Need help from the experts - blower or offset box...or both?

[cooleydooley]

Hi - I have a Lopi Answer stove I installed into my fireplace a couple years ago. While I love it I feel I do not get much heat from it. We had to stick it all the way back into the hearth in order to get the pipe attached to the liner - no room for a 30 degree elbow or other connector. As it was they had to saw off parts of the flue etc. to get it to line up. I am a beginner wood stover for sure - had one growing up that we had out in front of our fireplace and it heated up the whole room - I am missing all of the radiant heat.

I can get a blower for this stove that attaches right on the front - @ $282, and I have seen others talk about offset boxes which I am thinking would allow me to slide the stove out onto the hearth some so that I could get some radiant heat. One issue is that most of the offset boxes I have seen may be too tall. I have only 5 1/2 " from top of stove to top of hearth.

I need help from the experts here I have read through many posting here too where you all talk about how an offset box has a negative effect on draft.....I have attached a picture in case it helps.
Thanks in advance )

 

[stejus]

Do you have a block off plate installed with insulaton behind it. The reason I ask is I have an insert and I've been running it without the front surround peice installed. Radiant heat pours out of my firebox. I don't see why you can't acheive the same with your setup.

 

[cooleydooley]

Hi - no I do not have a block off plate - did not know about them till now, just looked up after reading your post. This does make sense huh? I just feel all of the radiant heat above and next to the stove but not a few feet away. We had initially planned to have the insert panels but since we had to put the stove so far back into the hearth they would not fit. Plus I prefer to see the whole stove and was hoping to be able to have room to put a dutch oven on top for my soups.

Are block off plates something I would have to have custom made? I just saw instructions on how to make one and know that metal work is a bit over my head

 

[stejus]

A quick inexpensive way to do this right now is go find some Roxul insulation. Cut the insulation into peices and start stuffing the smokeshelf and area where the liner passes through. The final peice should be cut to from a seal around the liner and flue area. This Roxul is easy to cut into shape as it's firm. Do some searches on Soft blockoff or Roxul and there are some good pictures of how others have done it. Don't worry about this insulation burning or smoldering because it has a burn point of 2500 degrees or something close to that. Once you do this, the radiant heat will not go up your stack (chimney), it will bellow out.

 

[cooleydooley]

Thanks I will do that! I just looked at the pics of your install - love it! You must have a blower - running cord down ash box was an awesome idea! Should I add the blower? They have 2 for the Lopi Answer - one that goes in back but I was looking at the one that just slips in front, would have the cord running off the side. I couldn't run the cord down like you did anyway, previous owner didn't use fireplace and removed clean out downstairs when finishing off a room.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Dakotas Dad]

I built an offset box myself, it moves my stove forward 5" and overall height is 5 1/2". In my case, it has shown no negative impact on my draft.

I don't see any reason a offset box wouldn't work by your picture. But for sure you need a block off plate/insulation up there above the stove.

 

[Coleman Stove]

Hi - I have a Lopi Answer stove I installed into my fireplace a couple years ago. While I love it I feel I do not get much heat from it. We had to stick it all the way back into the hearth in order to get the pipe attached to the liner - no room for a 30 degree elbow or other connector. As it was they had to saw off parts of the flue etc. to get it to line up. I am a beginner wood stover for sure - had one growing up that we had out in front of our fireplace and it heated up the whole room - I am missing all of the radiant heat.

I can get a blower for this stove that attaches right on the front - @ $282, and I have seen others talk about offset boxes which I am thinking would allow me to slide the stove out onto the hearth some so that I could get some radiant heat. One issue is that most of the offset boxes I have seen may be too tall. I have only 5 1/2 " from top of stove to top of hearth.

I need help from the experts here I have read through many posting here too where you all talk about how an offset box has a negative effect on draft.....I have attached a picture in case it helps.
Thanks in advance )

That's a good looking fireplace you got there.

How old is that?!

 

[cooleydooley]

how old is the fireplace? Not sure - guess about 30yrs as old as the house.

I saw the insulation today at Lowes - needed the bigger car to get it

So insulation and closing off is a must and I will do that asap. I will look into the offset box as I would really like to be able to use the top. Lots of good memories of my Mom making soup on our stove growing up.

What about adding the blower? The one I am looking at slips into the front. Anyone have the Answer with the front blower? They have a rear one too but am trying to avoid disconnecting everything.

Thanks all for your help The internet is a beautiful thing!

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Looks like you are already getting a lot of good suggestions, but I might add that if you're going to leave your stove recessed inside that that fireplace you'll surely want to add a blower. Even stoves that stand out in the open benifit greatly from having blowers or fans using forced air to extract heat from them.

 

[stejus]

cooleydooley

Check out this link. It will show you how others have done this. I didn't put in ties like shown in this lnk. I stuffed as much Roxul up in the smoke shelf as possible, and then made the final two peices that closed up the flue wrapped around the liner. I suspended mine with insulation hangers.

As far as a blower, I use mine when really cold outdoor temps (low 20's and below). Anything above low 20s I just get radiant heat and that's enough.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/80548/

 

[webby3650]

I built an offset box myself, it moves my stove forward 5" and overall height is 5 1/2". In my case, it has shown no negative impact on my draft.

I don't see any reason a offset box wouldn't work by your picture. But for sure you need a block off plate/insulation up there above the stove.

Is that all masonry around the stove? Sorry, should of looked at the pics first. Looks great!

 

[webby3650]

If you were to remove a few firebricks in the back you would have enough room to add an elbow, this will allow you to manipulate the liner, although, you will have to drop the liner a bit. This would allow you to move the stove forward to allow panels. The blower that mounts on the back is for the freestanding stove, the one that mounts on the front is what you will need. If you get the panels and a blower on that thing, you will be blown away with the amount of heat it can produce!

 

[cooleydooley]

We have the panels that go on the sides and top, came with the stove to be used as an insert. Can you explain why a stove would put out more heat with the panels on vs off? I have never understood that and have spent some time wondering about it? Sorry to be so "wood stove stupid" I have thought that any radiant heat would be blocked from the room and stuck behind the panels. I am sure i am missing something.

 

[webby3650]

We have the panels that go on the sides and top, came with the stove to be used as an insert. Can you explain why a stove would put out more heat with the panels on vs off? I have never understood that and have spent some time wondering about it? Sorry to be so "wood stove stupid" I have thought that any radiant heat would be blocked from the room and stuck behind the panels. I am sure i am missing something.

It won't make more heat. As it is, your heat is going up the flue, so anything will be better than what you you got. Inserts are really designed to to force air around the firebox, which in turn, heats the room, so leaving it open doesn't help, it does though, draw lots of your warm room air up and out, kinda like an open fireplace. Ideally you would do a block off plate, but just stuffing insulation around the liner beneath the top-plate, adding the blower and putting the panels on would make a night and day difference. Not to mention, it would look a whole lot better.