This old house , this tricky fireplace !

[Trinaj]

Hello all . Thanks for reading my post . I have a 200 year old farmhouse that is about 2200sq ft . I have a Vermont resolute acclaim 2490 currently heating my home but it's too small . I've had to replace my firebrick (twice) and combustion . Im not willing to put anymore money into this stove . I'm looking to change it up .
Anyone know of a wood insert or freestanding that will fit in my space that will heat my house ?

 

[jharkin]

Welcome.


Not surprised your struggling, that stove is tiny for a house that size, even a well insulated one in a moderate climate. Im heating a house of similar vintage but smaller (1400) with a bigger stove (Encore) and still struggle getting the heat to the far rooms on really cold days.


You will get lots of help here for sure. You probably want to be looking at options in the 3 cu.ft.+ range for a house that size in New Hampshire (Think Woodstock Progress, Englander 30, Blaze King, Jotul 500, etc) But there are so many variables we can give you better suggestions with a bit more info:

• Do you have a budget range in mind?
  
• Are you hoping to heat 24/7 with the stove only, or supplement.
• Whats your idea of comfortable? 65F, 70F,roasting at a toasty 80?
• How is the existing chimney setup. Is there a steel liner in it and if so do you know the diameter and height?
  
• How is your firewood supply?
• Is a good flame show important or do you just want consistent heat? Is a long burn time between reloads important? (factors in the catalytic vs. non-catalytic decision)
• Do you have any preference on stove looks - ornate vs. functional? do you care about cast iron vs. steel vs. stone?
  
• Can you tell us a little about the layout of the house? Houses of this vintage tend to have a lot of small rooms which can be a challenge to heat evenly.
• How tight is the house? Have you had insulation upgrades, weatherstripping, air sealing etc done or is it uninsulated and drafty?
• Is the house located in a location that makes it unusually hard to heat - like on a hill exposed to wind, or heavily shaded so you get no sun.. ?
  
• I'm assuming its wood framed, but let us know if its stone or brick

Oh and one other thought - That small fireplace opening is going to be a challenge to fit a hearth mount stove any bigger into without modification. Are you open to modifying it as needed? Cutting into the brick above the lintel for a new pipe entrance would let you put a much larger capacity stove in, and then you might need to expand the hearth pad to meet clearances.

 

[begreen]

Agreed, the Acclaim is an expensive stove to maintain, go bigger if possible. What is the lintel height of the fireplace and how open is the stove area to the rest of the house?

 

[Trinaj]

Agreed, the Acclaim is an expensive stove to maintain, go bigger if possible. What is the lintel height of the fireplace and how open is the stove area to the rest of the house?

Thanks . The lintel height is 25.5 high . The acclaim , as you can see from my fireplace image , just clears this . It's tight . That's the original reason for picking this stove .
Our house is 200+years old and so is this brick chimney/ fireplace . It's a double sided ( two chimneys) . One side is a working open fireplace and the other is where we have the acclaim . It's on the first floor , not in the center of the house . The first floor is a very open plan and the staircase is centered to the house and open so we get good heat circulation . Pretty well insulated , but our windows , although never , are cheap.
Any help is really appreciated .

 

[Trinaj]

Welcome.


Not surprised your struggling, that stove is tiny for a house that size, even a well insulated one in a moderate climate. Im heating a house of similar vintage but smaller (1400) with a bigger stove (Encore) and still struggle getting the heat to the far rooms on really cold days.


You will get lots of help here for sure. You probably want to be looking at options in the 3 cu.ft.+ range for a house that size in New Hampshire (Think Woodstock Progress, Englander 30, Blaze King, Jotul 500, etc) But there are so many variables we can give you better suggestions with a bit more info:

• Do you have a budget range in mind?
  
• Are you hoping to heat 24/7 with the stove only, or supplement.
• Whats your idea of comfortable? 65F, 70F,roasting at a toasty 80?
• How is the existing chimney setup. Is there a steel liner in it and if so do you know the diameter and height?
  
• How is your firewood supply?
• Is a good flame show important or do you just want consistent heat? Is a long burn time between reloads important? (factors in the catalytic vs. non-catalytic decision)
• Do you have any preference on stove looks - ornate vs. functional? do you care about cast iron vs. steel vs. stone?
  
• Can you tell us a little about the layout of the house? Houses of this vintage tend to have a lot of small rooms which can be a challenge to heat evenly.
• How tight is the house? Have you had insulation upgrades, weatherstripping, air sealing etc done or is it uninsulated and drafty?
• Is the house located in a location that makes it unusually hard to heat - like on a hill exposed to wind, or heavily shaded so you get no sun.. ?
  
• I'm assuming its wood framed, but let us know if its stone or brick

Oh and one other thought - That small fireplace opening is going to be a challenge to fit a hearth mount stove any bigger into without modification. Are you open to modifying it as needed? Cutting into the brick above the lintel for a new pipe entrance would let you put a much larger capacity stove in, and then you might need to expand the hearth pad to meet clearances.

I'm looking to get a used stove . I'm hoping to spend $500 +\- .

I am open to cutting into the brick if there are no other options , but it would be a shame to change a 200yo double sided brick chimney .

We heat primarily with wood . Our stove is going 24/7 . If our furnace kicks on , it's at 4 am and we get up to stoke the fire .

Our house is Open on the first floor. The wood stove is not centered , but our staircase is and it's open so the upstairs gets good heat circulation .

We have 6 cords of wood ( one full year of drying ) and two more from the year before . We usually go through 6 cords a season .

Thanks for your input . I really appreciate it .

 

[begreen]

You could just sneak by with a WoodStock Ideal Steel stove. This is a serious heater at a good price. It will need the short leg kit. The aesthetics are not nearly as nice but you can customize it by ordering it without the bling. Or for more options perhaps consider then tapping into this chimney at a higher point and forget rear exit. That would open up more possibilities with an expanded hearth.
http://www.woodstove.com/ideal-steel-hybrid

PS: By looking at used in that price range the options are small and may be worse as far as wood consumption goes without a whole lot more heat. The Ideal Steel would make a notable difference.

PPS: Is there a damper-sealing block-off plate at the damper in the chimney?

 

[Trinaj]

I have a friend that swears by his jotul . I've looked into a few , but the seem to tall .
I've also been looking at the Avalon inserts , but I'm a complete newbie when it comes to inserts . Some of them look to big and I feel like id be crawling around on the ground to load my stove .

 

[Trinaj]

You could just sneak by with a WoodStock Ideal Steel stove. This is a serious heater at a good price. The aesthetics are not nearly as nice but you can customize it by ordering it without the bling. Or for more options perhaps consider then tapping into this chimney at a higher point and forget rear exit. That would open up more possibilities with an expanded hearth.
http://www.woodstove.com/ideal-steel-hybrid

PS: By looking at used in that price range the options are small and may be worse as far as wood consumption goes without a whole lot more heat. The Ideal Steel would make a notable difference.

PPS: Is there a damper-sealing block-off plate at the damper in the chimney?

No damper in the chimney . The only damper is inside the VC acclaim .

 

[begreen]

There are lots of good stoves on the market, but not all fit this criteria. Is an insert in the main fireplace another option?
Maybe take a trip over to Woodstock's HQ in West Lebanon, NH to see their stoves in person and speak with them.

 

[Grisu]

I'm looking to get a used stove . I'm hoping to spend $500 +\-

With that budget and your particular requirements you won't have many choices. See whether this insert fits and still is in decent condition: https://nh.craigslist.org/app/5238071268.html The Olympic will be large enough and is EPA-approved. I would not count on finding another large EPA-approved insert in time for this winter. For a new one you can look at the Osburn 2400, Pacific Energy Summit, Regency i3100, Lopi Freedom, Quadrafire 5100i.

The Woodstock Ideal Steel and Progress Hybrid stoves will be the only large stoves whose rear outlet will (kind of) fit under your lintel.

Beyond that you can only get a top-loading stove but then you need to put a thimble in your chimney. That would be cheaper than new insert or the Woodstock stoves.

 

[brad wilton]

Ccheck out my avatar maybe you could do the same had to go bigger myself ,had the hole already there just connected it up works like a charm .gives a lot more options

 

[Trinaj]

Ccheck out my avatar maybe you could do the same had to go bigger myself ,had the hole already there just connected it up works like a charm .gives a lot more options

nice ! I think my options are so limited that I might have to take your avatar image and draw out a plan for myself .
im really struggling to make a decision . Do fireplace inserts heat your whole house ? I always thought of them as " pretty " but not really a primary heating source .

the lopi freedom says its 552mm for the rear clearance . Im going to review my numbers. the side angled walls might throw a wrench in that plan .

Anyone know of stoves that have short leg kits ? I l know VC does , but im not buying another VC.

 

[Grisu]

Do fireplace inserts heat your whole house ? I always thought of them as " pretty " but not really a primary heating source .

Many fireplace inserts are very similar to the same size stoves of that manufacturer and give you a similar heat output. You will need to put more attention into the installation. A block-off plate is a must: https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/make-a-damper-sealing-block-off-plate/
and if the fireplace is at an exterior wall placing insulation around the insert will help: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/finally-got-around-to-insulating-my-fireplace.75755/
The biggest difference then will be that the insert will give off less radiant but more convective heat. Thus, you will need a blower if you want to have heat fast after lighting a fire or it may take a while for the insert to heat the house.

the lopi freedom says its 552mm for the rear clearance

Are you looking at the stove or the insert? The insert should not have a rear clearance requirement.

Anyone know of stoves that have short leg kits ?

The Woodstocks that have been mentioned. Also the Jotul F500 although I don't know how much that lowers the flue outlet. The Hearthstone Castleton would also fit as its legs are rather short anyway. However, the Jotul and Castleton will be a bit small for your size home.

 

[Trinaj]

Well we have decided to remove the lintel and raise it up to accommodate a larger stove . The Low clearance of 25.5 inches is just to limiting .

If I can pick your brains again ....

My house is about 2500sq ft . I'm looking into the jotul Oslo 500 . There is one for sale in CL for $500 . Any opinions on the stove and if it's a good fit .
The combustion package materiel on my VC 2490 is made out of this fiber ( to delicate ) . I'm looking for a stove that doesn't need constant repair . Is this something to think about when deciding between cat and non cat stoves ?

 

[begreen]

The Oslo is a good simple heater. When buying a used one you need to look for how hard it was used or abused. For sure a danger sign would be hairline cracks radiating from the corners of the grate through the base of the stove. White or light grey paint on the stove is a sign of over-firing.

 

[Trinaj]

I haven't seen many used heartstones for sale that are big enough for my house . I think the heritage and the homestead are under 2000sq ft rating .
They are pretty pricy too . Trying to stay under $700

 

[Grisu]

Don't look at the sqft ratings when searching for a large enough stove. The best predictor of the heating power of a stove is the firebox size. The more wood you can put into the stove the more heat you will be able to get out. For 2500 sqft in NH you will need a stove with a 3 cu ft firebox.
If budget is a concern and you don't find a cheap enough used one I suggest to put a thimble in the chimney a few feet up and to install a topventing budget stove like the Englander/Summers Heat 30NC or Drolet Myriad/HT2000 in front of the fireplace.

 

[Trinaj]

3cu ft box - on my list of priority .
Thanks for the tip on what to look for on the stove . I was going to ask what to check out . I might google images on hairline cracks and over firing signs in a stove .

 

[billb3]

6 cords thru a 1.7 cu ft stove was keeping the stove and the feeder busy !

 

[Trinaj]

Sure was ! I like tending the fire , but this stove is a little much , especially at 4 am ( or the kids are freezing getting ready for school ) .

 

[Trinaj]

Any opinions of the jotul 600 . Now that we have decided to raise of lentil in the fireplace a few inches , it really opens up our options . Still need a rear flue , but we can go for 28/29 inches high now .
I've been looking on Craigslist and it seems like there are a few for sale . Also some hearthstone heritage , but I think that's to small for my house .

 

[Grisu]

The F600 is a great, proven heater and about the size you will need. However, if I remember its dimensions correctly you will need to raise the lintel to ~32" for it to fit. You can download the manual from the Jotul website. I would check that first before getting the stove. If by any chance you find an used Quadrafire Isle Royale that could work with ~29" AFAIK. I doubt anyone will sell an used Woodstock Ideal Steel or Progress Hybrid but those would be two others to look for.

 

[Trinaj]

I was just looking on the Woodstock site today at the progress stoves . $3500 new ! Super nice , but pricy .
I wish I liked the look of the steel stoves - they seem to have allot of bang for your buck . I grew up with an " all nighter " and then a papa bear . Brings back memories .
I love the look of my VC resolute acclaim , but it is to small and just doesn't hold up .
I'll have to double check the height on the 600 . I had my sites on a Oslo 500 last week in craigslist , but it sold quick at $450 !
Do you know if the 500 would be to small anyways ?

 

[Grisu]

Do you know if the 500 would be to small anyways ?

If you can load it regularly and keep it hot it may do somewhat better than the Resolute. You will need to be careful to not overfire it. Still, to burn 6 cords with decent burn times you will need a 3 cu ft firebox.

 

[kennyp2339]

NC30 is probably the best bang for your $$, plus its a longer rectangle type stove so you can have the rear of the stove into the existing fireplace to ease with hooking up the liner. I highly recommend stuffing roxal or other fire proof insulation in the upper part of the fire place then make a simple block off plate to keep the heat from going up the chimney.