Don't really want to repeat a thousand thread beginnings from the past, but first time poster but have been reading the forums for about 6 months now. Lots of good info and I've already learned some things.
Just for proof that I learned something, the first decision made to commit was getting the wood supply going now for next winter. Have 1.25 cords of mixed hardwood (1 face cord of red oak I cut and split from half a tree that fell in the yard in July, had a mixed cord of mostly oak & maple brought in from a nearby farm a month ago). All is stacked and covered.
That being said, need some help/guidance on inserts. First, the house. It's a 1979 ranch with two fireplaces, one on the main floor and another in the basement. The main floor fireplace was converted to gas (people prior to us) but could always be converted back. The area of the basement (finished) is approx 800 sqft (rest is garage). The upstairs is about 1850 sqft. The floor plan is open for half that (living room, dining room, and kitchen), and the other half is bedrooms & bathrooms off a hallway. The stairwell is in the middle of the floor plan and is open to the main level (half wall). There's a door to the stairwell in the basement and is directly across the room from the basement fireplace. Main heat source is a nat gas boiler with 3 zones (basement, living area, and bedrooms). As for insulation, it's ok. Working on improving it, mostly air sealing projects.
So we're going to put the insert in the basement. We're moving stuff around the house to hang out down there more often and my office is down there as well (work from home). So, the area's going to be used at least 8 hours a day during the week.
The main goal of the insert is to not use the NG boiler for the basement and to have a backup heat source should the power go out. When I use the fireplace with the door to the stairs closed, I can easily get the basement up to 75F with 3 large splits and a couple smaller ones and keep it above 68 (warm enough for me) for about 4-5 hours, depending on how cold it is outside. Once that basement door is cracked open or not fully closed, air rushing down the stairs blows it open (literally) when the fire is going. This is probably exaggerated due to the big gaping hole of a masonry chimney. Hopefully that continues to work with the insert but exchanges more air instead of sending it all up the chimney. I want to make the fireplace more efficient (less wood, more usable heat, less heat loss) and potentially get some supplemental heat upstairs.
So here are my questions. I've read quite a bit here and elsewhere about trying to heat from the basement, it seems hit or miss and all depends on airflow, so I get that. First, if I have good airflow now with the fireplace, is it reasonable to expect that after an insert is installed that I will be able to get some heat upstairs or will a lot of that airflow be choked off due to the insert? If it comes down to it, I have a fan that I'd put at the bottom of the stairs blowing towards the fireplace. Second, how should I think about sizing my insert? The main goal is 800 sqft in the basement, that's easy. The second goal is supplemental heat upstairs, mainly the open floor plan area next to the stairwell (say 900 sqft). How big is too big when attempting to get supplemental heat upstairs?
I've been looking at the Englander NC-13I (up to 1500 sqft), seems a lot of people like Englander. I've also seen some good things about Drolet, which their Escape 1800 insert is only a few hundred more and can heat up to 2100 sqft with the larger firebox. I like the Englander because they seem to have a DIY attitude and will honor their warranty if you install it yourself. However, I think I'd really like the Lopi Republic 1750i because of the convection system (can anyone comment on how well it works compared to other stoves?), bypass damper, and the cooktop surface (would serve well in a power outage as well), but can't find much pricing info online other than their website which says it's mid-priced. Can anyone here help give an idea on price point for one these days? Are there any other suggestions out there? Is there a big used market out there I haven't found yet?
Budget-wise, in order for this project to make economic sense with nat gas, I'm looking at the lower end but still want something of quality build.
Thanks ahead of time!
Just for proof that I learned something, the first decision made to commit was getting the wood supply going now for next winter. Have 1.25 cords of mixed hardwood (1 face cord of red oak I cut and split from half a tree that fell in the yard in July, had a mixed cord of mostly oak & maple brought in from a nearby farm a month ago). All is stacked and covered.
That being said, need some help/guidance on inserts. First, the house. It's a 1979 ranch with two fireplaces, one on the main floor and another in the basement. The main floor fireplace was converted to gas (people prior to us) but could always be converted back. The area of the basement (finished) is approx 800 sqft (rest is garage). The upstairs is about 1850 sqft. The floor plan is open for half that (living room, dining room, and kitchen), and the other half is bedrooms & bathrooms off a hallway. The stairwell is in the middle of the floor plan and is open to the main level (half wall). There's a door to the stairwell in the basement and is directly across the room from the basement fireplace. Main heat source is a nat gas boiler with 3 zones (basement, living area, and bedrooms). As for insulation, it's ok. Working on improving it, mostly air sealing projects.
So we're going to put the insert in the basement. We're moving stuff around the house to hang out down there more often and my office is down there as well (work from home). So, the area's going to be used at least 8 hours a day during the week.
The main goal of the insert is to not use the NG boiler for the basement and to have a backup heat source should the power go out. When I use the fireplace with the door to the stairs closed, I can easily get the basement up to 75F with 3 large splits and a couple smaller ones and keep it above 68 (warm enough for me) for about 4-5 hours, depending on how cold it is outside. Once that basement door is cracked open or not fully closed, air rushing down the stairs blows it open (literally) when the fire is going. This is probably exaggerated due to the big gaping hole of a masonry chimney. Hopefully that continues to work with the insert but exchanges more air instead of sending it all up the chimney. I want to make the fireplace more efficient (less wood, more usable heat, less heat loss) and potentially get some supplemental heat upstairs.
So here are my questions. I've read quite a bit here and elsewhere about trying to heat from the basement, it seems hit or miss and all depends on airflow, so I get that. First, if I have good airflow now with the fireplace, is it reasonable to expect that after an insert is installed that I will be able to get some heat upstairs or will a lot of that airflow be choked off due to the insert? If it comes down to it, I have a fan that I'd put at the bottom of the stairs blowing towards the fireplace. Second, how should I think about sizing my insert? The main goal is 800 sqft in the basement, that's easy. The second goal is supplemental heat upstairs, mainly the open floor plan area next to the stairwell (say 900 sqft). How big is too big when attempting to get supplemental heat upstairs?
I've been looking at the Englander NC-13I (up to 1500 sqft), seems a lot of people like Englander. I've also seen some good things about Drolet, which their Escape 1800 insert is only a few hundred more and can heat up to 2100 sqft with the larger firebox. I like the Englander because they seem to have a DIY attitude and will honor their warranty if you install it yourself. However, I think I'd really like the Lopi Republic 1750i because of the convection system (can anyone comment on how well it works compared to other stoves?), bypass damper, and the cooktop surface (would serve well in a power outage as well), but can't find much pricing info online other than their website which says it's mid-priced. Can anyone here help give an idea on price point for one these days? Are there any other suggestions out there? Is there a big used market out there I haven't found yet?
Budget-wise, in order for this project to make economic sense with nat gas, I'm looking at the lower end but still want something of quality build.
Thanks ahead of time!
