Stove options and considerations

[Maj92az]

I swear I'm all over this forum. One minute I'm talking about a wood furnace then I start thinking other options...

Anyways, if I were to do away with my wood furnace- a late 80s charmaster. Thing seems to have gummed up bad, and very few owners out there.. plus.. a wood furnace isnt totally what I wanted. Looking for supplement heat.. not whole home.

What are my options to install a wood stove. I have a "closed" lay out. I imagine the only option is to redesign the fireplace. Maybe extend the hearth and put a medium sized stove in front with a rear flue into the existing lined chimney??

Anything to consider? I currently have an old insert. Blower is noisy and all. Dont care for "fireplaces" but would enjoy a stove. That fire place is what I call fake.. very little masonry and on the other side is the garage- it's just a wooden frame supporting the liner. The room is 12ft wide.

 

[begreen]

Looks like a ZC fireplace. To start with, what is the make and model? If unknown, look in the door frame for a tag with this info.

 

[Maj92az]

I have a 1980s Pre Way BI 36 B insert.
It appears it was built in.. I am new to wood burning and this Zero clearance makes me nervous. But still would consider somehow designing a way to put a "basic" stove out front. Maybe extend the a new hearth? Certainly a spring/summer job. But no idea where to begin. But then at the same time.. if I can be convinced a zero clearance is safe and a newer modern insert is instslled- with a quiet and working blower- I could go that way too. Just seems tricky to match my stone and remortor all around plus connect my liner- assuming it's still in good shape. My damper control and damper seems to be apart of the insert too..

 

[Maj92az]

From further research and talking to few local companies i have learned there are no components i can use to vent a stove out this chimney. I still sm not sure what my zero clearance is.. is there a "fireplace" and then a insert? Did some come as a combo, such as mine. What type of work am I looking at to utilize that space? Pull the liner and install a stove pipe?? I have no idea what it looks like if I were to pull that large cap off of my chimney. Unsure how a stove pipe would get secured. Are there additional chimney related issues? At the bottom I can include a clean out and a damper. Are there any areas I should inspect and grab pics or measurements of to help know what we're dealing with? I'll also add that the flue is currently a 8"

Of course I'll need to include other details such as extend my hearth (to chosen stove specs)

 

[WoodScrounger]

A Zero Clearance fireplace like you have is a factory built fireplace that can and may be installed like yours is ,zero clearance to combustible building materials, such as in a framed stud wall. A fireplace insert on the other hand must be installed into a masonry fireplace . Meaning a fireplace that was originally intended to burn in without an insert.

 

[begreen]

Some companies still call this an insert. That is a confusing misnomer. It is a Zero Clearance fireplace. An insert goes into (inserts) a preexisting fireplace.
One option might be to put a freestanding, rear-vented stove in front of this fireplace with a liner up the chimney.