A couple years ago I posted a thread to get ideas for heating with wood in Texas Hill Country. It’s been a process, but we finally have what I believe is a safe and functional install. There’s some cosmetic work to do for the surround, but the insert is up and running (well, not running at this precise moment as it’s still in the 60’s right now, but it has been doing good work overnight and in the mornings when temperatures are in the 30’s and 40’s).
We had debated for a while between a freestanding woodstove and an insert. The way we use our space and the heat needs of the house made the best spot for a stove the place where there is currently a factory-built fireplace. We did have the manufacturer’s approval for an insert, but it was hard to find one that fit our low height requirement (at least one that didn’t have a tiny firebox), but the larger Enviro inserts fit the bill. Once I knew what would work, it was some effort actually to obtain the stove since Enviro stopped producing them a few months back, I understand. We found one in East Texas and managed to combine picking it up with a visit to some family.
An Enviro dealer in North Texas whom I had originally approached about the insert but who had been unable to get one through his distributor was kind enough to do the install for me. It took him and a friend a great deal of careful labor to get the pre-insulated liner inside my chimney, but they persevered through a couple setbacks (rope fraying and snapping off the pulling cone when it was mostly down, for example) and got it hooked up.
![[Hearth.com] New Install: Enviro Kodiak 1700 Insert](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/254/254965-5f73c25152319923b49eba23a0e686d0.jpg?hash=DzbBD7iZe6 "[Hearth.com] New Install: Enviro Kodiak 1700 Insert")
Because our firebox is recessed quite a lot, the insert sits back under our lintel, and the standard surround is too tall and wide. We’re hoping to have a metal shop do some work for us, but we are using the stove without the surround right now.
The children have once again decided that in front of the fire is their favorite spot. The oldest was remembering how she used to make up stories about the flames when she was younger, and she encouraged her little siblings to make “flame tales” of their own. They sat and warmed their feet and warmed my heart at the same time.
We had debated for a while between a freestanding woodstove and an insert. The way we use our space and the heat needs of the house made the best spot for a stove the place where there is currently a factory-built fireplace. We did have the manufacturer’s approval for an insert, but it was hard to find one that fit our low height requirement (at least one that didn’t have a tiny firebox), but the larger Enviro inserts fit the bill. Once I knew what would work, it was some effort actually to obtain the stove since Enviro stopped producing them a few months back, I understand. We found one in East Texas and managed to combine picking it up with a visit to some family.
An Enviro dealer in North Texas whom I had originally approached about the insert but who had been unable to get one through his distributor was kind enough to do the install for me. It took him and a friend a great deal of careful labor to get the pre-insulated liner inside my chimney, but they persevered through a couple setbacks (rope fraying and snapping off the pulling cone when it was mostly down, for example) and got it hooked up.
Because our firebox is recessed quite a lot, the insert sits back under our lintel, and the standard surround is too tall and wide. We’re hoping to have a metal shop do some work for us, but we are using the stove without the surround right now.
The children have once again decided that in front of the fire is their favorite spot. The oldest was remembering how she used to make up stories about the flames when she was younger, and she encouraged her little siblings to make “flame tales” of their own. They sat and warmed their feet and warmed my heart at the same time.
