My journey from Zero Clearance to freestanding wood stove.

[webfish]

Warning: Long post with pictures.

When I started here in late 2013. I had a zero clearance Heat n Glo that was in the house. It never did heat. I have a geothermal system but in Minnesota we get some cold stretches. I hated if the electric supplement would turn on. Ran constantly and barely kept up. I have wirsbo in the basement run off the Geo but the upstairs was on the forced air. Needed to get some real heat upstairs and save the Geothermal.

I showed the mods here what I had. Pretty evident after taking measurements what I had was too small for an insert.




So had to make big decision on whether to take down existing wall and take out the ZC. In the mean time I started working on my wood pile. I learned I needed the time to get some dry stacks.

Fast forward to May of this year an finally decided to take the leap. Had a newer wood floor so I decided to let the pros take it out vs me doing it and making a mess.


I bought the Quadrafire Explorer III. from Fireside in Eagan, MN

Why the Explorer? Well first off was wife had to like it. This is in our living room. She loved this look.I wanted something with a decent efficiency. The Explorer III is rated 2.0 grams /hr. I also wanted easy loading and the top loading was a benefit. It also will take big splits. 22 inches though it really recommends 18's.

So the demo began.







Kept the existing hearth and decided to stone over that. Picked our mantle from Twisted Knot. These are reclaimed timbers.




Nate showing the hard work involved and some free advertising.










Added lighting and a ceiling fan




Next was the stone work.





You can see old hearth was just stoned over.

Turned out great! Room feels much bigger.

Final install






FINISHED

Took about 6 weeks but that was because I was out of town a couple times. Fireside did all the work and their subs.

Had county out for inspection. Filled out insurance checklist for State Farm. ( I had checked with them before I started)

On final walk through , discovered an issue. Rust on the top skillet or top loader. Doesn't look like it can be taken off easily. Fireside called Quadrafire and they said brush/steel wool off and paint. Fireside gave me the Quadrafire number so I am calling today. Will start a new thread about that.

 

[begreen]

Nice! That looks great! What a dramatic change from the boring ZC to the attractive hearth with that beautiful stove on it. Now it's the focal point of the room. Looking forward to hearing more about the Explorer III.

PS: How tall did the total flue system end up being?

 

[edyit]

that looks really nice, enjoy the warmth

 

[firefighterjake]

Looks really good . . . very inviting.

 

[Simonkenton]

Beautiful install! You are gonna get some heat out of that Bad Boy, love all the rocks etc.
I live high in the NC mountains. A cold, cold night here is 5 below.
What is a cold night where you live?

What kind of wood can you get up there in Al Franken land? You have pine only, right?

 

[HisTreeNut]

Nice job there. Looks great!

 

[begreen]

What kind of wood can you get up there in Al Franken land? You have pine only, right?

LOL I think you're thinking of Montana. Minnesota has a broad array of mid-west hardwoods.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/native-trees-for-landscape-use/

 

[webfish]

Beautiful install! You are gonna get some heat out of that Bad Boy, love all the rocks etc.
I live high in the NC mountains. A cold, cold night here is 5 below.
What is a cold night where you live?

What kind of wood can you get up there in Al Franken land? You have pine only, right?

My wood pile right now.
Oak
Pin Oak
Ironwood
Elm ( lots )
Ash
Honey Locust
Boxelder
Aspen
Cherry
Birch
Red Cedar
Maple


Actually no pine but I have a bunch at my cabin.

 

[Lake Girl]

If you have an extra seat by the fire, I'm in! Excellent work and a whole different look for your room. Glad you remembered the cardinal rule of getting the spouse stamp of approval...

 

[mminor]

Really professional looking install - you should be proud! Great work - congrats!

Matt

 

[begreen]

Glad you remembered the cardinal rule of getting the spouse stamp of approval...

What does she say now that it's done?

 

[webfish]

She loves it. As much as the look turned out great she likes that the room feels bigger now. Plus the added lighting which we had wished we had done when we built just never got around to it.

 

[iron]

looks awesome!

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Looks great. And I agree, spousal approval is more important than many understand.. LOL

 

[begreen]

She loves it. As much as the look turned out great she likes that the room feels bigger now. Plus the added lighting which we had wished we had done when we built just never got around to it.

That's great. I know this was a tough decision, but now you both can sit back and enjoy the beauty and warmth of this project for years to come. A lot of people get hung up on budgets, which is understandable, but they don't account for the pleasure gained from a well-done installation. This can be worth more than the stove!

 

[Lake Girl]

Looks great. And I agree, spousal approval is more important than many understand.. LOL

It does work both ways

 

[FPX Dude]

Looks awesome, only problem I see (or can't see) is the TV is too small.