The house we just bought has a manufactured fireplace,can I take out the manufactured fireplace and put in a woodstove insert.I believe there is durorock concrte board behind the fireplace.Or do I need to have firebrick installed.I believe the chimney is just the flue pipe that is inclosed with plywood and vinyl siding,should I line this with a stainless liner?
Manufactured fireplace
- Thread starter TimS
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You may be able to install the insert into the current unit with a stainless liner. What is the make and model of the ZC fireplace? If not, a tear out may be the best plan. Take some time to read up hear and do a search for previous approaches to this same problem.
You may find it does not have durarock behind it. Also - durarock may not suffice for the clearances of an insert. Firebrick sounds like you'd be making a new fireplace to put the insert into. Too much work. Mine was only framed with sheathing, siding and unfaced insulation on the house side.
One thing you could look into is a zero clearance woodstove. Several manufacturers make them and they are a perfect replacement for a zero clearance fireplace.
I have the Kozyheat z42 and it puts out great heat. RSF makes one too. These are designed to fit exactly into the same hole. They do require a class A chimney rated for wood stoves, but once you pull out the old fireplace - it's easy to install the new flue in the existing chase. Or check with the installer about simply using an insulated liner. For me the price of the liner was the same as putting a new flue into the chase. Made the decision easier.
We considered using a liner and buying an insert to go into our manufactured fireplace, but the only ones that would fit it were way too small for my liking and would not have put out the heat this Kozyheat z42 puts out.
(broken link removed to http://www.kozyheat.com/products/woodburning/z42/index.html)
Make no mistake - they may call it a fireplace, but it is a woodstove disguised as a fireplace. Big fire box, blower, heat shield/air tubes for secondaries, Outside air kit, This unit heats my 2 story house of nearly 3000 sf.
It's an easy fix for replacing a zero clearance fireplace. Highly recommended.
One thing you could look into is a zero clearance woodstove. Several manufacturers make them and they are a perfect replacement for a zero clearance fireplace.
I have the Kozyheat z42 and it puts out great heat. RSF makes one too. These are designed to fit exactly into the same hole. They do require a class A chimney rated for wood stoves, but once you pull out the old fireplace - it's easy to install the new flue in the existing chase. Or check with the installer about simply using an insulated liner. For me the price of the liner was the same as putting a new flue into the chase. Made the decision easier.
We considered using a liner and buying an insert to go into our manufactured fireplace, but the only ones that would fit it were way too small for my liking and would not have put out the heat this Kozyheat z42 puts out.
(broken link removed to http://www.kozyheat.com/products/woodburning/z42/index.html)
Make no mistake - they may call it a fireplace, but it is a woodstove disguised as a fireplace. Big fire box, blower, heat shield/air tubes for secondaries, Outside air kit, This unit heats my 2 story house of nearly 3000 sf.
It's an easy fix for replacing a zero clearance fireplace. Highly recommended.
Thanks for the help .The fireplace is to short on height for an insert to go in but if I take out the fireplace the hole is plenty big enough.
Mine was the same - not enough height. It was a heatilator fireplace with fake ceramic fire bricks walls. The fire box was soo small. They said you could burn wood it in - but it was set up with a remote gas log. It was mortared in with fake rock. I took a course of the rock off , cut the dry wall, unscrewed the trim braces and pulled the heatilator out. The double walled pipe installed was not HT pipe - it came out extemely easy once the fireplace was removed. Pieces just drop.
Measured the footprint and it was an exact match for the Kozyheat. The chase and heatshields were also a match. The guys from the woodstove shop had it installed within no time at all - maybe an hour or less.
I squared off the rock - fixed the drywall, and installed a stone ceramic tile (since we couldn't match the rock) and it was just that easy. Looks great, heats great. On my third year of total wood heating with it. Here's my pup with it before I installed the tile.
I looked forever for replacement rock and what I found was - the builder made my fireplace out of left overs and they had faded too. Squaring it off and using a tile surround was easier then doing a complete re-over on the rock.
I wanted to do a free standing stove with an alcove set up (extend the hearth), but my wife wanted to keep the same look and she won out. I was not convinced that this unit was a performer. I thought I was just trading one fireplace for another. Boy was I wrong and my wife/Woodstove store right. Really - it's a good sized woodstove sandwiched between (bottom air space which has the blower and sucks air in) and the top airspace where the heat comes out. The sides give the necessary clearances. You can install this unit flush to wood (hence zero clearance). As my pup can attest - it puts out great heat.
Measured the footprint and it was an exact match for the Kozyheat. The chase and heatshields were also a match. The guys from the woodstove shop had it installed within no time at all - maybe an hour or less.
I squared off the rock - fixed the drywall, and installed a stone ceramic tile (since we couldn't match the rock) and it was just that easy. Looks great, heats great. On my third year of total wood heating with it. Here's my pup with it before I installed the tile.
I looked forever for replacement rock and what I found was - the builder made my fireplace out of left overs and they had faded too. Squaring it off and using a tile surround was easier then doing a complete re-over on the rock.
I wanted to do a free standing stove with an alcove set up (extend the hearth), but my wife wanted to keep the same look and she won out. I was not convinced that this unit was a performer. I thought I was just trading one fireplace for another. Boy was I wrong and my wife/Woodstove store right. Really - it's a good sized woodstove sandwiched between (bottom air space which has the blower and sucks air in) and the top airspace where the heat comes out. The sides give the necessary clearances. You can install this unit flush to wood (hence zero clearance). As my pup can attest - it puts out great heat.
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It can be done. I would be surprised if you find any durock etc behind it, it's zero clearance so they don't spend any money protecting stuff they don't need to. A refit of either a stove or a ZC insert.. just a matter of doing it.. You will need a new chimney inside that chase, a prefab fireplace chimney is no were near rated for what a wood stove or insert puts out.
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