What to do with this fireplace

[voc177]

allright guys I need your help i have been lurking here for the last 2 years and iam no closer than before to an anser.
what iam looking for is some good ideas for this fireplace either a insert or stove, the room is a basement and its 800sqft
would a hearth mount work well?
i would like to get some heat upstairs as well. There is a large open staircase to the main level about 8ft away from here the opening is about 5ftx12 ft.
looks are pretty important here it is a timberframe hybrid home so the solution should be in keeping with the home style I know this is a lot to ask for my first post but Iam running out of ideas

thanks for your time

I have attached a photo of the fireplace hope i got that right!

 

[begreen]

What are the dimensions of the fireplace opening and depth? How large is the house?

 

[voc177]

ill have to measure when i get home from work but i know the fireplace is 12ft wide and the home is 3100sq ft the room above it is 22x36 with a 30ft ceiling this room same size with 8ft ceilings it is also located on the south side of the house ( outside wall ) with a fireplace above it

 

[begreen]

OK, it will be easier to make recommendations once we have opening size. What else in the basement is competing for air with the fireplace stove? Furnace, HW heater, dryer, bath fan?

 

[voc177]

there is only 1 air competitor in the basement thats the dryer, furnace and w/h are direct vent if my memory serves me the opening is 50 or so wide x42 tall i can give exact tonite been awhile since i measured it fireplace upstairs is 60 inches by 36 inches its open nothing in it



thanks again

 

[iceman]

allright guys I need your help i have been lurking here for the last 2 years and iam no closer than before to an anser.
what iam looking for is some good ideas for this fireplace either a insert or stove, the room is a basement and its 800sqft
would a hearth mount work well?
i would like to get some heat upstairs as well. There is a large open staircase to the main level about 8ft away from here the opening is about 5ftx12 ft.
looks are pretty important here it is a timberframe hybrid home so the solution should be in keeping with the home style I know this is a lot to ask for my first post but Iam running out of ideas

thanks for your time

I have attached a photo of the fireplace hope i got that right!

from the looks of the pic...... stove i don't even know how an insert would fit in there.. without modding the opening
if you could make the "wall" bigger or shelf whatever that is you could fit an insert but ... its a nice fireplace though

 

[begreen]

By competitors, I didn't mean for chimney space, but rather for the combustion air which is taken from the room space. Do the furnace and hw heater have their own air supplies? If not, they will also be competing for combustion air drawn from the basement. This can lead to negative pressure and poor stove performance. An outside air supply is the solution.

 

[brooktrout]

Is the fireplace on an outside wall, or within the house?

 

[voc177]

The fireplace is on an outside wall to anser previous post fireplace is 48 inches wide x 33 inches tall

 

[brooktrout]

I think a bluestone paver laid on the floor in front with a nice mortar joint would fit the color scheme nicely, and then a soapstone stove such as one of the larger Hearthstones would really create a nice package- you said looks were important, and that would do it, as well as fulfill your functional needs.

 

[Ken45]

First of all, from our experience, you will get very poor heat flow up the stairwell. When we moved into this house, it had a wood furnace in the basement rec room, about the same distance as yours from the open stair well. We had to run the basement temp uncomfortably high (85) to get 65 degrees upstairs. Since it was a furnace designed for a duct, I finally put a duct up to the ceiling and that warms the house very well using a lot less wood.

From what I can see of your fireplace, you might get a wood stove that has a wrap around (bottom, back, top) heat flow shield with fan. The Kuma Sequoia is built that way. Basically the freestanding model and the insert are identical except the insert includes an external surround to cover up the opening but doesn't really affect the operation, at least to my understanding. If you opening is big enough, that might work for you.

Ken

 

[Todd]

Hearth stove all the way. Find a big one with a rear venting exhaust, reline the chimney with s/s liner, and fabricate a block off plate where the fireplace damper is. You should get some good heat to your upper floor since the stairwell is so close, but you may want to install another stove in the upstairs fireplace if your trying to heat your whole 3100 sq ft house.

 

[begreen]

Agreed. A beautiful, 3cu ft. hearth stove that is a front or top loader would do justice there. Quadrafire Isle Royale is a possibility if you want it to sit in front of the FP. A Hearthstone Mansfield set in the fireplace would also look sharp. The 48"w x 33"h opening is large enough for most stoves, so pick your favorite. A Pacific Energy Summit or Alderlea T6 could fit, but get it with the convection blower.

The one constraining factor might be the mantel. What's the distance from the hearth floor to the mantel? (Or should I call it a part tree? That is really something.)

 

[voc177]

the distance from the hearth floor to mantel is 55 inches and the ledge is 18 i would imagine the combustible distance to worry is the mantel. Do you guys think i would get good heat throw with the sides of a stove partially blocked by the ledge? is it a must for a heath-mount specific stove?

 

[begreen]

With a blower on the stove, heat throw probably won't be a big issue unless the power is out. The mantel however, is an issue, it has to go. (just kidding %-P). For a freestanding stove, with this unusual setup, at heat shield will be required unless the stove sits entirely in the fireplace. Unfortunately, there's weak documentation about installing these 3 cu ft stoves in a fireplace, so I am not sure what the guiding doc is. I suspect it's the stove clearance to alcove ceiling with a variance for added heat shield?

What is the fireplace box depth?