New to inserts. What should i expect?

[Beeffarmer]

Hello all. New to inserts. Im having our whole fireplace revamped next week. New liner, mantel, stone, and insert. I bought a quadra fire 3100i and according to the specs, it should heat our house, but will it? Our home is 1200 square foot, a rectangular cape or ranch, whichever you prefer to call it. The fireplace is in the front of the house. I figured on 5 cords. The attic is fully insulated and the west, and south walls have foam insulation. I wake at 5, was gonna load and get it going before I head down for chores. Come back 2 hours later, load and turn up for an hour. Turn down and load again before I leave for 5 hours. Load again. Wife gets home 2 hours after that and she can handle it.

So what do you guys think?

 

[begreen]

If the wood is fully seasoned and below 20% moisture the insert will do the job. In milder weather it should go 6-8 hrs between loadings. In very cold weather it may be more like 4-6 hrs between loadings.
Have you run a modern EPA stove before? They run a bit different than old stoves from the 70s and 80s.

 

[BigJ273]

Should be plenty of stove to heat that sf

 

[Beeffarmer]

If the wood is fully seasoned and below 20% moisture the insert will do the job. In milder weather it should go 6-8 hrs between loadings. In very cold weather it may be more like 4-6 hrs between loadings.
Have you run a modern EPA stove before? They run a bit different than old stoves from the 70s and 80s.

I never had a stove. Just open fire place. I tested my moisture and the cherry, hickory, maple are at 11% I have some beech at 14% and red oak was hanging around 17%

I got a pretty good deal on the stove being a floor model and quadra fire had to quit making them because of the new epa regulations.

 

[begreen]

You'll need to allow enough time to learn the operation of the stove and settle into a routine. Maybe start on weekends so that you can have the time to see how the stove operates and responds.

 

[brenndatomu]

I never had a stove. Just open fire place. I tested my moisture and the cherry, hickory, maple are at 11% I have some beech at 14% and red oak was hanging around 17%

I got a pretty good deal on the stove being a floor model and quadra fire had to quit making them because of the new epa regulations.

That was tested on a freshly split face? If it is checked on the end, or existing outside, that doesn't count

 

[Beeffarmer]

That was tested on a freshly split face? If it is checked on the end, or existing outside, that doesn't count

Center of the split

 

[Beeffarmer]

You'll need to allow enough time to learn the operation of the stove and settle into a routine. Maybe start on weekends so that you can have the time to see how the stove operates and responds.

My whole life is routine. We quit milking cows in May. So routine is all I know.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I really would not plan on a full routine as described above. Yes you will load at 5am.. Yes you may load at night, but really the temperature outside will dictate what you are going to do. Yes there will be some similarities and there are times that you will be in a routine, but for the burning season in general you will change what you do throughout the entire burning season.. and that said not every season is the same.. last year I barely used 3 cords.. 2 years before I was at 4. You will need to burn however is necessary to keep your house at the right temperature. If you start out with that routine you'll be opening the windows to cool the house down..

 

[brenndatomu]

Modern stoves are batch burners, don't expect to need to do 2 hour loadings unless you just light a small load of low BTU wood to keep the house temp from falling too much before you do a big load...example...at 5 pm you see that you are going to need a bit more heat before the big overnight load, so you throw a small load of soft maple in, which will be gone by 7-8 pm easily...then you won't be loading on excessive coals for the overnight load...which would cause the stove to "go nuclear"...it's all about managing the house temp, and burning down the hot coals that are left when you use the stove full time...it's a learning curve, you get the hang of it...it's kinda fun!
Most of the time you will put a load in, get it up to temp, turn the air down (the most efficient setting for making heat with a modern stove) and forget it for the next 6-8-10 (12?) hours...

 

[begreen]

When temps are in the low 40s my wife prefers to do smaller loads. She will start a fire with about 5-6 medium-sized splits, then add 2-3 splits as needed to keep the fire going. It's not as efficient, but it works and it's what she is comfortable with. This method works ok for our milder winters, but when temps are freezing or lower a larger fire makes big difference. I would practice at both.

 

[Beeffarmer]

I like the tips. Definitely will have to play around at night with it on the shoulder season before winter breaks.

 

[fvhowler]

I like the tips. Definitely will have to play around at night with it on the shoulder season before winter breaks.

Great advice on this site. These guys know their stuff. Spend a little time here and you will learn a lot.

 

[stoveliker]

Came across this thread now. How'd that first winter go?