Stove vs fireplace.

[wjlundyjr]

Hi again.

I’m still in the middle of a fiasco of returning or eating the cost of a zero clearance fireplace, but in the meantime.

I need help.

The wife wants a fire place, and I want a stove, I’m trying to compromise.

Is it possible to Fabricate a alcove or fake fire place type surround with the mantle and fixings and place a small stove in front of it, or would that go against codes?

I would of course maintain whatever clearances are required. The stove I was looking at is the Jøtul F 3 CB or something in that class.

I really don’t want an open vacuum sucking the heat out of the house. This wouldn’t be for primary heat, just as a center piece in a family room addition.

Has anyone done anything like this or am I just crazy.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mcollect]

My wife wanted a stove last Xmas, I took her to a store and she fell in love with a Jotul 550. We had it installed this spring and she is so happy. We don't even need the heat on just the stove and are guilt free keeping the house at 72+. An insert is the best way to convert a fireplace to an energy efficient addition.

 

[jkupcha]

John can you elaborate on the zero clearance fireplace? Which model was it and why the return? I wanted the look of a traditional in the wall fireplace but not the low effeciency so we got the Napoleon nz6000. Great looker, keeps the house very warm and over all it was the right choice. Very steep learning curve on the proper operation. Thanks for sharing.

 

[wjlundyjr]

I just put on a 600SF addition, and we were looking for a open fireplace to finish the room, and I bought a 36" ZC from a wholesaler not thinking, but never had it installed because turns out the fireplace was discontinued and it seems next to impossible to find pipes authorized to be used with it..

Anyhow it was a hasty decision gone bad, If I cant return it, it will probably get installed on the deck next spring.
In the meantime after doing plenty of research it seems a traditional fireplace is a energy killer anyhow. But thats the look the wfe is going for.

I really like the look of the Hearth stoves, but I’m missing the masonry chimney that’s why I was looking at the possibility of fabricating the hearth.

 

[jkupcha]

I loved the look of the old fashioned stone fireplace but also knew it was an energy drain. I decided to go with a zc fireplace. I selected the Napoleon nz6000. I would post a picture if I could ever figure out how to do it on this site. But I gave my mason the picture from the Napoleon website and it ended up looking exactly like that.

(broken link removed to http://www.napoleonfireplaces.com/Fireplaces/Fireplaces_wood/nz6000.html)

It has been very good at heating my 3200 house. Perhaps you just selected the wrong zc unit and something else would appeal to you and your wife. Good luck

 

[wjlundyjr]

Wow yeah that looks like a million bucks.

 

[jkupcha]

Well it wasn't that much but not cheap. I paid $12K for demo of the old fake gas fireplace. Building of the stone hearth, mantle and surround. the zc fireplace itself, and new stainless double lined chimney which installed into the existing old gas chase.

 

[cmonSTART]

John, I guess my question is have you considered an insert? There are a lot of options out there and they are just as efficient as stoves (70%ish I think). Sure beats the -10% to 20% a fireplace would give you. If you look you may be able to find one that can be burned with the doors open when the fire is just for atmosphere.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

I had a similar situation at my old house....wife wanted an open fireplace that was not efficient.
I got the Jotul F3cb, and also got the fancy little screen in the front for the Mrs's. The F3cb has an optional short leg kit, so it might work well in your situation.
After we had it installed, I was actually pleased to see my wife throwing on logs and getting familiar with it. There are plenty of good stoves out there, and I think the F3cb is one of them.
Good luck.

 

[wjlundyjr]

Did consider a insert, but I have nothing to insert it into This is a new construction project.

I think I will probably be going the banger route with a high efficency fireplace, or if she lets me get away with it the Jotul F3. I read through the F3 manual and looks like it can be installed into a Alcove.

Off to the fireplace shop.

This is what I had in mind, but the "Fireplace" would be fake. and the pipe just enclosed.

 

[InTheRockies]

My stove sits in a masonry/stone alcove. It's great--it has the dramatic look of a large walk-in fireplace and is the focal point of the living room end of the great room. It was built by the second owners--the husband was a retired stone mason. Unfortunately, he died suddenly of a heart attack and didn't have much of a chance to enjoy his labor of love. I certainly appreciate it. He thought things through and even created internal wood storage in the design.

 

[cmonSTART]

Oh ya, duh. Somehow I got hung up on fireplace.

Still, I think the common wisdom prevails here. If you want any meaningful heat from this installation, make it a stove. If it's just for ambiance....

 

[jkupcha]

ITR
Is that the thumbnail picture of your stove? From what I can see t looks great! Back in that alcove does it do a good job raidiating heat? Maybe it has a blower but I can't tell from the picture. I'm sure the masonary does a good job of storing excess heat. Nicely done.

 

[wjlundyjr]

No, I wish that was mine, then I could take the fork out and call it done, its just what I am looking at doing, wanted to knw if anyone had tried it. InTheRockies that sounds like exactly what I want.

 

[pumiglk]

Lived with the oversize (though beautiful) "rumsford" type fireplace we inherioted with this house. I began to think of it as the 42 inch sqaure hole that sucked our heat every night. Our heating bill was crazy(propane) as my wife was a huge fan of the nightly fire and glass of wine. Now we are having the nightly fire and wine and heating the whole house too (the temps in the house are 5 degrees warmer and the furnace has not and is unlikely to come on). Either way I was splitting the wood - the stove actually burns less. The wine gets a bit better too when you don't have to pay for the propane . ;-) My wife wasn't a huge fan of the stove concept for while but when the savings start to translate into other benefits (if we don't pay for propane = the cost of a decent vacation) and the house gets warmer it is mazing how quickly she has become a fan.
(insert installation in avatar).

Jotuls in particular have very limited floor and side clearances in general (if I remeber they only require ember protection underneath for many)- you can probably create any look you would like with a little cosmetic work. I had to extend my "hearth" since the stove we got was so big. Cutting out the wood flooring was the trickiest part

 

[wjlundyjr]

As far as the Alcove construction, Im thinking Steel studs with cement board and stonerick veneer to do the interior. Is there any special requirement I should adhear to? does the wall need to be breathable or anything?

 

[wjlundyjr]

I ended up buying a Hearthstone Tribute, it was between between that and the Jotul F3 $20.00 price difference. But the wife really liked the Soapstone. Looks like it will be perfect for my setup.

 

[mranum]

We wanted something to at least help heat the house(1300sqft ranch) besides adding ambiance to the home. We looked at a lot of options, between stove and fireplace and did the BIS Ultima fireplace this summer and this thing works awesome so far. Spent around $4000 but the house gained about $10,000 in value and no increase in insurance costs either with the fireplace. The rates with my company would have gone up a bit with a stove.

Been in the 20's & 30's lately and no furnace kicking in. Life is good. :coolsmile:

 

[bfunk13]

Do like i did. Research and find the stove you want.
Then about a week later, out of nowhere this stove just somehow showed up on my front porch.
Its a little late at that point. The wife thought i lost my mind when i passed the oxy/acetylene torch
through the window to cut the damper. By the way, my wife loves the stove and the toasty house.
She will love the $50.00 gas bill this February even more.

We burnt a regular fireplace for years, just for looks. Like someone here said, It really is like a big hole in the side of your house.
We never got any real heat out of it.

 

[wjlundyjr]

I was looking at a security BIS, but couldnt find one in my area. The Hearthstone looks great and should give a little bit of heat too when we need it.

This is'nt the first stove in our house, so My insurance rates wontshouldnt go up either.

 

[wjlundyjr]

Well here is the almost finished product, its tucked into the corner, I still have some cleanup (STONES ARE VERY DUSTY) to do, sealing and shining of the stones and slate, but overall, I like the look of it, and the house is staying real cozy.

 

[InTheRockies]

Very nice hearth--that's a beautiful soapstone stove. Enjoy those warming fires. Thanks for posting the photo.