small pre-fab fireplace

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jimbo

New Member
Hearth Supporter
Jun 17, 2008
7
middle mi
hi im new here and want to burn wood.. live in middle mi, and have a modular home with a prefab fireplace, interthem bm 36 hcd-bl ser# is 6405h04815 on the plate of the fireplace. was wondering if i should be looking to get an insert or a hearth stove so if ayone can help plz let me know thx jim, p s i cant find anything on this fireplace as far as the spec's
 
There are only very few stoves approved to go into a prefab unit. Easiest route would be an insert. Most mfg small inserts will fit into a 36" prefab.
 
I think most of these small prefabs in manufactured housing are not adequate for use with a wood burning system - the brand is not covered as one of the suggested models and there are also sizing problems Your best bet is probably to simply install a stove and metal chimney elsewhere in the home
 
thanks for the help... was thinking about an add on wood furnace daka to hook to my furnace, whats your thoughts on that or do you think there is a better way to go?
(have to watch the money here in michigan)... jimbo
 
Not a bad looking furnace - but I think you may run into similar problem. The duct system in some manufactured homes will not meet the requirements for adding a wood unit to - wood units need a certain clearance from the ductwork to wood, etc.

Also, where would you put it? Do you have a basement?

Lastly, in the case of a relatively small and well insulated house - a central system may end up using a lot more wood or pellets than a space heater. This is due to the sizing issues as well as total system efficiency.

Download the daka manual and look carefully at the clearances, etc. - some manufactured housing also use furnaces which direct air down (instead of up) - this may also present a problem with wood add-ons.

The good news is that you are doing your homework BEFORE buying, and this means more chance that you will end up heading in a safe and efficient direction.
 
thanks for the quick answer... but the house isnt a trailer its a boca... i have 9 foot walls in the basement and have lennox 97% with air filtration system the house doesnt have a frame... goverment rates it higher then a stick built home for quality the furnace and ducking is installed after the house is up. So what would be a better way to go ... been looking at outdoor wood boilers but can swing the funds.. how well are the outside forced air ones that just blow into the house not to be hooked up to furnace?.. thanks again jimbo
 
You have to take a lot of stuff into consideration - you said price is an issue - but there are other issues. A typical OWB (outdoor boiler) is very large (large fireboxes) and will not save you money if you have to buy your wood (low MPG or efficiency). There are new cleaner OWB, but they cost 8K plus, so you will be well over 10K with installation.

No one, including yours truly, can tell you what to buy. What we can do is to point out the pros and cons of various solutions. My general opinion is that even wood is not cheap (for most people, even including those who harvest it themselves), so I am biased in favor of units which give the most efficiency (MPG). There is also the "romance" factor to consider - a stove in the house gives a nice glow to sit around in the cold winter!

I would stay away from outdoor hot air units which just blow the heat through the wall. They may do the job in southern climes...but not in your neck of the woods.

My own choices in your case would be an indoor furnace in the basement (there is an efficient one - the Caddy)....or one of many stoves that could be set into the living area.
 
thanks Chris... yea ive been cuting wood all yr and still cuting... well then the caddy is that what i should put in the serch box?
 
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