Switch from Clydesdale to freestanding? Heritage?

[fortydegnorth]

Ive been using a Hearthstone Clydesdale for the last two years and really like it but have always wanted to try a freestanding stove on the hearth to avoid the blowers, need for power and I like the looks better than an insert. I love the look of a Jotul, Vermont Castings or Soapstone stove. I'm somewhat limited by the size of my fireplace opening. It's a big fireplace but height is a premium. It's 37" wide, 28" tall and from the face of the fireplace to the edge of the raised hearth is only 18". Likely the stove would have to sit into the fireplace a little. Sideloading may be a challenge if this is the case.

What do you think about a Heritage? If I swapped to the rear exit flu collar I think it may work. I'm heating 1500 square feet, ranch, open style floorplan. Clydesdale kept up fine and I have a lot of insulation, new windows and doors. Slab house with radiant floor heat for backup. We run 24/7 most of the time. Switch to radiant during vacations but typically burn all winter.

I won't buy new so my selection will be based on what I find used obviously. I'm not in a desperate situation to switch either. I have a decent lead on a Heritage and I do like the stove. I'm concerned if it will perform as well as the Clydesdale though. (not a fan of Woodstock looks but do love the efficiency of a cat stove)

I'd love to hear any opinions since I have a few months to mess around with looking.

 

[pen]

If you are buying used and have the cash, do you also have the storage to just keep the Clydesdale for a year while you try out your new-used stove?

If so, do that and sell your least favorite the following year.

pen

 

[BrotherBart]

Woodstock won't work. Side load only. Not enough room with your setup. Or mine.

 

[begreen]

The advantage of the Heritage is the side loading door. I don't see this as a good fit. The Castine is a significantly smaller stove. If you are heating 24/7 do you really want to go to shorter intervals between feedings?

 

[fortydegnorth]

Without seeing some of these stoves in person it's a little hard to guage whether they might work or not. Side loading is definietely not easy with a fireplace application. My hearth is raised 12.5" too so adding to it isn't really what I had planned either. It's all stone so making something look right would be a little difficult. Not very many dealers around this area so I'll have to do some more research. My dad has a Jotul F500, I'll look at it closer with the tape measure.

 

[begreen]

The hearth can be extended with a tile or stone extension at floor level. With the tall hearth you probably only would need ember protection at the floor level. Done well this can look entirely intentional. If you can post a picture of the current setup we can look for other caveats or issues.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Using the Heritage as a front loader will be about as much fun as drinking a bottle of soy sauce

 

[Highbeam]

Using the Heritage as a front loader will be about as much fun as drinking a bottle of soy sauce

I've stuffed more than 25 cords of wood into the side door of the heritage. The front door and the ash pan don't get used. The side door is so good that the front door is not used at all but I can't say whether it is any worse than the other brands. It's a big door and a typical shallow firebox so you can't open the door too quickly.

I doubt that the front door is really that bad. It's just that the side door is so good.

You'll love a freestander. The silence, the efficiency, the hot top. Even better if you can remove the old fireplace and save the floor space.

 

[Blue Vomit]

Without seeing some of these stoves in person it's a little hard to guage whether they might work or not. Side loading is definietely not easy with a fireplace application. My hearth is raised 12.5" too so adding to it isn't really what I had planned either. It's all stone so making something look right would be a little difficult. Not very many dealers around this area so I'll have to do some more research. My dad has a Jotul F500, I'll look at it closer with the tape measure.

You could squeeze an f500 in there, with the short leg kit. I have a similar setup. Fireplace height is 28", short leg kit takes care of that. My front legs sit 20" from the fireplace opening. When the side door is fully opened it touches the wall about 2" past parallel, which means your side door would be about parallel with your wall or fireplace. The rear legs are about even with the rear of the stovetop, they are about 3.5" from the fireplace opening. When loading, I always cant the split toward the rear of the stove to fit in so I don't think a door that opened to 90* would be an issue.
It would make it tight to reach behind the stove for cleaning. I barely have enough room to reach back to get to the tee. My fireplace width is only 34" so you might be fine with 37".
You might need something up front for clearance issues. Not sure of your setup there.
Good luck.