New To The Fireplace World And Looking For Insert Recommendations

[Cmm2104]

We moved into our new home a few months ago and we finally have a beautiful fireplace! I had no idea how inefficient they actually were and was silly enough to think it would do a good job at heating our home this coming winter.
So, now that we know that's just not possible, we've started researching fireplace inserts. We've been online every evening for a few weeks now checking out different brands, reading forums, looking at specs, also visited a couple showrooms, but we're even more confused now than when we first started.
Our home is about 2000sqft and we'd like to use the insert as our main heat source. The house is all electric and electric heat is extremely expensive, so we'd like to avoid turning it on if at all possible.
The masonry fireplace shares a wall with the garage and then there are two doorways that the heat would need to go through to reach the stairway and other side of the house. We currently have fans setup in those doorways and they do a decent job with pushing the heat produced by the fireplace out of the room.
Are there any inserts out there that will hold up to just about 24/7 running, have a great blower and can heat 2000sqft?
Thanks so much for any insight!
This is our fireplace now

 

[begreen]

What are the complete fireplace dimensions front and back and depths, top and bottom? How large is the room that the fireplace is in and does it have a normal 8-9' high ceiling or much higher?

If you can post a sketch of the first floor that includes the fireplace and stair location we may be able to spot ways to improve heat circulation too.

 

[bholler]

We moved into our new home a few months ago and we finally have a beautiful fireplace! I had no idea how inefficient they actually were and was silly enough to think it would do a good job at heating our home this coming winter.
So, now that we know that's just not possible, we've started researching fireplace inserts. We've been online every evening for a few weeks now checking out different brands, reading forums, looking at specs, also visited a couple showrooms, but we're even more confused now than when we first started.
Our home is about 2000sqft and we'd like to use the insert as our main heat source. The house is all electric and electric heat is extremely expensive, so we'd like to avoid turning it on if at all possible.
The masonry fireplace shares a wall with the garage and then there are two doorways that the heat would need to go through to reach the stairway and other side of the house. We currently have fans setup in those doorways and they do a decent job with pushing the heat produced by the fireplace out of the room.
Are there any inserts out there that will hold up to just about 24/7 running, have a great blower and can heat 2000sqft?
Thanks so much for any insight!
This is our fireplace now

View attachment 284013

Just about every insert will hold up just fine to 24/7 burning. And many are capable of putting out enough BTUs to heat 2000 sq/ft. But allot will depend upon heat distribution.

 

[Cmm2104]

What are the complete fireplace dimensions front and back and depths, top and bottom? How large is the room that the fireplace is in and does it have a normal 8-9' high ceiling or much higher?

If you can post a sketch of the first floor that includes the fireplace and stair location we may be able to spot ways to improve h

We can get a floor plan sketch done later this evening because heat movement definitely worries me a bit.
We have regular 9ft ceilings. The room that the fireplace is in is 18ftx14ft
Here are the measurements of the fireplace

 

[begreen]

I think a 2 cu ft insert will suffice given the constraints. Without fan circulation an insert could overheat the 252 sq ft room due to the restrictive doorways. It will be easier to see this once the floor plan is posted. Are the doorways 3' openings or larger?

 

[Cmm2104]

I think a 2 cu ft insert will suffice given the constraints. Without fan circulation an insert could overheat the 252 sq ft room due to the restrictive doorways. It will be easier to see this once the floor plan is posted. Are the doorways 3' openings or larger?

I was off a bit..the room is actually 20x14, not a big difference tho.
Here is the layout. We will eventually be removing a partial wall making the doorway from the fireplace room into the kitchen just about double in size, but that won't be until the spring/summer. We do have a ceiling fan in the fireplace room as well.
I think the biggest issue that we'll have is getting the heat to the downstairs back bedroom, but hopefully with correct fan placement, it won't get too cold back there.
And thank you so much for all your help! It's truly appreciated!

 

[PaulOinMA]

Folks may also ask for following dimesions: (1) height in rear of fireplace if less than front opening, and (2) depth measuring perpendicular to rear.

 

[Cmm2104]

Folks may also ask for following dimesions: (1) height in rear of fireplace if less than front opening, and (2) depth measuring perpendicular to rear.

Height in the rear before the slope is 15"
Depth at the top (front to back) is 20
Depth at bottom (front to back) is 25"
This is the side view

 

[PaulOinMA]

How is electric heat set up? How many thermostats are there? Could give thought to using insert to heat a portion of the house and let electric be supplemental for the rear bedroom you mentioned.

 

[mightytitan9]

I had a 3.5 cubic foot firebox with 12ft peaked ceilings and only a 4 ft wide opening to get the air out of a 420 sq ft room.

For your size room I'd probably lean more towards a 2 to 2.5 cubic foot.

I've never had one, but an Osburn 2000 might be worth looking at. I had an Osburn 2400 and ran it 24 hours a day from October to April. My ONLY complaint was the blower was a little loud and rattled, but it looks like they have redesigned them since my 2400 which is discontinued.

Enerzone is basically the same as the Osburn just different design elements. A Solution 2.3-I might be a viable option for you as well.

 

[Cmm2104]

How is electric heat set up? How many thermostats are there? Could give thought to using insert to heat a portion of the house and let electric be supplemental for the rear bedroom you mentioned.

Each room has its own thermostat and baseboard electric heater. We will supplement as needed, but we'll definitely try using fans to disperse the heat first

 

[begreen]

I was off a bit..the room is actually 20x14, not a big difference tho.
Here is the layout. We will eventually be removing a partial wall making the doorway from the fireplace room into the kitchen just about double in size, but that won't be until the spring/summer. We do have a ceiling fan in the fireplace room as well.
I think the biggest issue that we'll have is getting the heat to the downstairs back bedroom, but hopefully with correct fan placement, it won't get too cold back there.
And thank you so much for all your help! It's truly appreciated!

View attachment 284041

That helps a lot. It will be a challenge, the 3' doorways are the issue. As a test, I would start out with a box fan or 12" table fan, placed on the floor, in the livingroom doorway, blowing cool air into the fireplace room across the entry hallway. That should help pull air in behind the fan in a convective loop, through the kitchen doorway and back to the livingroom via the dining room. This will help cool down the fireplace room while distributing the heat.