HI all, I'm sure you all get this question over and over but I'm brand new to this and need to make a decision in the next week or so and I'm overwhelmed with the options. We have a traditional fireplace with liner issues in the house we just purchased. It was recommended to install a stove insert instead of just fixing the liner and I can easily see why after reading a bit and learning the pros. The chimney sweep that did our inspection recommended a Napoleon and I picked the Oakdale EPI3 based on look only. Now that I've started reading and learning, I'm not sure if that is the best option for us.
We have a large open family room/kitchen that is open to the second floor and although initially we intended to use the fireplace more for enjoyment, we are now realizing it would be a huge benefit to offsetting our high HVAC bill so I feel like I need to put more thought into the actual product than just the look. Our chimney guy said he only stocks Napoleons but that we are free to purchase whatever we want and he will install it. So what are the actual top recommended inserts? If you could pick any insert, which would it be?
I realize we might be restricted based on size and I still need to take actual measurements but would like to figure out which brands/models I should be focusing on. Also, are there any features you would consider a must have? For example, I see that the Napoleon S25I has an ash drawer which sounds like it would make things easier for this very busy mom but I don't know if that's just a gimmicky feature to sell it. Please help!
We have a large open family room/kitchen that is open to the second floor and although initially we intended to use the fireplace more for enjoyment, we are now realizing it would be a huge benefit to offsetting our high HVAC bill so I feel like I need to put more thought into the actual product than just the look. Our chimney guy said he only stocks Napoleons but that we are free to purchase whatever we want and he will install it. So what are the actual top recommended inserts? If you could pick any insert, which would it be?
I realize we might be restricted based on size and I still need to take actual measurements but would like to figure out which brands/models I should be focusing on. Also, are there any features you would consider a must have? For example, I see that the Napoleon S25I has an ash drawer which sounds like it would make things easier for this very busy mom but I don't know if that's just a gimmicky feature to sell it. Please help!