Need Help Finding Stove/Insert/Solution for Historic Wooden Surround

[alkkamai]

Hello, first post here.

The situation:


I'm told (by previous owner) this fireplace has too large an opening to draft well and was only used a few times in the past 50yrs.

Trying to find a wood burning insert for it has proved challenging with the clearance of the wooden mantel/surround.
I haven't dug too deep into potential of freestanding stoves yet.

Hoping someone here might have experience with navigating a wooden surround such as this. Removal is not an option. The house is in a historic zone and, even if I could get a permit to remove it, I feel it would be criminal to do so. The house was built in 1886 and the surround is believed to be original.

Thank you for any advise or suggestion!
-Ben

 

[tcassavaugh]

so, i assume that you havent burned it. have you looked at the damper at the smoke shelf? is it working correctly? maybe it was closed. while pretty, fireplaces aren't that efficient. i had a fireplace with a brick surround and was able to find a buck fireplace insert and i put a direct connect chimney to it. That was a previous house. now i have free standing stoves and would never be without one again. are you wanting an appliance for heat or aesthetics? I'm down in Calvert County MD. good luck in finding the answer. it can be challenging.

 

[alkkamai]

so, i assume that you havent burned it. have you looked at the damper at the smoke shelf? is it working correctly? maybe it was closed. while pretty, fireplaces aren't that efficient. i had a fireplace with a brick surround and was able to find a buck fireplace insert and i put a direct connect chimney to it. That was a previous house. now i have free standing stoves and would never be without one again. are you wanting an appliance for heat or aesthetics? I'm down in Calvert County MD. good luck in finding the answer. it can be challenging.

Thank you for your comments and well wishes in this endeavor, fellow Marylander!

We have not burned it. We got a 70s/80s Kodiak Stove insert from a friend earlier this year, and had a company come out to inspect and quote installation of that insert. They said the chimney was not in condition to use as a fireplace; however, they could install the insert with a stovepipe/liner. I don't know why they didn't consider the spacing to the wooden accents; maybe they didn't know or care. From my more recent research, it does not seem safe to do so, especially with that older insert.

Our interest is in the heating value, not aesthetics. Which is part of why we decided to look at more modern inserts over having the Kodiak installed.

I still haven't found an insert solution. Subsequent (to my posting) research on free standing stoves, so far, has shown me the feasibility/legality of installing one within the fireplace is slim to none. I say this because I have not yet found a manufacturer that references such an installation. Some refer to "alcove" installations but there are setback distances for those as well as height minimums typically in the range of 80-100".

My current brainchild is exploring boring a 6-7" hole down through the hearth inside, walling off the fireplace in a decorative manner, and installing a free standing stove in the basement below. This would require a 2-3' vertical hole and a 1-2' horizontal hole through the fieldstone foundation of the chimney. It's... a hail Mary.

 

[begreen]

I definitely would not install an unlisted insert there. Clearances are 36" in all directions.

This is a tough one. Most inserts have larger clearance requirements than the mantel affords. A flush insert might be workable with heat shielding. I was thinking the Lopi Nex-gen medium, but with a mantel shield but it's a close call. A Regency 1150 insert with a custom surround might work. Not sure if the Osburn Matrix 1900 will work with a top heat shield. Ask Osburn about that.

 

[BillBurns]

In my opinion, youll probably have to do free standing. They heat a lot better to, in my book.

 

[EbS-P]

IMO trying to turn this fireplace into something to provide heat will not be worth the effort and cost.

Things I would consider….
What are clearances for a pellet insert?
Is this the only chimney?
Where will you store 2-3 years worth of firewood?
Where will you get 2-3 years of firewood?
What improvements could be made by spending the same amount on energy efficiency improvements?
Have you thought of a heatpump?

I suggest take a step back and evaluating more heating options.

Just my thoughts. I don’t like to force changes to a house. My first instinct is to work with what is there. Make as few modifications as possible.

 

[joop]

stuv 16 ?.