We have a crappy drafty 30 year old ZC Heatilator. Because it has fan ducts to the sides, it sits inside an 8' wide chase. The chase is not insulated nor does it have a firestop, and the whole thing is like having a door open. The chase is wood framed. I've opened it up for inspection, and plan to remove the crappy fireplace, do a good job of insulating and sealing up the chase, and installing a new efficient fireplace.
Here are photos of what we have now, with some dimensions shown. Not shown is that the hearth is 16" deep from front edge to the fireplace doors. And, there is a concrete floor or pad under the ZC box, that is 3" below the hearth level. So you can see the opening size we have, plus the height of the opening and 3" below that for the "floor" that the box sits on.
http://www3.webng.com/snowman9000/LakeStuff/img_0478a.jpg
http://www3.webng.com/snowman9000/LakeStuff/img_0479a.jpg
http://www3.webng.com/snowman9000/LakeStuff/img_0483a.jpg
The stone around the opening is extremely uneven. It would be darn near impossible to seal an insert surround to it. So using an insert would leave me at the mercy of the existing drafty ZC box. I'm fairly certain that removing the old ZC and putting in something new is the way to go, since I'm going to have the chase opened up anyway. (I can deal with the temporary removal of some of the wood framing of the chase.)
I envision something that will seal to the sides of the opening, maybe with mortar if required. The stones are fairly uniform on the sides of the opening. I wouldn't mind something that sat out onto the hearth, for better radiating. But it's no big deal either.
This is for recreational fires, but it would be nice to have emergency backup heat. There is electricity already in the chase for the existing fans. I pretty much get wood for free but we don't use it all that much. My main concern is having something that doesn't leak air when it's idle. I suppose these days they all are good on that score?
I would prefer to have a professional dealer install whatever I buy. However that could change if I have to order something from afar in order to get the right unit for my application. I'm pretty sure I can handle it if I have to.
There is a wood mantle not shown, that protrudes out 8", and it is 16" above the top of the doors.
I've searched on the forum but I don't seem to have found a unit that fits properly yet.
Suggestions for a unit that will fit in my opening? Thank you.
Here are photos of what we have now, with some dimensions shown. Not shown is that the hearth is 16" deep from front edge to the fireplace doors. And, there is a concrete floor or pad under the ZC box, that is 3" below the hearth level. So you can see the opening size we have, plus the height of the opening and 3" below that for the "floor" that the box sits on.
http://www3.webng.com/snowman9000/LakeStuff/img_0478a.jpg
http://www3.webng.com/snowman9000/LakeStuff/img_0479a.jpg
http://www3.webng.com/snowman9000/LakeStuff/img_0483a.jpg
The stone around the opening is extremely uneven. It would be darn near impossible to seal an insert surround to it. So using an insert would leave me at the mercy of the existing drafty ZC box. I'm fairly certain that removing the old ZC and putting in something new is the way to go, since I'm going to have the chase opened up anyway. (I can deal with the temporary removal of some of the wood framing of the chase.)
I envision something that will seal to the sides of the opening, maybe with mortar if required. The stones are fairly uniform on the sides of the opening. I wouldn't mind something that sat out onto the hearth, for better radiating. But it's no big deal either.
This is for recreational fires, but it would be nice to have emergency backup heat. There is electricity already in the chase for the existing fans. I pretty much get wood for free but we don't use it all that much. My main concern is having something that doesn't leak air when it's idle. I suppose these days they all are good on that score?
I would prefer to have a professional dealer install whatever I buy. However that could change if I have to order something from afar in order to get the right unit for my application. I'm pretty sure I can handle it if I have to.
There is a wood mantle not shown, that protrudes out 8", and it is 16" above the top of the doors.
I've searched on the forum but I don't seem to have found a unit that fits properly yet.
Suggestions for a unit that will fit in my opening? Thank you.
