Recomendations Welcome for Zero Clearance Fireplace 1879 Farmhouse

[Haystack]

Hey Guys,

I've been researching for a few years on which route to go for a little extra warmth from my firewood. I was looking at an outdoor wood burner which I may go with down the road but I don't think that's something I want to invest in right now as I'd also need to buy some land from the neighbor to have a place to put it. I have a Victorian style farmhouse built in 1879 in southeastern Wisconsin. The farmhouse had insulation blown in the walls 10-15 years ago along with having the attic insulated. 10 years ago the owners put a 2,200 square foot addition on to the original 1,800 square foot house. Right now it's a fixer upper for me, but I'd like to find a Mrs some day and fill it up a bit. Right now with just me and the critters I close off the upstairs of the original house for the winter. The addition has a open faced vermont castings zero clearance fireplace. I'm guessing it's a Menards special that was originally around $1,000. The back brick is cracked, the log rack has actually melted away in the rear, and it and the brick used for the surround and hearth just doesn't fit the look of the rest of the house. I believe it's a 42" wide unit and uses an 8" chimney, it drafts well and will really heat up the room it's in and the rest of the house in mild weather, but it eats wood like there's no tomorrow.

I was looking at wood stove inserts until i realized they wouldn't work as there was no masonry fireplace behind it. I'm thinking I might like to stick with something that's a "fireplace" for insurance reasons. They seem to be much more forgiving on those, at least the companies around here. I'm looking to up my 10-15% efficiency into the >60% range, but some efficiency could be sacrificed for aesthetics.

I really like the look of the Napoleon NZ6000 but I'm not to keen on the price. I'd like to find something along those lines with a large viewing area and classic looks. I've done a lot of searching and reading and found some unites that look similar, but I figured I'd touch base with the experts. I'm not looking to heat the whole house with it, just something to supplement my furnaces(i have a high efficiency unit in the original house and one in the addition) and cut down on my propane and wood usage and not break the bank too much.


Thanks for the help,

Scott

 

[Isaiah53]

I really like my FPX 44 Elite. I have had no issues with it in the first two seasons. Something of wood hog, but it puts out an enormous amount of heat with a very large capacity blower. Just a step down in size from the NZ6000, but similar in appearance. Travis claims the outside air arrangement (Posi-pressure) helps eliminate air leaks, which could be a bonus for you. I cannot say how well it works as my house is new and very tight. In addition to the blower capacity, I also like the remote blower option that allows you to run the fan on high without any real noise.

Negatives are relatively short burn times. It will not likely have the blower still on when you get home if you leave to go to work for the day. You would probably need a large stove to do that. Also the glass tends to get black with much of an turndown on the air.

I believe there are lots of other good units out there. I would go with a large firebox for that house.

 

[Grisu]

Please be aware that installing an EPA-approved ZC fireplace will be quite a bit more expensive than a woodstove. If the main reason you want to go with a fireplace is the increase in insurance premiums I would shop around and see what you can get for deals. I think several members here had good experiences with State Farm with only slight increases in their premium.

It sounds like you have a lot of space to heat. I would try to go for at least a 3 cu ft firebox to make a proper dent in your gas bill and give you enough emergency heat when the power goes out. Here are some options:

Superior/Lennox offers some large, efficient fireplaces like the WCT6840: http://superiorfireplaces.us.com/products/t/superior-wood-burning-fireplaces
Quadrafire 7100
Valcourt FP9
RSF has some options like the Opel 3: (broken link removed to http://www.icc-rsf.com/en/rsf-woodburning-fireplaces)

Some units can be ducted to transfer heat to other parts of the house. Maybe something to take into consideration when you are planning on a major remodel anyway.

Any modern stove/fireplace needs dry wood with an internal moisture content of less than 20% to heat properly. Do you already have several cords of split wood sitting in your yard to dry over the summer?

P.S. The probably cheapest option but may not be as good-looking as you want it to be would be to place a rear-vented stove in front of the fireplace and run a liner through the existing chimney. Jotul, Hearthstone, Quadrafire, and Woodstock make stoves suitable for that kind of installation. You may need to extend the hearth and make sure the fireplace lintel is up high enough from the hearth.