Just purchased a home a few months ago that has a propane furnace. Considering the high cost of propane, we decided not to use it. We decided on a large fireplace insert to heat the entire 2200 sq ft home and I researched for months about inserts, wood, and everything associated to wood burning. To be honest, I was afraid of burning wood and wasn't sure of how safe it would be. We opted to go with the Breckwell SW940 wood insert (because I got the deal of a lifetime on it) and my husband installed it and the chimney liner. After it was installed, I got a local Chimney expert to come by and inspect it to make sure the installation was done correctly. Also, we did have the chimney inspected and swept a couple of months prior.
We knew that Breckwell was known more for pellet stoves and was still fairly new to wood burning but we were willing to take the chance that we were getting a good insert. The main things for me were high btu output, large firebox, large heating area, and long burn times. For those that don't know, the Breckwell is rated at 128,000 btus, 3200 sq ft heating area, 3.6 cu ft firebox, and 12 hour burn times. I know that these specs are at optimal conditions and its not likely to get the same results that they got in the testing facility. I DO have seasoned hardwood that I am using and I have a moisture meter that is reading approx. 8% on that wood. My logs are fairly small though and that may be my problem. I am only able to get about a 2-3 hour burn out of a load. I put in about 4 logs at night and make sure that after the fire is going good, to adjust the damper down very low but its just not burning long. My husband has been getting up at 3 am to reload or re-light every night. I'm afraid to add too much wood because the fire can get going so good, that im worried about over-firing the insert. The logs im using are between 14 and 20 inches long but only about 3-4 inches in diameter.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to have longer overnight burn times or if anyone has any experience with these inserts, I would love to hear from you. Thanks in advance.
We knew that Breckwell was known more for pellet stoves and was still fairly new to wood burning but we were willing to take the chance that we were getting a good insert. The main things for me were high btu output, large firebox, large heating area, and long burn times. For those that don't know, the Breckwell is rated at 128,000 btus, 3200 sq ft heating area, 3.6 cu ft firebox, and 12 hour burn times. I know that these specs are at optimal conditions and its not likely to get the same results that they got in the testing facility. I DO have seasoned hardwood that I am using and I have a moisture meter that is reading approx. 8% on that wood. My logs are fairly small though and that may be my problem. I am only able to get about a 2-3 hour burn out of a load. I put in about 4 logs at night and make sure that after the fire is going good, to adjust the damper down very low but its just not burning long. My husband has been getting up at 3 am to reload or re-light every night. I'm afraid to add too much wood because the fire can get going so good, that im worried about over-firing the insert. The logs im using are between 14 and 20 inches long but only about 3-4 inches in diameter.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to have longer overnight burn times or if anyone has any experience with these inserts, I would love to hear from you. Thanks in advance.
