Need HELP, choosing a stove

[joshuaboston]

Hi Guys,

I first want to say I am a complete NOOB, I have never had a wood stove and I have yet to use our fireplace. I have about 1,800 sf.

I have a corner fireplace which has a serious draft problem and can not be used. In the last six years I have placed a blow up pillow up into my flue to stop the draft.

Well after YEARS of saving , my wife finally gave me permission to do something.

My options are either install a insert or get a wood stove that would fit in my opening. I only want wood, I do not want pellets.

Because it is a two sided (corner) fireplace, I don't think I want an insert... what is your opinion? I think if I get an insert I would have to redbrick the side or at the bare minimum put a steel wall on the side that is opened.

The height of my fireplace is 27.5", the width is 40" and brick area in front is 20", I never measured the depth.

I have a small child and I am worried about emissions. Basically I am looking for an ultra low emissions wood fire stove or insert (most like a stove... but I am opened minded).

I have come up with ONE stove that I really like... but it is on PRE ORDER...

Just looking for advice and ideas... The stove is called NOVA and is made my MFFire.

https://mffire.com/nova-small-wood-stove/

I live in Ashland, MA.

Also I am looking for any recommendations regarding installers.

 

[joshuaboston]

I wanted to add....

The Nova is 24" in height...I would add a blower to the stove. If I have a blower, how much does the stove need to stick out of the fireplace so I don't lose too much heat?

 

[begreen]

Yes, the Nova is not on the market yet. A damper area block-off plate will keep the heat in the house. An insert would also work. There should be no emissions in the house regardless of choice.

 

[joshuaboston]

Yes, the Nova is not on the market yet. A damper area block-off plate will keep the heat in the house. An insert would also work. There should be no emissions in the house regardless of choice.

Have you heard of MF fire? I can't find any information about them on this forum?

 

[begreen]

Yes, they are a spinoff of a group of U of MD students that entered a clean burning stove (the Mulciber) in the 2016 Wood Stove decathlon in DC. It performed pretty well and the students went on to create a company and a commercial product, the Catalyst. I'm not sure how well the Catalyst is selling. It is expensive and IMO not very attractive. The Nova looks like a much better product for them. Hope it sells well, but we'll need to see how it performs first. I am curious and a little skeptical about the hands free operation. There are so many variables from home to home and with wood supply that it sounds a bit extraordinary. And how does one control the heat output? But these are smart fellows and they may have solved some of the key issues with draft regulation, etc. Time will tell.
http://www.forgreenheat.org/stovedesign/finalists.html

 

[Rickb]

Never heard of that stove. Looks neat but there is no info on there website. What are your clearance requirements on it? It is also a very small fire box.

I doubt anyone here has used a MF fire stove, but you never know.......

Might want to look into more proven stoves that have good reviews.

 

[joshuaboston]

Never heard of that stove. Looks neat but there is no info on there website. What are your clearance requirements on it? It is also a very small fire box.

I doubt anyone here has used a MF fire stove, but you never know.......

Might want to look into more proven stoves that have good reviews.

I have looked a lot... I was all set with Woodstock but they really don't have a stove that will fit. Plus, I think I should get a stove with a blower since it will fit (at least 60%) in my fireplace.

Do you have any recommendations?

 

[joshuaboston]

Yes, they are a spinoff of a group of U of MD students that entered a clean burning stove (the Mulciber) in the 2016 Wood Stove decathlon in DC. It performed pretty well and the students went on to create a company and a commercial product, the Catalyst. I'm not sure how well the Catalyst is selling. It is expensive and IMO not very attractive. The Nova looks like a much better product for them. Hope it sells well, but we'll need to see how it performs first. I am curious and a little skeptical about the hands free operation. There are so many variables from home to home and with wood supply that it sounds a bit extraordinary. And how does one control the heat output? But these are smart fellows and they may have solved some of the key issues with draft regulation, etc. Time will tell.
http://www.forgreenheat.org/stovedesign/finalists.html

I spoke to the owner and they basically said, they designed this stove for people who have very little experience with the controls that you are talking about... that sounds like me... lol.

 

[begreen]

Don't discount inserts. There are a lot to choose from. You could leave the side exposed, or use a screen, plate metal or brick in the open side.

 

[Ashful]

Hey begreen, don’t we see a lot of the folks with those corner fireplaces jamming one particular Buck Stove model in them? I forget the model now, but it seems to work nicely for people with those fireplaces.

 

[joshuaboston]

Would love to see a picture of someone's insert and what they did with the opened corner side.

I don't want to invest $4-$5K and have an ugly fireplace.

I just checked out Buck Stoves and I find their emissions are to high. Looking for an ultra low emissions stove or perhaps an insert. Keep up with recommendations.

Thank you.

 

[Ashful]

I just checked out Buck Stoves and I find their emissions are to high. Looking for an ultra low emissions stove or perhaps an insert. Keep up with recommendations.

Based on what I read on this forum, Buck appears to be a reasonably popular and reliable choice, but no one ever claimed they were at the forefront of stove tech. However, do not confuse emissions and efficiency. Some high efficiency stove have poor emissions, and vice versa.

 

[begreen]

How it looks is up to you and the person doing the work. Buck is only one option. There are many inserts that would fit there, but very few stoves shorter than 27.5" tall. There was a good example several years ago where the fellow bricked up the side, then painted all the brick white. It finished nicely.

 

[weatherguy]

I was just going to mention buck stoves too but ashful beat me to it. You can try the search function to see what other people did with that type of fireplace.

 

[joshuaboston]

I would even consider doing an insert and then covering up the hole? I just don't know what will look better, with this type of fireplace.

If I did get the Nova it says 19.5" in depth... my hearth is 20"... based on this I am not sure if it will work. How much of a hearth do you need and how much can I recess a stove into my fireplace, keep in mind that I will use a blower. And it sounds a lot cheaper to do a damper area block-off plate rather then rebricking a wall or putting on a steal plate... BUT I still have not wrote off inserts.

I do like the Napoleon EPI3 Oakdale Wood Burning Fireplace Insert.

 

[begreen]

The stove or insert would need at least 16" of hearth in front of it. That may not be a big deal due to the fact that this hearth is raised. A simple hearth pad in front may suffice. More important may be the alignment of the flue exit with the chimney flue.

 

[edyit]

another thing to keep in mind with the blower is that they need to be serviced sometimes, so ease of access on that might be something to consider.

 

[Ashful]

Josh, you may want to read this thread. This is not the one I was searching for (which I never found), but it is another example of a corner fireplace solution:

Corner Fireplace Help!
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...s/Corner-Fireplace-Help!.140516/&share_type=t

 

[Woody5506]

Kind of a weird design with that big fire window. I can't picture opening the door and not having that wood fall out

 

[joshuaboston]

Josh, you may want to read this thread. This is not the one I was searching for (which I never found), but it is another example of a corner fireplace solution:

Corner Fireplace Help!
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=53165&share_tid=140516&url=https://www.hearth.com/talk/index.php?threads/Corner-Fireplace-Help!.140516/&share_type=t

WOW REALLY HELPFUL Thank you so much. So the place that does custom panels is called fireplace xtrordinair.

So right now I am about $2K for the install of a 6" stainless steel duck that goes about 25'; this also include the damper area block-off plate. Plust lets say $2.5K for the stove (nova) I am at $4.5K.

Now a really low emission insert with a catalyst is about $3.5K and the install will be about $200 cheaper (no damper area bock off plate needed). Plus I now need to make custom panels.. this could get VERY expensive... over $6k. At this price point, I am leaning towards putting in the stove... but I am not sold yet.

Can you recommend some low emission wood inserts? I need to follow up on the cost of a custom panel. And I still need to choose an insert.

AGAIN... thank you

 

[joshuaboston]

Kind of a weird design with that big fire window. I can't picture opening the door and not having that wood fall out

I think that big window is a gas stove.

 

[weatherguy]

No matter what you choose you need a block off plate. I had one with my insert and installed one with my free stander progress hybrid.

 

[SculptureOfSound]

You mention having a child and then concern over emissions. Lower emissions is always ideal but I just thought I'd point out that the emissions listed is what is going up and out the insert and out the chimney, not what is emitting into the house.

Still worth considering (especially if the kid is outside a lot in winter, playing in the yard) but thought the clarification may help

 

[Ashful]

No matter what you choose you need a block off plate. I had one with my insert and installed one with my free stander progress hybrid.

Lets be clear in our language. It is desirable for best efficiency, but it is not normally required for safety. And a “block off plate” can be as simple as a foil barrier, or non-flammable insulation board jammed in the gap. It doesn’t have to be expensive.

 

[weatherguy]

Lets be clear in our language. It is desirable for best efficiency, but it is not normally required for safety. And a “block off plate” can be as simple as a foil barrier, or non-flammable insulation board jammed in the gap. It doesn’t have to be expensive.

Agree, I spent $9 for mine. I did see a difference once I installed one. My point was whether he goes with an insert or free stander a block off of some sort would help.