what would you install?

[KindredSpiritzz]

Ok, so i have this electric fireplace in my den, was in the house when i bought it. I'd like to replace it with either a real fireplace, a wood stove or a wood insert but i can't decide which is the best route. Usually when i do something i already have it pictured in my head what i want and how im going to do it but im drawing a blank on this. The fireplace brick and all that is just that thin covering fake stone and brick over wood framing. I was thinking a zero clearance fireplace would be the easiest install but not much heat efficiency in that. Wood stove would probably stick out quite far into the room and a wood insert i'd have to build some type of brick chimney to hold and enclose it wouldnt I ? To the left of the fireplace is another spare bedroom so the only place i can run chimney pipe is either straight up or angled off to the wall by the glass door to the right in the picture. I have a pretty flat roof there so im reluctant to cut a hole in it for piping. The fireplace is right where the wheel barrow is in the 2nd picture. Any way i do it im going to have to rip down that whole existing fireplace face right? Do i go out the wall or thru the ceiling for the the chimney? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[begreen]

This is a corner install so freestanding wood stove might not stick out too far. We need some actual dimensions to determine that. Another issue would be chimney height. Not every stove is going to burn well on a short chimney. How large an area are you heating with this?

 

[PapaDave]

begreen is right about the flue.
You'll possibly need 10' or a little more above the roof for the stove to operate well. Depends on the appliance installed, and the manual will have that number (usually).
Positive side to this is that you'll easily exceed the 10-3-2 rule (I may have those #'s mixed).
House layout and size would be helpful
That's a nice facade, but I like to tear things out when I'm unsure of previous building practices.That way, I get to rebuild the way I want.
YMMV

 

[Jags]

More than likely you will need to tear out the facade. The stuff behind it wasn't designed for solid fuel burning. Tear it out, get yourself a nice free standing stove and poke it straight up to sunlight. That will give you the best chance for success.

You looking for temp room heat or are you looking for 24/7 burning.

 

[Grisu]

I guess your budget will determine what you can put in there. If you want to preserve the look of a fireplace check out EPA-approved zero clearance fireplaces such as the Napoleon NZ-26, Osburn Stratford, KozyHeat Z42, or Lennox Montecito. Those are as efficient as any modern woodstove/insert out there. How much of an area do you want to heat with that stove? Are you shooting for overnight burns?

Check the stoves you are considering for their minimum requirements regarding chimney height. Most call for at least 15 ft.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

its mostly for aesthetics and to help heat a bit in shoulder season. I have a wood furnace in the basement for my main heat but its hard to bond with my fire cause its down there and i cant see it unless i open the door or look in thru the damper vent. I like a little more personable fire in the winter if you know what i mean.
The roof in the area where the chimney would go is about 9 1/2 ft. The house is 1600 sq ft. kind of a bi level so heat should rise and find its way to the rest of the house. The house has low ceilings, 7ft high throughout. The room it will be in is 18 ft x 14 ft.
I would imagine the whole chimney length would be about 12-15 ft high.
I'd love to see pictures if anyone has a similar corner install.

 

[Grisu]

That thread may be helpful: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/new-heatilator-eco-ws22-install.107597/

For a ZC fireplace look here: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/introduction-and-zero-clearance-install.91592/#post-1198786

 

[Sons924]

as jags said, i would think that would all have to come out. I doubt any of it is built to withstand the heat of a stove or insert.

 

[Jags]

as jags said, i would think that would all have to come out. I doubt any of it is built to withstand the heat of a stove or insert.

At the very least - I would have a pro set of eyeballs determine if the current build will be up to code to install a ZC. At first glance, I have my doubts.

 

[Dave A.]

No expert here, but rather than tear out that nice looking facade straight away, maybe you could gain access to the interior to examine it's construction by carefully cutting a repairable access from behind, like through the drywall in the adjoining bedroom.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

the electric fireplace slides right out so i took some pictures of whats behind it. The middle picture is looking up towards the ceiling. The black thing is a flexible warm air vent to the adjacent bedroom im going to have to work around somehow. i think a zero clearance fireplace would be the easiest install and would fit in that space with minimal tearing out of existing facade. Brick portion would have to go but i could probably use the stone part above. Im not against having a fireplace im just not crazy about most of that heat going up the chimney. If i got a stove everything would have to be torn out and redone which is doable but i think a stove wouldnt look right there. I like a a wood burning insert the best but wouldnt i have to build some type of brick or concrete enclosure for it? I have no idea what the clearances and stuff are for those things.