Just bought a new home and it has a zero clearance gas only fireplace. Its not what we want I had a stone fireplace in our last house with a insert and I'm missing it. My ? is can I buy a zero clearance wood burning fireplace to replace this unit? and if so what stoves would be good for me? It will be in the living room. Its a 2300sf ranch insulated very well with a full finished basement and a 1200sf bonus room in the attic under construction. I have seen a lot of stoves that have ways to vent some of the heat from the stove to diff rooms is this worth it? I know I probably wont be able to heat the whole house with 1 stove just looking to offset some of the cost of LP. thanks in advance for any help.
Need some advice!
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Probably cost to much to convert but could be done.
Do you have anyplace to put a free stander? I bet it cost less to do.
Surly faster.
I think it would be great to have both.
Do you have anyplace to put a free stander? I bet it cost less to do.
Surly faster.
I think it would be great to have both.
Is my thinking wrong? I want to take out the zero clearance gas insert an install wood burning zero clearance stove and redo the fireplace with a stacked stone look? The gas insert is 43" wide 33" tall the space its in is 30" deep. what all has to be changed to do the swap?
Ashful
Minister of Fire
No advice on converting from ZC gas to ZC wood, although I'm sure there are several here who can guide you on that. However, I will say that many here are heating more than 2300 sq.ft. with a single wood stove. The ranch layout will make it a bit more of a challenge, unless you enjoy your bedrooms being a little cooler than your public space, where I assume you'd be placing the stove. I'd also throw a vote for a freestander, although the space and clearances for such do eat up some square footage, typically somewhere close to 18 sq.ft.
Well clearances could be a prob. The whole structure that the gas fireplace sits into will probably have to be taken out.
Of course you will need the correct flue pipe all the way up.
Do what you want but if i could keep that and add the stove in another room,I would do that. Cheers!
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Your thinking is not wrong, just that the clearances to combustables are typically much lower for gas than wood. Also, the chimney requirements are also much greater for wood burning than for a gas insert. So, you may have a large expense in re-piping and tearing out old framing / re-framing around the insert.
The other factor behind the freestander suggestion is that they are generally superior heaters, as they're not stuffed into a wall cavity. This becomes particularly important when the power goes out.
eclecticcottage
Minister of Fire
I'll add another vote for free standing, if you like the stone look you can so the wall behind the stove. Can't say much on the conversion though, except you'll need all new piping (aka chimney, flue) since gas and wood stoves use different systems.
Lol, and looks like Joful was saying the same thing only he was quicker to the post button!
Lol, and looks like Joful was saying the same thing only he was quicker to the post button!
Could be possible. Look into clean burning units by Kozy, RSF, BIS, PE, etc. The added benefit with some of these units is that you can duct some of the best output.
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