Mulling over some options for installation (Jotul, Hearthstone, etc.)

[Tommytman]

I should start by saying that I'm new to burning and the past couple winters I have burned in the fireplace. While the fireplace looks great, the BTUs flowing out my chimney make me want to cry. I have been looking into installing a freestanding stove for this upcoming winter and need help mulling over some options. A couple of my main concerns are:

1. I don't want the stove/hearth pad taking up the majority of my living room.
2. I'm concerned about what the heat will do to my mantle.
3. Looks are VERY important to my mother (the stove is going in my folks place) and the seal of approval is going to depend something visually pleasing.

My initial top choice was the Jotul Oslo 500. My uncle has one that is about 12 years old and he absolutely loves it and has never had a problem. After checking it out in person yesterday, I though it was a beautiful stove. However, after taking some measurements the depth of it seems to be a little much. The dealer I went to also sells Hearthstone stoves so I checked out a couple (mainly the Heritage). When I looked at the Heritage, the depth was much smaller and the clearances also seemed lower (so much so that the Oslo w/hearth pad would stick out over a foot more. The Mansfield also seems like a good option. It would stick out a little more than the Heritage, but the no side door seems like a deal killer.

I like the Hearthstone Heritage because the clearances are pretty low, the slower heat release means maybe I won't have to put shields on my mantle? and the hearth pad only requires ember protection. I have seem pictures of them on glass (I'm not quite sure how durable this would be but I like the look). However, I have read of some Hearthstone quality issues (mainly door and hinge) that I'm worried about. I'm not hell bent on any particular brand so if someone has another idea that would be great.

I have attached a picture of the fireplace with measurements and a picture of the mantle. The mantle sticks out about 13'' at the top and is staggered. I would like the back legs of the stove to stand on the horizontal red line (I'm trying to balance between having too much stove in the fireplace and suffering heat loss and the stove sticking out too far). I should also note that the ceiling above the fireplace is 20'. Thanks for any help.

 

[Grisu]

How many sqft do you want to heat? How well is the house insulated? Is the stove supposed to become the primary heater?

Other manufacturers for rear-vented stoves to look at are Quadrafire, Woodstock and some Morsos. However, it looks like the fireplace is pretty tall. Maybe you can even fit a top-vented stove in there? What is the height and depth of it?
Could it also be an interior fireplace? If yes, you don't need to worry about heat-loss from having a stove sitting in the fireplace. The stove will heat the masonry in the back which will radiate it to the room behind it. It may just take a bit longer to get the heat distributed.

How much wood do you have drying in the yard already? It will hardly have enough time to season over just one summer.

 

[Tommytman]

All great questions. I was trying to avoid being long winded haha. My house is 3200 sq. ft., but I'm really looking for supplemental heat so I was aiming for stoves designed to heat ~2000 sq. ft (living room, kitchen and upstairs bedrooms). The house is fairly new (1998) and well insulated.

The fireplace is tall and shallow (D=21'' H=39''). I'm sure I could fit a top vented stove in there, but would I want to? I assume there is a percentage heat that doesn't enter the house if set up like that? I would think the equivalent of running an insert w/o the fan?

I split around 5 cords over the winter, some of which was dead wood that I'm hoping will be ready for next winter to burn (it's getting plenty of sun and air exposure). That being said I have read about the 3 year plan most guys on here follow and plan to be better prepared in the future.

 

[Grisu]

All great questions. I was trying to avoid being long winded haha. My house is 3200 sq. ft., but I'm really looking for supplemental heat so I was aiming for stoves designed to heat ~2000 sq. ft (living room, kitchen and upstairs bedrooms). The house is fairly new (1998) and well insulated.

That's a pretty large house and with the high ceilings at least in the fireplace room, you would probably want to go for a large stove with about 3 cu ft. of firebox. The Heritage would be too small in that regard. The Mansfield or Manchester would be more appropriate; maybe even the Equinox although with a fairly new construction and looking mostly for supplemental heat probably overkill. Do you have a preference in looks like soapstone over cast iron? Contemporary versus traditional? Your budget?

The fireplace is tall and shallow (D=21'' H=39''). I'm sure I could fit a top vented stove in there, but would I want to? I assume there is a percentage heat that doesn't enter the house if set up like that? I would think the equivalent of running an insert w/o the fan?

That is tall and most top-vented stoves should fit. Thus, you would have a much larger selection than you may have initially assumed. However, depth could be an issue and how wide is the fireplace? Could it be that it is an interior fireplace? If yes, you don't need to worry about heat-loss from having a stove sitting in the fireplace. The stove will heat the masonry in the back which will radiate it to the room behind it. It may just take a bit longer to get the heat distributed. But there won't be any losses as long as you put a block-off plate in.

I split around 5 cords over the winter, some of which was dead wood that I'm hoping will be ready for next winter to burn (it's getting plenty of sun and air exposure). That being said I have read about the 3 year plan most guys on here follow and plan to be better prepared in the future.

3 years is great when you have the room but only really needed for slow drying species like oak. I burn mostly maple, ash, and softwoods and do well with a 2-year rotation. For the first winter I suggest looking for (untreated) lumber scraps or pallets to supplement the wood that is not quite dry. Compressed wood logs like enviro-bricks or bio-bricks would also be helpful in the first year.

 

[begreen]

1. I don't want the stove/hearth pad taking up the majority of my living room.
Very unlikely

2. I'm concerned about what the heat will do to my mantle.
So am I, this looks like it could be the biggest issue for both the top and also the side pieces with a side loading stove.

3. Looks are VERY important to my mother (the stove is going in my folks place) and the seal of approval is going to depend something visually pleasing.
No problem, there are many good looking stoves, but finding one to work with the mantel's large projections could be a challenge.

What is the width of the fireplace opening?

 

[Tommytman]

Budget isn't really a concern. I plan on having it for a long time and would like to get whatever will work/look best. That said, I'm not looking to spend much over 3k on the stove. I like the look of both cast and soapstone. I had looked at both the Mansfield and Manchester. The Mansfield depth is once again is an issue (like the Oslo) and I would like to minimize the hearth pad sticking out. The Manchester is beautiful and has a short depth, but it has been a little unnerving reading other owners reviews. I'm not completely from deterred by that but there seems to be some minor quality issues with some.

The entrance of the fireplace is 40'' wide but it angles down to 21'' in the back. I imagine most stoves would only fit about halfway in. It is an interior fireplace, I would just rather have the heat in our living space than absorbed in the walls. Maybe that doesn't really matter though and heat is heat?

finding one to work with the mantel's large projections could be a challenge

The mantel really does have large projections. I'd like to take the whole thing out, but I'd be diving into a whole other project as I'm sure the wall behind it isn't even painted. And the wood looks great, so I would hate to get rid of it. Shielding is looking like my best bet.

 

[prezes13]

Did you consider any inserts?

 

[Tommytman]

Did you consider any inserts?

I did consider an insert and steered away because of the fan component. I don't want to run a fan constantly and have a cord running across my floor. I do like the look of your Lopi though, it looks like the cord is tucked away on the right side there? Or you drilled a hole and dropped it to the basement?

 

[Grisu]

The entrance of the fireplace is 40'' wide but it angles down to 21'' in the back. I imagine most stoves would only fit about halfway in. It is an interior fireplace, I would just rather have the heat in our living space than absorbed in the walls. Maybe that doesn't really matter though and heat is heat?

What you will get is the effect of an masonry heater with the walls absorbing some of the heat and slowly releasing it over many hours into the house. Same idea as a soapstone stove for which you usually pay extra. It may take a bit longer for the heat to travel into the room after a cold start but a small desk fan a few feet away blowing air towards the stove will get the heat out easily. Since you don't want the hearth/stove to stick out too far, pushing the stove into the fireplace would be the obvious solution. I would look for stoves that only need ember protection as a hearth. Check also out those sleek looking hearth plates from Morso: http://international.morsoe.com/hearth-plates You will also find hearth pads and extensions in many sizes and styles e. g. here: http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Wood-Stove-and-Accessories/Hearth-Pads

Budget isn't really a concern. I plan on having it for a long time and would like to get whatever will work/look best. That said, I'm not looking to spend much over 3k on the stove. I like the look of both cast and soapstone. I had looked at both the Mansfield and Manchester. The Mansfield depth is once again is an issue (like the Oslo) and I would like to minimize the hearth pad sticking out. The Manchester is beautiful and has a short depth, but it has been a little unnerving reading other owners reviews. I'm not completely from deterred by that but there seems to be some minor quality issues with some

The Manchester is a new stove and had some issues although it seems mostly one member here was complaining a lot. I would ask the dealer or company whether they implemented some changes to the model. With its 20" depth you may have it out of the fireplace only for ~10". You would get away with ~6" of additional hearth protection then, although I would recommend doing a bit more than the minimum. For side clearance you have a full 65" to work with; a stove 30" wide can have a side clearance up to 17.5" each side. The Manchester is 31.5" wide and needs 16" each side. That should just fit. You may need a heat shield for the top, though, take a look at the manual.

Other cast-iron stoves to consider:
- Lopi Cape Cod: Ideal from the dimensions but similar to the Manchester a new stoves with some initial issues. Search the forum for experiences and ask the dealer/company if they remedied the problems.
- Jotul F55: Maybe a bit too deep for you but a dedicated front-loader (unlike the F600). Is also not that wide meaning it could be recessed into the fireplace further than many other stoves.
- Quadrafire Isle Royale: A proven workhorse. You will easily find many reviews/first-hand experiences here. It is not very deep and has only 14" of mantel clearance. (Confirm with the manual)
- Blazeking Ashford: A catalytic stove which means you will get a long, steady heat output on low. Not sure if that is really needed for such a large house. Is also deeper than most other stoves mentioned here.
- Pacific Energy T6: The cast-iron version of the well-liked Summit stove. It's huge depth could be an issue for you, though. It is a North-South loader which most people seem to prefer (including me).

The mantel really does have large projections. I'd like to take the whole thing out, but I'd be diving into a whole other project as I'm sure the wall behind it isn't even painted. And the wood looks great, so I would hate to get rid of it. Shielding is looking like my best bet.

As said, not sure about the top mantel but for the sides you should be ok if you chose the right stove. I would look for a stove that loads well through the front, though.

 

[prezes13]

Mine is tucked away to the side, it's not really a big deal believe me you don't even see it. Some manufacturers offer a hard wire kits. As far as fan goes it's not that bad, my insert has an infinite regulation so you can make it undetectable. There is a lot of beautiful inserts out here if esthetics are important to you.

 

[Grisu]

With an interior fireplace you won't lose heat by having an insert. It will just take more time to get the heat out of the fireplace cavity without a blower. I usually turn my blower off about 2 to 3 hours after reloading and rely on convection and the warmth of the masonry then. However, with your large fireplace opening you may need an oversized or custom-made surround for most inserts. Take a look at the dimensions and maybe make a model out of cardboard to see if you would like the proportions of insert to the overall fireplace. In my opinion, your fireplace would be ideal for a stove.

 

[prezes13]

Another thing and please correct me guys if I am wrong but with flush inserts the clearances are less strict that with a free standing stoves so maybe you would be able to keep your beautiful wood work around your fireplace. Just my two cents.

 

[Woody Stover]

All great questions. I was trying to avoid being long winded haha....I plan on having it for a long time and would like to get whatever will work/look best

You've got the right idea...do your research up front and consider all the pros and cons, then you'll be happy with your final selection for a long time. BTW, the Lopi I heard here (Liberty) had a quiet blower...that would be important to me.

The Manchester is a new stove and had some issues although it seems mostly one member here was complaining a lot. I would ask the dealer or company whether they implemented some changes to the model.

I'd love to see the issues addressed, because I'd like to be able to recommend the stove. It's gorgeous, and looks to have a good ash disposal system, with the grate in the bottom of the firebox.