Think my situation is worth investing in?

[Elisurfer4]

Howdy kind wood folk! This is my first post on this forum though I’ve been lurking for a while...

My wife and I just moved into our first new to us house. It’s a 1500 sq foot cape cod. It was built in the 80’s and just wasn’t built to be warm. It runs an all electric heat pump that doesn’t work worth crap below 25 F, and on top of that our bill has been easily 200+ dollars a month ($.10 kw/h).

We have a large masonry fireplace that is beautiful to look at and burn scenic fires in but does absolutely nothing for warmth and actually makes everything colder and draftier. Living in VA the winters aren’t insane but at the same time, I would rather be comfortable in my house. My wife and I plan to have kids in this house and I just can’t fathom subjecting babies/kids to this cold draftiness in the winter.

Now to the proposed solution that my wife isn’t fully sold on... I want to put a wood burning insert in the fireplace namely the Vogelzang Colonial (on sale for 850) and have a liner professionally installed (steep roof). I have about a half cord of wood in storage already and I can get wood from my FIL plot of land 15 min away. I LOVE the outdoors and doing hard labor outside so the wood gathering etc doesn’t phase me.

Basically I need to hear from you experts on what makes this a good investment on my end and not just a fun to look at money out as my wife probably envisions it.

Thanks for any info you guys can provide!

Cheers

 

[ThunderMedic]

Howdy and welcome to the forum! I love in Southern Maryland and have almost the exact same setup. Three years ago I bought a Vogelzang Colonial from Tractor Supply in Fredericksburg when it went on sale to $600. Bought a stainless liner and insulation blanket. My brother in law and I did the install ourselves. Definitely not something for the inexperienced, as he's a contractor and used to being up on a roof.
The stove runs great and definitely throws out some heat. The problem in running into is that for overnight burns on really cold nights, it just can't keep up. My heat pump usually kicks on around 0200 if the outside temp is below 30F. With the savings on electricity, not having to spin that heat pump every day, I saved the $1500 on electricity back within the first 12 months. Don't expect it to be the sole heat source during the coldest night, but you will see a SIGNIFICANT reduction in your electric bills. Feel free to reach out and ask any questions you might have, I've learned a good deal about this stove, as it has some quirks. Cheers!

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[begreen]

$200/month for heating is not bad at all, but wood heat is nice too, though it may cost as much if you count all the needs of wood gathering, processing and storage. That said, I love wood heat and the insert should do it for you.

FWIW, as a parent I can tell you kids are not fragile. My mom opened up our bedroom windows a crack every night in winter in New England. She was old school and we survived without problems.

 

[ThunderMedic]

I have a modern Trane heat pump that was running me $300/month before the insert, and I'm now down around$80-$100/month running the insert in the winter. I think you'll be pleased.

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[jwfirebird]

I think I would buy a Englander, over anything from us stove, I had one and it only lasted a few years.

as far as the kids I am more of the teach them not to mess with the danger type parent rather than making everything sterile so they have no idea type. but that said where I have mine can be sectioned off when they are in the stage before being able to learn. but after she was walking stress never go anywhere near it. she never burned herself but now shes 12 and her favorite spot most of the winter is just off the pad

 

[SuperJ]

I'm a big fan of my woodstove. But if your house is leaky, drafty and under insulated, I'd tackle those things first.
It's better to plug the holes in a leaky bucket than pour water in faster.
Upgrading your attic insulation is usually pretty straightforward, peel the trim off around your windows in the coldest rooms and have a look. You might be horrified at the lack of sealing. But a little spray foam and caulking can go a long way to improving those things.

However if the house just cold because you don't want to run up the bill on with an inefficient heat pump then wood heat is a great supplement.

Heat pumps both (ground and air source) have improved drastically. Ground source is the king but expensive to install depending on grants, air source technology has improved massively in the last 10 years. The variable speed compressors can run efficiently at much lower temps than what was previously possible.

 

[Blazing]

@Elisurfer4 you are the closest member to me I believe. I'm just south of you in Dinwiddie. While our winters aren't Canada cold this past week was brutal for us with temps getting below zero here every night. I was in the same situation as you years ago with the heat pump and 300 dollar electric bills. After installing my insert I can barley stand going to other people's houses in the winter. On top of that my bill went down around 100 bucks a month even with weeks like this past one.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Great idea.

Check out the following link for another alternative to the one you are looking at. Comes with the chimney liner, cap, and appliance connector, free. Delivered to your house, free as well I believe. Only need to buy the insulation blanket for the liner separate.

(broken link removed to https://www.myfireplaceproducts.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProdID=CB00006&Lang=EN)

I ordered practically the same stove in 2015, from the same place. Been real happy with it.

 

[saewoody]

I don’t think you can go wrong with a stove. You said you don’t mind putting the work into it, so why not go for it? I’ve been burning about 5 cords a year for five years now, and I enjoy it. And I know it saves us a ton of money on our gas bill. Plus the house is 75 right now, instead of the 62-63 we used to keep it at before the stove. I run an Enviro Kodiak 1700 insert and it has kept up with this cold snap in New England this past week with no issues whatsoever. And even if your house is drafty and leaky the stove is still a great addition. That’s how it was in my house the first winter we ran the stove. Of course it is still a good idea to address those issues, as mentioned earlier. I would imagine most members on this site are biased and would therefore tell you to go for it. Best of luck.


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