Need Help! - Tough Stove Placement Issue

[speedy]

Hi All,

I've lurked awhile, now I decided I have to post.

I have been a wood burner for the last 22 years of my adult life and as a kid my parents burned wood as well. Wood smoke is in my blood. I love the reduced cost (I cut my own wood), the great heat (especially compared to that of a heat pump), the reliability, and the smell. I make campfires in the summer just because I like wood fires.

We are in the process of buying a new (to us) house (it was built in 2003). About 1800 sq feet single story, on a crawlspace. It has a heat pump, and a propane-fed gas fireplace in the living room installed into a "bump out" on the back outer wall of the house with a little metal vent box mounted about halfway up the bump out.

I figured I'd just have someone yank that gas fireplace out, add a metal chimney, and I'd have a medium size wood stove installed - maybe something like a Drolet Escape 1800 pedestal stove -- we could see the flames for ambience and have wood heat too, great!

Except when I showed the wife how far out the hearth would need to come out (projecting into the living room) about 49" out and 42" wide by my calculations if I used double wall pipe, she said "no go". The room is too small, it would take up too much space projecting out that far.

I talked with a dealer today who said there is really no where else to put a wood stove in my house based on roof issues, etc. and he tried to talk me into a pellet stove (he seemed anti-wood despite also selling wood stoves) for $5000 installed (yikes).

I don't want a darn pellet stove.

Can anyone think of any options I might have ?

Once we take possession of the house I will have a different dealer come in and have a look, but I was just wondering if the experts on here had any suggestions.

Thanks for your consideration.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

There have been quite a few fireplace buildouts recently. They are self contained units that can have framing installed right around them. Maybe they will be ok in your bumpout.

Do a search for FP 30 by Pacific Energy. That one is a 3 cu ft firebox. They have them smaller too.

 

[begreen]

Yes, a zero clearance fireplace is going to have a lot better wife appeal and a good EPA unit can put out a lot of heat, but installation is not cheap. One concern is how much heat is needed? If the room is small and somewhat closed off it may overheat. How large is the room and how open is it to the rest of the house?

An issue with putting a freestanding stove in the space where the gas fireplace is its alcove clearances. That will determine how far back the stove can sit and whether side and ceiling clearances work in the space. These clearances can be reduced for the Escape 1800 with proper wall shielding. The hearth needs to be at least 43"deep, but probably about 24" of that will be in the alcove, so it only projects into the room about 20". And the hearth can be flush for this stove so it won't impose on the space greatly. Bottom line, with careful planning it might work. But take your time and measure twice before starting. Determine the true inside dimensions of the bump out. Ask lots of questions before starting.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

(broken link removed to https://pacificenergy.net/products/wood/fireplaces/fp16/)


1.6 cubic feet.

 

[begreen]

Pictures inside and out will help us see what you are starting with.

 

[Highbeam]

Your “hearth” sticking into the room 49” is the problem but that’s just a flooring choice. The hearth can be flush with other flooring. This means you just have to worry about how far the actual stove sticks into the room which will be much less.

Pick a stove with really small rear clearance requirements in this alcove and the stove might only stick into the room by a few inches.

 

[begreen]

Pick a stove with really small rear clearance requirements in this alcove and the stove might only stick into the room by a few inches.

And it only needs 16" of hearth measured from the stove door, not the ashlip.

 

[speedy]

Thanks to all for the replies! The Pacific Energy zero clearance kinda unit gives me some hope. \

2 pics attached.

The ceiling ht is about 8 feet at the back wall where the stove would go but coming forward the ceiling height slants upward to about 12 feet. And the kitchen is completely open to this room as well. I'm guessing ballpark a 400 sq foot open area, then 3 doorways/openings from there to the rest of the house.

Again, thank you all for the help!

 

[azeeb]

Your next problem is going to be chimney height. You will likely need 10 feet of chimney sticking out above the roof in that location to get a proper draft.

 

[speedy]

Your next problem is going to be chimney height. You will likely need 10 feet of chimney sticking out above the roof in that location to get a proper draft.

10 feet above the edge of the roof where the bump out is? That's not gonna look so great. And probably very expensive.

Sometimes I get the feeling an outdoor fire ring is about all I'm gonna have at this house.

 

[azeeb]

Most wood stoves require a minimum of 15-16 feet of chimney. It should be listed in the install specs for each model. You only have room for at most 5 ft before it exits the roof. The rest would have to be above the roof line. Also the top of the chimney needs to be 2 feet higher than any part of the roof within 10 feet.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

If you dont want a chimney, you'll probably have to start looking at pellet stoves. They dont need a chimney as they have powered venting.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Bit with a woodstove, th he chimney is the engine that runs it.

 

[begreen]

The Escape is a bit more forgiving and will work with a 12' flue system (stove top to cap).

 

[Highbeam]

And you’ll have to have those goody looking struts shooting down to your roof like a tripod to support the chimney. One set of legs for every 5 feet.

 

[begreen]

And you’ll have to have those goody looking struts shooting down to your roof like a tripod to support the chimney. One set of legs for every 5 feet.

One set of braces should cover this for the Escape. Or extend a chase up to enclose the pipe.

 

[Sawset]

Some examples.
Similar pitch, outside wall location.
8.5ft exposed, plus porch, plus inside.
The porch cuts off some of the outside exposure.
I visited the place 5yrs, and hadn't paid attention to noticing it until I made it a point. It's around back, where it's not a focus.

 

[speedy]

Struts -- ugh, no, will go with a chase the whole way up the chimney if we go this route. Maybe some kinda faux brick or stone covering.

I appreciate my old brick chimney more than ever now. Looks great, functions great.

What kinda materials are good for outside i.e. faux brick or stone for chimney chase, as well as for inside - like stone going up the wall see pics below?

 

[begreen]

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/stone-veneer-or-cheaper-option.175752/

 

[Highbeam]

With a chase you need to be sure that all of the water running down the roof can get around the chase. Lots of rotten walls happen with big chimneys at the bottom of the roof.

 

[jetsam]

Post a floor plan.

Only one possible spot in an 1800sf house?

I think that as a lifelong wood burner, you are going to be pretty unhappy when you try to heat 1800sf with a 1.6cf zero clearance unit.

Even if the house is tight and has great insulation, you still have the burn times that come with a 1.6cf firebox.

 

[speedy]

Post a floor plan.

Only one possible spot in an 1800sf house?

I think that as a lifelong wood burner, you are going to be pretty unhappy when you try to heat 1800sf with a 1.6cf zero clearance unit.

Even if the house is tight and has great insulation, you still have the burn times that come with a 1.6cf firebox.

Roof lines that are 90 degrees to each other creating troughs where a chimney might otherwise go, plus room layouts limit where we would want a stove.

May step up to the larger 0 clearance insert, just gonna have to ask the man when he gets there to look it over in person.

Do 0 clearance inserts need power to the blowers to safely run?

 

[begreen]

Almost all ZC fireplaces (not an insert) are flush and work better with a blower, but many can still function ok in an outage. The RSF Delta does stick out a bit and it's a mighty heater. But it's probably too large for this application. When looking at ZC fireplaces be sure they are ok for 24/7 burning. Some are not designed for full-time heating.

 

[speedy]

A dealer tentatively recommended a Quadra-Fire Pioneer 2, pending a visit to the house once we own it to verify.

Anyone have any experience with this brand/model?

The price is....wow, but the dealer seems like they are competent and can handle everything including chimney, stone hearth, etc.

 

[speedy]

Well when the rubber met the road the dealer's $10-15K quote for the stove and a chimney running up the existing bump out turned into over $30k

As much as I like wood burning I can't do that.

Hell, I'm thinking how much can a masonry (brick or stone faced) free standing chimney cost?