Opinions on the best zero clearance hi eff. fireplace

[BobQuigley]

I'm building a new house and I want a good fireplace. I'm finding that they are very pricey and there seems to be a lot of issues with the glass getting black soot and needing a lot of cleaning. Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bob

 

[xman23]

I started down down that road when I built my cabin. My wife wanted the fire place look and my goal was to heat the house. One day shopping for a fireplace convinced her I would never be happy with a fireplace. I can't recall that we ever saw one that could produce heat like a stove. But we did find a stove that did every thing a fireplace does plus heat. Actually the stove has a much better rolling flames than a fireplace.

But if you have to have a fireplace I'm sure others here can comment on what's out there.

 

[begreen]

Best is an elusive term because usually it is best for the location, sizing and owner requirements. Sometimes these demands conflict with optimums that lead to a successful burning experience. The most common problems we hear here, for stove, inserts and fireplaces are low heat, hard to keep burning and dark glass. Most of these issues are not the stove, they are usually the chimney is too short, the wood is poorly seasoned and the operator is running the stove too cool.

There are lots of excellent ZC EPA fireplaces. The question is, what is best for your situation. We'll need more info to help with that choice. Good brands are Kozy, BIS, RSF, Regency, Pacific Energy, etc. but there are different styles, sizes and recirc options depending on the make and model. Tell us more about the area that is to be heated. What is the end goal? Is it just a nice fire or should it be a good heater too? Will it be burned occasionally or 24/7? What is the decor like, contemporary or traditional? Will it have a one or two story chimney?

 

[Minnesota Marty]

Bob,
I have had a zero clearance fireplace for over 25 years. I never had a problem with the fireplace smoking, not heating well or clouding the glass. As Begreen says good dry wood, properly sized chimney and a hot fire is the ticket. Now, we did not try to heat our home with that fireplace but only in the shoulder seasons. Then it worked to heat the house. Although we had some power outages that the fireplace came in real handy.
I had a house I sold a few years back I had a BIS unit and that thing cranked it out. In my current home, which is smaller I have a Valcourt which I chose based on the look and the performance. My new home is better insulated and I can heat longer with this unit than with the BIS. I doubt it is the unit but I did a better job insulating and it is a smaller house.
I do agree that if you are attempting to heat the entire house with no back up a wood stove would probably be better. But, with some of the venting options on some of the ZC fireplaces you can pump out alot of heat.
The long and short IMO is that a ZC fireplace is great for "the look" and a decent feel while being able to generate heat and stove is for the heat and a decent look and feel. Then if you just want the heat and don't care about the look, go with something like the Kuuma wood furnace.

 

[BobQuigley]

Thanks so much for the help so far. As for more info, I'm not looking for it to be as much a source of heat as I don't want it to be a heat loss. Most of the non hi efficiency fireplaces I have seen seem to send more heat out then they produce. I agree that a wood stove would be better but it's not the look I want. It won't be used 24/7 and it will be a traditional look in a one story 2100sq ft home with 9' ceilings.

Thanks again,
Bob

 

[begreen]

If the floor plan is fairly open then take a look at the Valcourt Lafayette, RSF Opel 3, Kozy Z42 and Pacific Energy 30FPA for starters. If the room is somewhat closed off and separate look at the smaller the BIS Traditions CE.

 

[BobQuigley]

I like the Valcourt.
It seems to be a better price as it is all inclusive, not separate doors and façade.

Thanks again,
Bob

 

[Minnesota Marty]

Bob,
Good Luck on the build, it is exciting to get a new home designed with the things that are important to you. You are on the right track.