My first post . . . been lurking on these forums for weeks. Learning TONS.
We're building a 700 sq ft great room onto a 1920's Colonial Revival in a Boston 'burb. My husband and are a true "woodies"--Paul loves to chop wood. We've been searching and searching for the perfect way to bring fire to this room. We want a fire that can sometimes just be ambiance (open fire) and other times be a heat workhorse (air-tight efficiency with a clean burn). We need something that looks traditional and dressy as possible (no arched top). We've looked at woodstoves, but the clearances even with double-wall pipe are killer--sticks too far out in the room. We've looked at fireplaces like the VC Sequoia, the Lennox Brentwood, the Montecito, and other high-efficiency fireplaces. None of them talk in their user manuals much or at all about open-fire use. Some don't have a spark screen option, others--the door won't open 180 degrees, so it doesn't seem they are meant to be used as an open-hearth much, if at all. I worry that these high-efficiency units will run us out of the room--they are so efficient and tout whopping BTU's.
Just tonight stumbled on the RSF Topaz, which claims to do exactly what we need: can be used with a closed glass door for high-efficiency use, but when just an open fire with ambiance is required, the glass door can retract into the trim at the side of the fireplace. Is this too good to be true?
I see no posts describing experience with this stove, and no reviews. Wondering if anyone has an opinion on the Topaz, or on another choice that would fulfill our sometimes open-fire/sometimes closed requirement.
Many Thanks
We're building a 700 sq ft great room onto a 1920's Colonial Revival in a Boston 'burb. My husband and are a true "woodies"--Paul loves to chop wood. We've been searching and searching for the perfect way to bring fire to this room. We want a fire that can sometimes just be ambiance (open fire) and other times be a heat workhorse (air-tight efficiency with a clean burn). We need something that looks traditional and dressy as possible (no arched top). We've looked at woodstoves, but the clearances even with double-wall pipe are killer--sticks too far out in the room. We've looked at fireplaces like the VC Sequoia, the Lennox Brentwood, the Montecito, and other high-efficiency fireplaces. None of them talk in their user manuals much or at all about open-fire use. Some don't have a spark screen option, others--the door won't open 180 degrees, so it doesn't seem they are meant to be used as an open-hearth much, if at all. I worry that these high-efficiency units will run us out of the room--they are so efficient and tout whopping BTU's.
Just tonight stumbled on the RSF Topaz, which claims to do exactly what we need: can be used with a closed glass door for high-efficiency use, but when just an open fire with ambiance is required, the glass door can retract into the trim at the side of the fireplace. Is this too good to be true?
I see no posts describing experience with this stove, and no reviews. Wondering if anyone has an opinion on the Topaz, or on another choice that would fulfill our sometimes open-fire/sometimes closed requirement.
Many Thanks
