Hello all. It’s been a while since I posted on here but have another question. My wife and I will be building a new house next year. It will be a one story ranch style with a cape cod look including 3 dormers. 1800sf 3 beds 2 baths. The main living space will be a large open great room with kitchen and breakfast area included in it. It’s completely open. That being said we are going to have cathedral ceiling in the great room up to 14 feet. Our builder will install a large Fireplace with a 42” North Star fireplace. I’ve researched them and am honestly not impressed but seem to have a decent sized firebox. My question does anyone have input as to if this will give us heat for the whole house? we currently have a drolet 1800i which we love and are hesitant to stray away from an insert especially as there will be minimal radiant heat. Thoughts appreciated!
North Star?
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Mech e
Feeling the Heat
If I were building a new home, I would definitely install a free standing wood burning stove, not a fireplace. Don't need a blower and I can use it to heat other things if I choose. A much more flexible appliance that can be as simple or ornate as you wish.
IowaRSFBurner
Member
If your builder is referring to the Heat & Glo Northstar, that is not just an open fireplace but a high efficiency zero clearance fireplace that is more like a built in wood stove. IF that is in fact what they are installing then it has a 2.7 cu. ft. firebox and would do a very good job heating your space. There are other options if you aren't happy with what you are reading for that one. Pacific Energy, Hearthstone, Avalon, RSF, Buck, Quadra-Fire, Valcourt, Supreme all make high efficiency wood burning fireplaces.
I’m more curious how effective this heater would be without the radiant heat plus blown heat of a stove insert versus an enclosed fireplace?
kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
Nothing has been put in yet so do the research now, is this house going on a slab or will you have a basement? If your on a slab I'd prob go with a free standing stove and regular flush to floor hearth with room to stack wood near the stove as not to mark up the finished floors. If the house has a full basement and the fireplace is above a potential finished space, I'd do the research and find a epa zero clearence stove that has air duct add ons and run a air duct to the basement to heat some of it (the old kill to birds with on stone move)
Also since your in the planning stage, are you going with a whole house generator incase of a power outage? If not I'd go back to the idea of just a free standing stove so you can heat a few rooms in the event of a storm that knocks power out for a few days. Also since its new construction plan on outside air intake with what ever you go with, construction standards and materials today provide much more air tightness and what ever you install should be sourced to outside air for combustion.
Also since your in the planning stage, are you going with a whole house generator incase of a power outage? If not I'd go back to the idea of just a free standing stove so you can heat a few rooms in the event of a storm that knocks power out for a few days. Also since its new construction plan on outside air intake with what ever you go with, construction standards and materials today provide much more air tightness and what ever you install should be sourced to outside air for combustion.
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