Well... it was a good idea at aleast

[bwells794]

It looks like I'm not going to have clearance for a wood stove after all. At least not one big enough to do any thing but look pretty. my hearth is raised about 9" off the floor and only extends about 14" from the face of the opening. to make matters worse, the firebox isn't all that deep, ESPECIALLY not at the top. there's no way that if i came down through the flue with a liner, that i would have room for the stove AND the tee behind it. the stove itself is also a tad bit tall, but that can be remedied with the jotul short leg kit which will likely cost just that... a leg. Can i also just say how frustrating it is that nothing on the internet ever has a price? You have to go into the store or have someone come to you for a service fee. Luckily the only thing I've bought so far was a chimney sweep. sorry for ranting.

 

[Grisu]

That does indeed not sound very promising but how about posting your fireplace dimensions and a pic? Maybe we can figure something out that works. Have you looked at inserts?

 

[stovelark]

Agree with Grisu. Please post info, a remedy can usually be attained. The shallower hearth can be made up for- do you want a free standing stove or an insert? While Jotul does make nice stoves, they aren't the only choice- there are plenty of great stoves out there.

 

[bwells794]

attached a few photos. width and height are not the issue. its depth, specifically as you rise. depth at the bottom is fine. the back wall gradually closes in as you rise versus a straight up then angle design. another problem is that the damper actually enters the firebox angled TOWARD the opening and the clip from the damper door would be right smack in the middle of the opening. i'm not going to have enough room to work a circle or ovalized liner in that small of a space.

 

[Grisu]

The damper frame can be cut out; probably needs to for the liner to fit through. What are the dimensions of the fireplace? The scheme here may help: (broken link removed to http://www.woodheat.com/how-to-measure/) Maybe the Hearthstone Shelburne would fit.

How much of an area do you want to heat? How well is the house insulated? Budget?

 

[Michael6268]

If the fireplace wont work, can you install a freestanding with class A chimney?

 

[bwells794]

the house isnt insulated that great, hence my $300+ electric bill in the middle of winter and its only a 1 story 3 bedroom rancher. which explains why i wanted to utilize the fireplace some how to cut back on heating costs. My first mistake was thinking this was going to be a smooth process. you think i would have learned Murphy's Law by now. Assuming i didnt hit any road blocks, my budget was $3k tops with me running the liner myself to save on labor. as soon as i start having the fireplace altered, i will have exceeded my budget and i havent even bought a stove yet... thankfully.

 

[Grisu]

Thanks. Still, we will need the fireplace dimensions to be able to help you. Maybe it is high enough that you can fit a top-vented stove in there. Those will often come cheaper than the rear-vented cast-iron or soapstone stoves you usually see in that kind of application.

 

[Batman]

Courage.

There are many possible solutions. The hearth could be extended if the foot traffic flow is not too disrupted. It ain't rocket surgery, and there is much info here and elsewhere on how it might be done. It could perhaps be lowered, too. This would gain you some 'headroom,' maybe allowing for a top venting stove. +1 on cutting the damper frame. Easy to do with an angle grinder, even a cheapo one, so scratch that off the list. To stay in budget, consider used stoves, or less expensive models like englanders and the like.

Also, keep in mind that time is on your side, (yes it is) at the moment. Gather wood, do your research, and keep asking questions.

 

[bwells794]

A - 28.5"
B - 36"
C - 18"
D - 9"
E - 15.5"
F - SEE H
G - 27"
H - 15"
I - SEE G
J - ROUGHLY 8"
K - 5" IF MEASURED ON ITS OWN PLANE, CLOSER TO 3.5-4" IF MEASURED IN TERMS OF K. THE PASSAGE THROUGH THE THROAT IS ANGLED SUCH THAT THE LINER WOULD BE POINTED TOWARD THE ROOM UPON ENTRY INTO THE FIREBOX
L - 30" ish

 

[Grisu]

Thanks. There are certainly some inserts that could fit. The one place it could get tight is the depth at the height of the insert. E. g. the Regency I2400 has a depth of 17" at a height of 21.5". How deep is your fireplace at that height? Other options:

Osburn 2000: height 23.5", depth 15.75"
Napoleon 1402: height 23.75", depth 14"
Heatilator Eco-choice WINS18: height 21.5", depth 16"
Drolet Escape 1800-I: Same as Osburn 2000 but likely cheaper.

As for stoves, the Englander 13NC stove may just sneak under your lintel. You won't quite get overnight burns with it but at $700 it would be cheap and make a good dent into your heating bill. The Pacific Energy True North is less than 28" tall but almost 24" deep. I don't think it will fit even if you push it as far as possible into the fireplace so that the front legs may just fit on the hearth but better take a look and do some more measurements. It is a budget stove for less than $1000 but gets good grades here. Would be a good option if you can make it work. A similar caveat applies to the Drolet Columbia.

 

[begreen]

IIRC the Drolet 1800i and the Osburn 2000 insert have some differences between the baffle material, (vermiculite vs c-cast), firebrick pattern and number of secondary tubes. They are both SBI stoves, but not the same. I don't know if this carries through to other components like the blower motor, but that could also be possible. The box dimensions are the same, but the innards are different.

 

[Grisu]

Sorry when I was not clear. I meant that the Escape has the same measurements as the Osburn, not that they are the exact same inserts.

It remains to be seen whether any of those fit. It will likely be a close one.

 

[Smoked]

I have put stoves in 4 different fireplaces and the damper frame (rear) had to be cut in all of them. 2 min with an angle grinder and one good shot with a hand sledge and all clear. If you do that then you will have many more options! Yours might need work on the front too because of that steep angle. My latest one 2 weeks ago, I popped 2 of the top firebricks out because they were loose anyway and it made it easier. If you are worried about hacking the damper up and selling your house, I installed chimney top dampers in my last house before we moved because they did not want the stoves. Anyway, once the damper frame is out of the equation then a tee is back in(shortened snout) and you have many options.

There are some shorter freestanding stoves that top vent or are convertible that could be set partially in the firebox if needed. Hearthstone has a couple and Jotul did too I thought. None of the Woodstocks were short enough for my 29" height or at least with the way the top needed to be opened to access the cat. I really wanted to try a cat stove but could not seem to work things out. I found a new in the crate 8021 Heritage with the short legs that I ended up buying. Inserts should be a pretty easy install once the damper thing is resolved too.

Many more experienced people on here than me so keep an open mind and don't lose hope, they will hook you up!