Osburn Stratford install with forced air kit

[delusional4EpaWoodFP]

Hi, just wanted to follow up with resolution to my original post. Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer my questions.

At the end of this summer we went through with the install of the Osburn Stratford. My main concern was the location of the fireplace we were replacing and the compartmentalization of our ranch style house. Afraid that the den would be too hot and the rest of the house too cold, we followed the advice of Begreen and chose the Stratford with the forced air kit.

We demo'd the old unit ourselves. The install was done professionally by an area installer that has been around for years. We had the forced air kit installed with the max 50 foot run which put it almsot right in the middle of our long ranch. For the most part this all went smooth without any major issues. That said, there was an issue with the overlays and doors on the unit. The overlays are attached to the door via 4 tapped holes which secure from the inside of the door via screws. The first two sets of overlays did not line up with the holes in the doors. The dealer then asked for new doors which didnt line up still with any of the overlays previously sent. The issue was finally rectified by Osburn when they delivered doors and overlays assembled at the factory. Also, breakin fires were painful in this unit. The mositure in the refractory panels was so high we had water running down the inside of the glass (which was pitch black and took forever to clean.)

The unseasonably warm fall this year built up the suspense on how burning would go. I have to say i was relieved when i discovered how well the forced air kit worked. Ive been able to run the unit hot, relying on the inline fan to pull cold air over the unit and out to the central part of the house where it vents. The den is the warmest room of course, but a comfortable warm (i haven't measured yet, but would guess 78-82, tshirt and pants, havent had to crack a window yet). The thermostat, in the hall near the bedrooms ranges anywhere from 75 (outside in the 30s) to 68 (outside temp -5). At night i run the furnace fan to keep bedrooms with closed doors comfortable.

All in all, it turned out to be a sustainable project and I'm not blowing us out of the house with too much heat. Even better, im able to heat the house decently with our setup.

Attached some pics of the demo and finished product.

 

[begreen]

Thanks for the update. The final product looks great. Did Osburn say why the snafu with the doors and overlay? Did they change design?

 

[BenTN]

Looks great... we had a similar issue with the overlays only ours finally fit, just tuff to line up all the screws. we are only a couple months into burning our Strafford and love it, but wish we could keep the master a little warmer with it. I have contemplated trying a retro fit this spring. tearing out my firestop and shimmy-ING down the chase to add a forced air duct to the master.

 

[delusional4EpaWoodFP]

Oh, bonus pic. Shortly after th

Thanks for the update. The final product looks great. Did Osburn say why the snafu with the doors and overlay? Did they change design?

I unfortunately never found out why all the issues, i had to a meeting i couldnt miss and my wife was home to let them in and never found out. The dealer did all the communication, all i know is the Osburn rep brought the new setup and took the old. On the overlays we kept getting there was always one hole that never lined at all.

 

[mjstef]

Hi, just wanted to follow up with resolution to my original post. Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer my questions.

At the end of this summer we went through with the install of the Osburn Stratford. My main concern was the location of the fireplace we were replacing and the compartmentalization of our ranch style house. Afraid that the den would be too hot and the rest of the house too cold, we followed the advice of Begreen and chose the Stratford with the forced air kit.

We demo'd the old unit ourselves. The install was done professionally by an area installer that has been around for years. We had the forced air kit installed with the max 50 foot run which put it almsot right in the middle of our long ranch. For the most part this all went smooth without any major issues. That said, there was an issue with the overlays and doors on the unit. The overlays are attached to the door via 4 tapped holes which secure from the inside of the door via screws. The first two sets of overlays did not line up with the holes in the doors. The dealer then asked for new doors which didnt line up still with any of the overlays previously sent. The issue was finally rectified by Osburn when they delivered doors and overlays assembled at the factory. Also, breakin fires were painful in this unit. The mositure in the refractory panels was so high we had water running down the inside of the glass (which was pitch black and took forever to clean.)

The unseasonably warm fall this year built up the suspense on how burning would go. I have to say i was relieved when i discovered how well the forced air kit worked. Ive been able to run the unit hot, relying on the inline fan to pull cold air over the unit and out to the central part of the house where it vents. The den is the warmest room of course, but a comfortable warm (i haven't measured yet, but would guess 78-82, tshirt and pants, havent had to crack a window yet). The thermostat, in the hall near the bedrooms ranges anywhere from 75 (outside in the 30s) to 68 (outside temp -5). At night i run the furnace fan to keep bedrooms with closed doors comfortable.

All in all, it turned out to be a sustainable project and I'm not blowing us out of the house with too much heat. Even better, im able to heat the house decently with our setup.

Attached some pics of the demo and finished product.

View attachment 190898 View attachment 190899 View attachment 190900 View attachment 190901

delusional4EpaWoodFP, It looks like the fireplace is mounted on the floor and then the Hearth brought up to it. Is this what i'm seeing? If so what is your measurement from the top of the hearth to the bottom of your rock above the FP?? Thanks in advance!