Replacing a VC Intrepid and chimney liner question

[mtragg]

I am looking to replace the VC Intrepid that came in my 2300sqft ranch home in central CT when I bought it. Ideally looking for something I can achieve overnight burns in and easily fit normal sized (16") wood as well as supplementing the heating of my home throughout the winter. I had a Lopi Evergreen non cat insert installed in our old fireplace and enjoyed it for the one season we got to burn in it before we sold the house. I reached out to the same stove dealer we bought that stove from and he informed me that he found one evergreen non cat freestanding stove left in the back and we'd like to jump on it before the end of the year to take advantage of the tax credit again. Is this enough stove to heat our new home? Its going into a centrally located chimney, and he also advised that he didnt think I'll need a liner in the 7x11 clay flue that the current stove dumps into that is unlined which I don't think I agree with but im not an expert. I will try and post some pictures, thank you for the help in advance.

 

[kborndale]

You need an insulated SS liner to pass code in almost all installs. In the event of a chimney fire you will be glad you got one.

 

[EbS-P]

My goggle says it’s 2.2 cu ft. That’s on 8 hour burn max on low. You will need to move the connection up in the chimney. (That’s probably a given either way.

The non cat gets a tax credit? Lopi max good stoves but if overnight is your goal in terms he dead of winter I’d be looking at a 3cu ft. Something like a Pacific energy T6 there are others. That just way comes to mind. If the tax credit is a deal breaker then a BK Ashford 30 would be my choice.

 

[John Lehet]

Yeah, all the Lopi stoves that are eligible are either Cat or Hybrid:

Woodstove Database | Burnwise | US EPA

 

[mtragg]

My goggle says it’s 2.2 cu ft. That’s on 8 hour burn max on low. You will need to move the connection up in the chimney. (That’s probably a given either way.

The non cat gets a tax credit? Lopi max good stoves but if overnight is your goal in terms he dead of winter I’d be looking at a 3cu ft. Something like a Pacific energy T6 there are others. That just way comes to mind. If the tax credit is a deal breaker then a BK Ashford 30 would be my choice.

Tax credit is not a deal breaker, and I do like the Pacific energy stoves but have never had the pleasure of operating one. The previous evergreen insert we bought in 2023 was the non cat version and qualified for the tax credit. I still have all off the documentation from that install. And yes we realize we will need to move the chimney connection and are okay with that

 

[begreen]

The Evergreen is top vented which makes the thimble height the determining factor. The current thimble looks to be about 24" to the top. Is the intent to seal up the current thimble and place a new one up higher?

If the dealer is selling an older pre-2020 Evergreen, he better be selling it as used in order to be legal. The advice to not line the chimney is just sales talk if he has not come out to the property and confirmed that the chimney has at least 2" clearance from any combustibles all the way up through the house.

The stove is most just going to heat the core kitchen/LR area, with much less heat going to the bedrooms and office. Size the stove accordingly. If one can be located, the Jotul F35 might just work with the current thimble location if the top of the thimble hole is at least 26".

PS: Thanks for the good documentation of the current setup. And welcome!

 

[mtragg]

The Evergreen is top vented which makes the thimble height the determining factor. The current thimble looks to be about 24" to the top. Is the intent to seal up the current thimble and place a new one up higher?

If the dealer is selling an older pre-2020 Evergreen, he better be selling it as used in order to be legal. The advice to not line the chimney is just sales talk if he has not come out to the property and confirmed that the chimney has at least 2" clearance from any combustibles all the way up through the house.

The stove is most just going to heat the core kitchen/LR area, with much less heat going to the bedrooms and office. Size the stove accordingly. If one can be located, the Jotul F35 might just work with the current thimble location if the top of the thimble hole is at least 26".

PS: Thanks for the good documentation of the current setup. And welcome!

Thank you for the informative response! Yes the plan is to seal the lower thimble and put a new one higher up.

I dont believe its a pre 2020 model, its the Nexgen-Fyre non cat version which qualified for the tax credit when I bought the insert version for my old house in 2023.

And yeah I don't expect the stove to fully heat the entire home, the bedrooms are down the hallway that will be more difficult for the heat to move to, but I also dont want to cook us out of the main living space either. The attic is well insulated and so is all of our ducting so I could run the fan on the air handler to try and move some of the air around. I'm just mostly tired of having to cut and split already processed wood to try and get it to fit into the intrepid and also not having any coals left in the morning to try and relight the stove no matter how much wood I fill it with before bed!

 

[John Lehet]

I don't know for sure, but it's possible the EPA list has changed since you bought your insert. I say this because I'm trying to buy a Woodstock Progress, which had been for sale and qualifying, but is currently awaiting recertification by the (now shuttered) EPA. Woodstock can't ship most of their stoves right now because of this change, while they were fine some months back I think. (Unfortunately I wasn't thinking of the new stove a few months ago). I believe the difference is that stoves need to be tested/certified with crib wood and not cord wood now. If you search that EPA link I posted above for Travis Industries stoves (Lopi) on that page all the stoves listed are either cat or, mostly, hybrid. Hybrid also has a cat.