Portable Insert ?

[mass_burner]

Would this be feasible to design/bulit from an existing stove? An insert you could wheel in on a dolly, set in the firebox, plug in the fan and start burning. I guess you would to redesign the outlet to be wider to let the smoke in a less concentrated manner. Maybe incorporate a CAT element?

 

[KaptJaq]

The type install you describe is a "slammer" install, now not to code in most areas. At a minimum to be to code you would need a direct connect flue. That is a section of flue pipe that goes at least as high as the tile lining of the flue. So many other things to consider like clearances, wear and tear when moving the stove, etc. IMHO stoves are long term installations. How are you going to comply to local code and insurance requirements if you can just roll the stove in & out?

KaptJaq

 

[Grisu]

Don't, you are literally playing with fire here. There is a code, UL-tested equipment, building inspectors, manufacturer requirements etc. for a reason.

 

[eclecticcottage]

I'm thinking the closest you could come...would be a free standing stove, IF it could fit in all of your fireplaces.

Basically...you'd need liners in each chimney set up for the stove, with all clearances/hearthpad extensions correct for that stove. Then some way of blocking off the liner/chimney when the stove wasn't "living" in that fireplace. I mean, you CAN replace stove X with stove Y whenever you want if all the clearances/hearthpad requirements, etc are met. So techincally you could move a stove from spot to spot if each spot was set up for that stove. I guess you could probably do the same with an insert if the fireplaces were the same...

But considering how hefty they are and the need for each fireplace to have the expensive stuff like liners already there...I'd just pick up a few less expensive stoves/inserts!

 

[mellow]

The closest you will get to portable would be a small rocket stove.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

I have seen homes that remove their stoves from the rooms they are in in order to use the space better in the off season. But it's nothing like what you are talking about. And the stoves I am referring to are not in fireplaces, they are free standing in rooms that use their own flues. And now that I mention it, who wants to move that monster just to get a few extra sq ft of living space?

 

[mass_burner]

let's put aside code, insurance etc, for a moment. let's also assume your sitting on top of a 2 ft hearth. why would you need a dedicated flue other than that which is used when burning in the open fireplace? I get that the exhaust is different when exiting an insert, but couldn't part of the redesign be channeling the exhaust into a much wider exit to go up the flu, maybe even incorporate a cat element?

 

[begreen]

Let's not put aside safety. With a poorly designed or no direct flue connection one risks all sorts of drafting issues, some of which could turn out fatal.