Hi all. New to the forum. I bought a place in the mountains in the Shenandoah Valley that has a fireplace with a raised brick hearth a foot high and 20" deep. The chimney is brick with a steel firebox ~27 1/2 H X 35 1/2"W and 20 1/4" deep. It has an insulated 6" SS flex flue liner that terminates in a clean-out Tee that stuck out through a steel plate that blocked off the fireplace. The chimney is blocked off around the flue at the top, there is no block around the flue where it goes through where the fireplace damper was. The center of the Tee is ~22 1/2" above the hearth. The fireplace is centrally located to the main living area, about 1100 sq ft, and not so well located to the bedrooms, another 900 sq ft.
In my current dwelling I have a VC Resolute that I have been using since I bought it in 1980. So I am used to it. Shopping new stoves has been a real eye opener for me. I feel like my new place might be best served by an insert (the brick chimney also has vents on the front like a heat-o-lator, that vent the area between the steel fire box and the masonary) but am wishing I could find a good stove that would fit on that hearth. It would most likely have to be rear vent (like my Resolute) because I don't think I have the clearance to install a top vent. I am also trying to stay away from a catalytic stove. And I guess top load stoves (like my Resolute) are hard to find these days. In any event, I feel like I have been going around in circles trying to make up my mind what I should do. Meanwhile, that fireplace seems like a huge freezer sitting in my living room when I spend time up there. This forum is the best place I have found in my searching, with a lot of knowledgeable folks willing to give their 2 cents. Any opinions or advise would be appreciated.
In my current dwelling I have a VC Resolute that I have been using since I bought it in 1980. So I am used to it. Shopping new stoves has been a real eye opener for me. I feel like my new place might be best served by an insert (the brick chimney also has vents on the front like a heat-o-lator, that vent the area between the steel fire box and the masonary) but am wishing I could find a good stove that would fit on that hearth. It would most likely have to be rear vent (like my Resolute) because I don't think I have the clearance to install a top vent. I am also trying to stay away from a catalytic stove. And I guess top load stoves (like my Resolute) are hard to find these days. In any event, I feel like I have been going around in circles trying to make up my mind what I should do. Meanwhile, that fireplace seems like a huge freezer sitting in my living room when I spend time up there. This forum is the best place I have found in my searching, with a lot of knowledgeable folks willing to give their 2 cents. Any opinions or advise would be appreciated.
