What insert would use to heat a two story house?

[burn one]

I'm looking to heat a well insulated 2x6 wall, 2 story house with about 1650sq' per floor . About 3200 sq' total. I have a large fireplace 55''w x 301/2''h x 22''d on one end of the house. What wood burning insert would you use? I want to reduce the cost of my electric base board use.
Thanks
Burn one

 

[stejus]

That's an awful lot of square footage to heat with an insert. If you have an open floor plan and an easy way for the heat to move to the upper floor, you may be able to do this. There are inserts that sit flush and extend out. If you are set on an insert, you'll need to look at the ones that sit out on your hearth and make sure you get the biggest one availalbe. You'll need the most BTU's and these typically come with large inserts 2.5 to 3.0 cu/ft.

You also have the option of sitting a stove on your hearth.

A visual floor plan and a picture of you fireplace room would help.

 

[Fsappo]

Without knowing too much more, the 3 cubic foot firebox idea the guy above me has seems to be on the right track. From the brands I sell or have sold in the past, the first two that come to mind are the Quadrafire 5100 or the Regency 3100. I have tons of happy customers that I've sold those two over the past 10 years or so. You know you won't heat every square foot of the house to an even 70 degrees, but a big insert like the ones I mentioned will be a huge help

 

[burn one]

Thanks Guys

I have two open stair well. The floor plan is not a real open lay out. If I can keep the main floor area heated and the upper level in the 50 degree range I would be happy. I could zone heat the bedroom with electric heat. The bedroom would be above the wood stove.

 

[ProjectX]

If electric is your only option for heat i would add an additional stove maybe a pellet in a second section of the house.

 

[burn one]

Their is another fireplace on the second floor in the master bedroom on the same chimney . But I'm concerned that it get too hot in the room. The fireplace has never been used. I don,t care if the rest of the second floor is at 68-70 degree all the time. Is there a insert that would not cook you out of the room. I can leave the door open too.
Thanks

 

[fredarm]

A couple of other inserts come to mind, the Pacific Energy Summit Insert (steel, non-cat) and Blaze King Princess (steel, cat). I'm not sure anyone makes a cast iron insert big enough for what you need. As far as putting an insert in the upstairs fireplace, I'm not sure I'd want to be lugging wood upstairs, but if if you don't mind, there are any number of small inserts that would do the job without cooking you out of the room. I'm partial to the PE Vista insert myself (I have one), but there are other good small inserts out there by Jotul, Hampton, and even Englander if you want to keep the cost down.

 

[Hogwildz]

I thought it was a no no to have wood burning in a bedroom? And also 2 appliances on same flue?
Taking these chances where you sleep is not a great idea in my book. But to each their own.

 

[MofoG23]

I thought it was a no no to have wood burning in a bedroom? And also 2 appliances on same flue?
Taking these chances where you sleep is not a great idea in my book. But to each their own.

My Quadrafire manual clearly states that all stoves/inserts should not be in bedrooms.

 

[fredarm]

Burn one--if both fireplaces are on the same flue you can't put two inserts on that flue. If it's two flues in the same chimney (one for each fireplace) then you're ok. I don't know about stoves in bedrooms--it seems like an insert would be safer than an open fire, but check your local building code.

 

[BrotherBart]

No current building code that I know of allows a solid fuel burning appliance in a sleeping room.

 

[fredarm]

But yet you can have a fireplace in a bedroom--go figure.

 

[Dix]

Murph & I sleep in the den sometimes.

Just saying.

Burn One, I think a house plan/visual would help here. If you've got enough "flow", the bedroom FP would be a mote point.

 

[burn one]

The second story master bedroom fireplace has it own flue in the same chimney.

The first floor has a pretty open layout. The up stairs has a hall going down the center, with the master bedroom next to the chimney . Their a bedroom on each side of the hallway,with a full bath on the north side of the hallway. At the far end of the hallway there a large finished room over the 2 1/2stall garage.

I not real concern of having up stairs toasty warm. I will have the electric baseboard set in rooms that are not being used at 50 degrees. I am hoping that the heat rising off the fireplace insert
could keep these spots at or above 50.

Hope this help with the layout of the house.

Thanks for your input.

 

[fredarm]

You should be fine with a good-sized insert on the first floor.

 

[Danno77]

i know it sounds cheesy, but I'd get one of those cheap electric stoves with the little electric flames and set it into the bedroom fireplace. This is, of course, in addition to whatever you do with a fireplace insert downstairs....

 

[greythorn3]

WEll I bet a blazeking princess insert would do great in there.. put one on each level.

 

[bbeals]

I'm looking to heat a well insulated 2x6 wall, 2 story house with about 1650sq' per floor . About 3200 sq' total. I have a large fireplace 55''w x 301/2''h x 22''d on one end of the house. What wood burning insert would you use? I want to reduce the cost of my electric base board use.
Thanks
Burn one

There are a lot of good options out there for large inserts. Last year we put installed a Jotul Rockland 550 insert in our 2 story, 2x6 constructed, 3000 sq ft home and now use that as our primary heat source. Even on the coldest days, we can keep the entire house in the low 70's. We do have an open floor plan and rely on a ceiling fan above the stove to move the heat around. We also have a heat pump and oil as our back up heat sources and neither of those run a whole lot. I wish you luck with your search and would suggest you get the largest firebox possible.

Cheers,

B

 

[burn one]

Who's large wood burning inserts would you go with?

Thanks again for every ones input.

Love this site.

 

[Rockey]

You should look closely at the "Big Ole Biggin". Better known as the Buck 91 insert with a 4.4 cu ft catalytic firebox.

 

[KarlP]

I thought it was a no no to have wood burning in a bedroom?

Sure you can. Not one big enough to heat the whole house though.

http://www.rumford.com/code/IMC.html#bedrm

 

[burn one]

Here are a few insert that I'm thinking about: Quadrafire 5100, Regency 3100, Pacific Energy summit,Blaze king princess and jotul 550. Which one would you choose for this size house.

I also have direct vent outside air in the fireplace.

Thanks for your help!

 

[fredarm]

That's quite a wide selection. You should check out the stove dealers in your area to see who carries what and who you're comfortable with. Look at the stoves "in person" and bring your wife (if applicable). The Blaze King will give you the longest burn time and has a thermostat, but the phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is particularly true with respect to the BK--some people like the way it looks, some don't. The Jotul is the "prettiest" of the five (IMHO) with a classic cast iron look. The other three are pretty typical steel stoves which you can dress up with gold doors and trim. You should compare BTU output, burn times, firebox size and dimensions of the insert (to make sure it will fit in your fireplace). Compare pricing and installation costs. And then, some here would say, buy the one your wife likes best. :lol:

 

[Fsappo]

That's quite a wide selection. You should check out the stove dealers in your area to see who carries what and who you're comfortable with. Look at the stoves "in person" and bring your wife (if applicable). The Blaze King will give you the longest burn time and has a thermostat, but the phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is particularly true with respect to the BK--some people like the way it looks, some don't. The Jotul is the "prettiest" of the five (IMHO) with a classic cast iron look. The other three are pretty typical steel stoves which you can dress up with gold doors and trim. You should compare BTU output, burn times, firebox size and dimensions of the insert (to make sure it will fit in your fireplace). Compare pricing and installation costs. And then, some here would say, buy the one your wife likes best. :lol:

My cousin has a Quad 5100I and gets pretty steady 10-12 hour burns out of it. When you say the BK has the "longest" burn times, how long does it hold a fire for? I never used one. And yes...the wife has final say of course

 

[fredarm]

BK claims up to 20 hours.