Questions from a total newbie. Looking to buy our first HE fireplace.

[howard2015]

Hi everyone,

I'm brand new to the forum and doing some research that I hope you all can help me out with.

We are in the process of building a new home and are trying to choose the right fireplace. My brother in law has the Fireplace Xtrordinair 44 Elite and he raves about it, so we have had our eye on the 36 Elite (hearth isn't wide enough for the 44).

Here are my concerns...

We are building a 2 story 2800 square foot home. The fireplace is on the lower floor in the living room, all bedrooms, are upstairs. The choice to go with this (much) more expensive fireplace is going to boil down to whether or not it can actually heat the whole home (not just downstairs) at night when we go to bed. Growing up we had a fireplace, but if you weren't standing within 5 feet you couldn't feel the heat. Granted, that was 30 years ago and a regular old box in the wall.

So can you help guide me to the right choice? If we aren't going to benefit from the savings on the heating bill during the winter while sleeping then it doesn't make sense financially to spend this much, we should just get something that will heat the living room.

Also any general opinions on fpx36e or recommendations of other units is welcome. My wife really likes the aesthetics of the fpx. Also take note we are in Oklahoma, where the winters are generally much more mild than up north. We do get into single digits, but usually only a couple of nights a year. During the toughest months we generally hover in the low to mid 20's overnight and low 30's during the day.

Thanks!

 

[begreen]

Greetings. Modern EPA fireplaces can be very good heaters. How well the fireplace will heat the place depends on many factors. Number one will be how well insulated and sealed the house is. Other factors will be the floorplan of the house, fireplace location, ceiling heights, sizing, etc.. All EPA units are going to need fully seasoned wood to perform well. Can you post a sketch of the floorplan that shows where the fireplace will be.

FPX makes a good fireplace, but there are several other good brands to choose from, some for a lot less money. Some other nice units are made by Kozy, Northstar, Quadrafire, RSF, Valcourt and Pacific Energy.

 

[howard2015]

Greetings. Modern EPA fireplaces can be very good heaters. How well the fireplace will heat the place depends on many factors. Number one will be how well insulated and sealed the house is. Other factors will be the floorplan of the house, fireplace location, ceiling heights, sizing, etc.. All EPA units are going to need fully seasoned wood to perform well. Can you post a sketch of the floorplan that shows where the fireplace will be.

FPX makes a good fireplace, but there are several other good brands to choose from, some for a lot less money. Some other nice units are made by Kozy, Northstar, Quadrafire, RSF, Valcourt and Pacific Energy.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read. Here are the floor plans. The ceilings on the lower level are 9 foot high and the home is well insulated with foam insulation and double pane argon filled windows.

I'd love to hear any suggestions you have, especially if they are lower cost.

 

[begreen]

Good insulation is a good start. As long as the wood is nice and dry all the way through you should be able to heat the place with the fireplace. The furnace may kick on once in a while if it's -20F and blowing 50 mph but that is no big deal.

The Valcourt Lafayette, Flame Monaco and Pacific Energy FP30 come in at a lower price usually. The FP30 is based on the PE Summit's 3 cu ft firebox. Get a quote on a Heat & Glo Northstar and an RSF Opel 2 or 3 too.

 

[Poindexter]

BeGreen strikes again. Nothing else to see here. Move along, move along.