I want a fireplace in the 500sq' front room of a nearly 3000sq' (w/ addition) 19th century depot w/ 11.5' ceilings, mostly for enjoyment but I'd like to see some reasonable heat gain to help the heat pump when a big front rolls through the Deep South as the fireplace will be 25' from the HVAC return and wood availablity is unlimited. 25 years ago I heated the whole place with an old-school iron stove w/ single-wall pipe, etc. but small kids & safety concerns did away with that, now I'm ready to burn some wood again...
I'm considering low-end ZC units given the likely usage and my pocketbook, FMI 'Craftsman' C42L and Lennox HC-42 are two that can have blowers, air supply kits and doors added. One thing that's confusing is the actual heating capabilities vs. sales hype, do the doors/blowers/vents available on these really help efficiency? Another is the chimney pipe selection (AC, FTF, ASHT, S-2100, GX, etc), I understand the necessity of using the specified chimney system but are some brands best avoided to avoid getting gouged by the manufacturer's proprietary product pricing? What are the pitfalls of buying Ebay or closeout items, are there 'orphans' out there, accesories/vent-systems that are out of production or rep/installer-only-sales aggravation waiting?
Sorry if I've asked things that have been asked before, I've searched quite a bit but still have questions, thanks for your help!
I'm considering low-end ZC units given the likely usage and my pocketbook, FMI 'Craftsman' C42L and Lennox HC-42 are two that can have blowers, air supply kits and doors added. One thing that's confusing is the actual heating capabilities vs. sales hype, do the doors/blowers/vents available on these really help efficiency? Another is the chimney pipe selection (AC, FTF, ASHT, S-2100, GX, etc), I understand the necessity of using the specified chimney system but are some brands best avoided to avoid getting gouged by the manufacturer's proprietary product pricing? What are the pitfalls of buying Ebay or closeout items, are there 'orphans' out there, accesories/vent-systems that are out of production or rep/installer-only-sales aggravation waiting?
Sorry if I've asked things that have been asked before, I've searched quite a bit but still have questions, thanks for your help!
