lopi Revere is a fireplace insert. It goes into an existing fireplace. The Kozy Z42 is a complete, zero-clearance fireplace so they are not really comparable. There are many good ZC fireplaces on the market, but it will be easier to make recommendations with more detailed requirements. Pictures are welcome too.

How much of the home will the fireplace be heating? Will this be used for 24/7 burning or more for nights and weekends? If heating the whole place 24/7 you may want a bigger firebox than the Z42, especially if the house has high ceilings and a lot of glazing or poor insulation.

 

[brainford]

The Lopi Revere is a fireplace insert. It goes into an existing fireplace. The Kozy Z42 is a complete, zero-clearance fireplace so they are not really comparable. There are many good ZC fireplaces on the market, but it will be easier to make recommendations with more detailed requirements. Pictures are welcome too.

How much of the home will the fireplace be heating? Will this be used for 24/7 burning or more for nights and weekends? If heating the whole place 24/7 you may want a bigger firebox than the Z42, especially if the house has high ceilings and a lot of glazing or poor insulation.

As being new to this I am expecting to probably burn at night and during the weekends and maybe burning more as I get more comfortable with the unit. I have high ceilings in the room where the fireplace is. Insulation and windows are probably average. Not looking to heat the whole house but definitely looking to warm the main living areas downstairs.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I’m afraid I can’t compare your two options, but I can tell you a bit of my experience with a Revere. We used to own a raised ranch home in Virginia, and there was a masonry fireplace in a large rec room in the basement where my husband also had his office space. Our first winter it was uncomfortably cold down there, and we had to resort to electric space heaters, and we didn’t use the space much.

I was a big fan of wood heat, having grown up with a wood stove, so the next year we had a Revere installed. We chose that model because we wanted it to be as much like a stove as possible. We had a raised brick hearth, but we did build a tiled hearth extension to meet requirement in front of the stove.

We bought the stove as a space heater and used it that way for a year or two. It worked quite well, but once we had more wood and discovered just how much we liked keeping the house warmer than we’d ever set the thermostat, we began using it for almost all our heat. It was undersized for our square footage (2,500 +), and it was a challenging layout, but it did admirably all things considered. The basement became everybody’s favorite place in winter, and the stove is what my kids talk most about missing from the house we moved from.

If we had stayed in Virginia, we had plans to change to a different insert for a larger firebox and more even heat, so I think it really does pay to consider what your goals are. If you really only want a nice fire and more heat on one floor, the Revere would be a great choice. Begreen, who asked questions above, is a wealth of information and can give you all sorts of options based on what you tell him about your current fireplace and the floor plan you want to heat. You’ve come to the right place for suggestions.

 

[begreen]

Sounds like the Kozy would work. It will be a big job and some of the living room surround may need to be redone. Some other good ZC fireplaces are made by FPX, Quadrafire, RSF, Osburn.

 

[brainford]

Sounds like the Kozy would work. It will be a big job and some of the living room surround may need to be redone. Some other good ZC fireplaces are made by FPX, Quadrafire, RSF, Osburn.

I truly appreciate the great advice. When I was in my local wood stove store today their installer happened to be there. He said they often pull out the old fireplace and install the new one from behind - saving my woodwork surround. He has not yet been to my house for inspection. My setup is on an interior wall. Seems to make sense but in your opinion does this work. (Please see pictures of back wall) Also, I am concerned with power outages which we often have where I live. I like the Lopi because it extends and seems like it would be more efficient in that scenario. Would the Kozy Flush Mount produce the same amount of heat without the fan blowing? Thanks for your help!

 

[Eureka]

I have the Z42 and in my third heating season but I’m not new to wood burning. It can really put out a ton of heat, even without the blower. So much so in fact that I would recommend adding the ducting kit they offer to pipe some of the heat into an adjacent room. I will be opening up the wall to add it to mine because it can make the room it’s in uncomfortable.

It likes to be run hot and generates major BTUs while doing so. I tend not to use the blower very much and if I do it’s on low; natural convection works great. The first 2 seasons I used it almost exclusively to heat 3000 sq. ft. with propane kicking on a little. Now I’m using it for comfort heating since installing an OWB.
I’d say it’s great bang for the buck although there are lots of others out there.

 

[begreen]

I truly appreciate the great advice. When I was in my local wood stove store today their installer happened to be there. He said they often pull out the old fireplace and install the new one from behind - saving my woodwork surround. He has not yet been to my house for inspection. My setup is on an interior wall. Seems to make sense but in your opinion does this work. (Please see pictures of back wall) Also, I am concerned with power outages which we often have where I live. I like the Lopi because it extends and seems like it would be more efficient in that scenario. Would the Kozy Flush Mount produce the same amount of heat without the fan blowing? Thanks for your help!

The Lopi Revere is an insert, not a fireplace. It goes into an existing fireplace. The Z42 is an actual EPA fireplace. The model of the Majestic is important if you want to consider having a Revere insert installed into the current fireplace. Some models strictly forbid installation of an insert into them. Often the model information is on a small plate usually on the doorframe. Can you locate that?

The Kozy Z42 will convect naturally without the blower running. The heat output will not be as strong, but it will heat. If power outage heating is a major concern then is installing a freestanding stove in another location an option?

 

[Rickb]

Also, I am concerned with power outages which we often have where I live. I like the Lopi because it extends and seems like it would be more efficient in that scenario.

As begreen said the lopi is a insert is it designed to go into an existing masonry fireplace for the most part.