New here - VC Intrepid II soon to be owner

[mfglickman]

We bought a 1750's house in NW CT and we're freezing.

The main house is a small Cape with a central chimney. One flue vents the oil furnace and the others are closed off; I would think it would be $$$ to get them sound for wood burning, but they are pretty to look at. There are open grates in the ceilings of the main first floor room to circulate air through the floors of the second floor bedrooms. So in this main room we're putting a Harman pellet stove (sorry guys).

HOWEVER my husband and I both really love wood (I heated with wood alone in South Deerfield MA as a grad student and loved it) and we have a family room addition, 35 X 19 feet, with a solid fireplace that we burn wood in (and all the heat goes up the chimney). The master bedroom is above this room. We've got 4 acres of land so it's relatively easy to find fallen branches etc. to burn and have about 2 cords of "seasoned" wood purchased in November stacked outside.

So I found a Vermont Castings Intrepid II on CL and it seems to be in reasonable shape; it's still in use so I can see it burning. Folks want to size up to heat their entire house.

My questions:

- will this be a good "starter stove" for this big room? We don't need overnight burns; I'd be OK restarting it in the AM if it goes out, but we spend a lot of time in the room with kids during the day and evening and I'd like it to be more comfy.
- our fireplace is big enough that the whole stove would fit inside, but we do have a 20" deep raised hearth (2" thick slate over 8" of brick, so 10" high) so would it make the most sense to place the stove just in front of the fireplace, to get the most heat in the room? The fireplace opening is 30 high by about 36 wide and 20 deep so we could still top load even if it's partially inside.
- this room was built in the 70's and the chimney is well maintained. I don't KNOW for a fact that the hearth in front is 100% masonry, I suppose there could be some wood framing underneath it, is that still OK for non combustibles?
- last, how do I get a heat shield for the mantel? Being an addition in keeping with the style of the 1700's house, the mantel clearance will only be about 18 - 20 inches from the top of the stove, so I think I need some sort of shield.

Thanks so much, all! Looking forward to getting to know you and learning more about the art of burning wood here!

Mary

 

[elmoleaf]

We bought a 1750's house in NW CT and we're freezing.

- will this be a good "starter stove" for this big room?

Should be OK. Can run it full blast without cooking anyone out of the room. However, don't expect to cram 4 or so 16" long splits in that stove. It does better with slightly shorter wood if you want to have it fully loaded. This can be an issue with purchased wood (versus what you cut yourself).

- our fireplace is big enough that the whole stove would fit inside, but we do have a 20" deep raised hearth (2" thick slate over 8" of brick, so 10" high) so would it make the most sense to place the stove just in front of the fireplace, to get the most heat in the room?

for heating, yes. However, installation clearances for the stove will require a larger hearth extension. I believe the current requirement is 18" of hearth to the front of the doors.

- this room was built in the 70's and the chimney is well maintained. I don't KNOW for a fact that the hearth in front is 100% masonry, I suppose there could be some wood framing underneath it, is that still OK for non combustibles?

Make sure you get or make a bottom heat shield for the stove. With that shield, the stove only requires spark protection for the hearth extension. Is the floor slab on grade or basement below? If basement, the hearth extension is likely supported on a concrete cantilever that's integral to the chimney construction.

- last, how do I get a heat shield for the mantel? Being an addition in keeping with the style of the 1700's house, the mantel clearance will only be about 18 - 20 inches from the top of the stove, so I think I need some sort of shield.

Visit the VC website and download the owner's manual. You need to educate yourself about all installation clearances for the stove. The stove has an optional rear heat shield that can reduce rear clearances. For a projecting mantel above, a sheet metal shop can fabricate a custom piece for you.

Depending upon the age of your particular model, you may require a new catalyst and refractory chamber. The chamber alone is a very expensive part and the catalyst is around $100 or so. If the stove has been moved or used for a long time, it'll likely require a rebuild to reseal the seams between the various cast iron pieces. There's been about 2 or 3 variants produced for the Intrepid II.

Good luck.

 

[Defiant]

I personally think you are asking too much from the Intrepid, I think you should at least look for a Resolute or Encore.

 

[defiant3]

+1, more stove. It'll work too hard, you'll end up needing repairs, and it'll never burn more than 4-6 hours in any case. By the way, hows the insulation in this place? Is the fireplace on an outside wall?

 

[bmwloco]

I have an Intrepid II in the garage. A Resolute in the living room. The Resolute will warm the living room and dining up to shirt sleeve comfortable. The Intrepid in the garage just takes the chill off, not much more.

If you really want to heat the house, look for a Defiant. But if modern, check out Jotul. That'll be my next stove...

 

[mfglickman]

Thanks all! I found a Fireview on CL so we're going with the larger stove. Now trying to figure out the question of lining (see new thread) the chimney...

 

[logger]

You'll love the Firelight!