Which wood stove for LARGE fireplace

[Hubjeep]

Howdy... Haven’t logged on (haha) in quite a while... been enjoying the Napoleon 1401 insert for a few years in the cottage fireplace, thanks to this site.

Looking for some stove suggestions to place in this large fireplace, not an insert due to the size of it, but a large stove with large glass viewing area and blower to use on occasion (not a full time burner).

This fireplace never drafts very well, so it is rarely used since the room gets a little smoky, I think the hearth is too big, requiring too much air flow to pull the smoke up. A stove in there would solve this, actually heat while it's on, require less wood, and be safer.

I figure a good size stove with blower would sit in the hearth, run a solid black tube up a few feet, then go to flex stainless up the chimney.

Here are some pics. Let me know what you think. BTW, it's in an open floor plan, first floor with about 2,200 sq.ft and stairs on the opposite wall to second floor. Any suggestions would be appreciated, as well as stove suggestions.

Pics:

 

[Fsappo]

Can you fit an 8" liner down that chimney?

 

[Hubjeep]

Can you fit an 8" liner down that chimney?

Probably if the flue flap opening is trimmed. Why would an 8" be needed?

EDIT:
Quickly searching around I found this...
http://www.homeclick.com/united-sta...-pedstal-wood-stove-with-blower/p-443121.aspx

EDIT:
Added this one, about same price as above. I know nothing about either brand.
http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Wood-...s-Large-Over-2000-sqft/Osburn-2400-Wood-Stove

EDIT: Looks like the Osburn 2400 has a 169" sq glass viewing area, where the US only has a 103" sq/in. The US has a higher BTU rating though.

 

[WoodpileOCD]

Check the threads here about US Stove. I know nothing about them but I don't think the general opinion is very good. Someone with some personal experience may chime in.

 

[jeff_t]

Yeah, for my money it would be Osburn for sure.

Do you have a budget in mind?

I think Fsappo was asking about the 8" liner because that fireplace is big enough to fit a stove that has an 8" flue collar.

 

[RickBlaine]

Yowza!- I was reading your post and thought, "I can't believe this guy says large fireplace but does not give the dimensions." Then I saw the picture! You could park a Ford F-150 in there. The AWD model....

I am a newbie here, but based on "unlimited size does not matter", the occasional use, and it is not your primary heating source, how 'bout becoming an owner of an Englander NC-30? It is a "budget" stove made in Virginia that gets rave reviews, heats like a monster, and will be on sale by Home Depot in about 5 weeks. Since you will use this fireplace "occasionally", I assume you don't want to spend the big bucks? The Englander can be had for $650 on sale (and then take off another 10% - 15% off with a Lowes or Harbor Freight coupon- HD price matches competitor coupons) and utilizes the less expensive 6" liner.

Heck, I thought all that space qualifies for an apartment in New York? You can rent out the space the NC-30 does not use....probably make an extra $250 a month or so

EDIT: Some here also mention the Drolet HT-2000....also has a large viewing glass and can be had for under $1,000. It too heats like a beast. Again, there are higher-end stoves, but I am throwing my bias in just because you said it will be used occasionally.

Or put a commercial pizza oven in there and turn it into a private club.

 

[Hubjeep]

Yeah, for my money it would be Osburn for sure.

Do you have a budget in mind?

I think Fsappo was asking about the 8" liner because that fireplace is big enough to fit a stove that has an 8" flue collar.

Under $2,000 sounds reasonable to me considering what I have seen so far on the internet. It's not going to burn all the time, doesn’t have to be the best one out there, but I would pay more for it over the US Stove just for the bigger viewing area. BTW, it looks like the blower is optional on the Osburn?

For example, I am very pleased with my Napoleon 1401, how does Osburn compare to Napoleon? At the time, the Napoleon insert was a no-brainer on sale at homeclick for under $1,000 when the 1402 came out.

I am pretty sure the stoves I have selected all have a 6" collar and are pretty big stoves, are there larger?

 

[Hubjeep]

Yowza!- I was reading your post and thought, "I can't believe this guy says large fireplace but does not give the dimensions." Then I saw the picture! You could park a Ford F-150 in there. The AWD model....

EDIT: Some here also mention the Drolet HT-2000....also has a large viewing glass and can be had for under $1,000. It too heats like a beast. Again, there are higher-end stoves, but I am throwing my bias in just because you said it will be used occasionally.

Or put a commercial pizza oven in there and turn it into a private club.

HAHA, yea... big... Hmmm, that Drolet HT-2000 looks like another option. Lets eliminate the US Stove... reviews are not so good that I see.

So, between the Drolet HT-2000 and Osburn 2400, what do y'all think? Please suggest others too. Not sure if the Osburn 2400 comes with a fan, it's an option on some websites.

 

[RickBlaine]

By the way, check Yelp! and Google reviews before you buy anything from Homeclick. Just saying.....

 

[Hubjeep]

By the way, check Yelp! and Google reviews before you buy anything from Homeclick. Just saying.....

My one experience with them was excellent... ordered the 1401, showed up quickly, all was good with the exception of broken door glass, was sent a new piece of glass promptly.

 

[begreen]

There are lots of good 3 cu ft stove out there by Regency, PE, Englander, Drolet, Quadrafire, BlazeKing, Napoleon, Lopi, Jotul, etc.. It all depends on the style you want and your budget.

 

[claydogg84]

There are very few stoves that use an 8" pipe these days. I prefer cast iron stoves, but we all have our own taste. And there is no reason to run any solid single wall pipe up. You can run the liner directly to the stove, or to a tee with a cleanout. Are you going to be able to run a top exit with this setup? That will be the most important part to figure out, as the rear exit category is much smaller.

 

[hman]

Kuma Ashwood or the big Sequoia.

 

[Hubjeep]

There are lots of good 3 cu ft stove out there by Regency, PE, Englander, Drolet, Quadrafire, BlazeKing, Napoleon, Lopi, Jotul, etc.. It all depends on the style you want and your budget.

OK, I have been looking at BTU, will check out capacity while searching around (3). Looking for a "favorite" here, or pros/cons of different brands. For example... when searching for my insert years ago, Pacific Energy was said to have the best sealing door, Hearthstone made one where the logs sat parallel to the door, and had a huge viewing area, the "fav" seemed to be the Napoleon 1401/1402. Not looking for the cheapest, or the best... under $2,000 sounds good and traditional with nice viewing area.

There are very few stoves that use an 8" pipe these days... And there is no reason to run any solid single wall pipe up. You can run the liner directly to the stove, or to a tee with a cleanout. Are you going to be able to run a top exit with this setup?

There will be plenty of room over the stove for top exit. From the room you will see about 18" or so over the top of the stove, so something slightly decorative (not flex stainless) would be nice before the flex is attached.

Kuma Ashwood or the big Sequoia.

I see in your sig you have a Kuma... please share your experience with that brand.

 

[jeff_t]

You can ignore manufacturer btu ratings. There is no standard for it. Marketing propaganda. Firebox capacity is a better indicator of heating capability.

 

[claydogg84]

I wasn't referring to the vertical space, but rather to the location of the damper plate in relation to where the stove will have to sit. Is there going to be enough room in the back?

 

[begreen]

Most BTU ratings are going to be marketing driven. Go by firebox size. That is a more quantifiable measure. If you want cheap and good look at the Englander 30NC and Drolet HT2000. And while you are at it, take a look at the Ideal Steel by Woodstock. It's large and very efficient backed by a good company and sold direct. It sells for about $2000.

PE: While I like PE a lot and own one, I am not too enamored with their door latch.

 

[Hubjeep]

I wasn't referring to the vertical space, but rather to the location of the damper plate in relation to where the stove will have to sit. Is there going to be enough room in the back?

The damper plate is all the way at the back of the fireplace. The flue up the chimney will be flex stainless, should be able to flex it forward and down to meet the pipe sticking straight out the top of the stove even if it's forward a foot or so. Please correct me if I am wrong.

EDIT:
Here is a side view of what I was thinking. Rigid pipe up about 2' out of the top of the stove (you can see it from room), then stainless flex the rest of the way up.

 

[claydogg84]

The damper plate is all the way at the back of the fireplace. The flue up the chimney will be flex stainless, should be able to flex it forward and down to meet the pipe sticking straight out the top of the stove even if it's forward a foot or so. Please correct me if I am wrong.

EDIT:
Here is a side view of what I was thinking. Rigid pipe up about 2' out of the top of the stove (you can see it from room), then stainless flex the rest of the way up.

Looks like it should work fine. I would maybe do a 45 off the solid pipe to avoid any hard angles for the liner. I think that setup is going to look very nice when you're done, good luck!

 

[Jo191145]

I would second the Woodstock Ideal Steel. It's looks should match the industrial style hood of the existing fireplace and offers great viewing of secondary burn if you open it up a bit.

 

[Simonkenton]

Good Lord! That is a fantastic fireplace! I have never seen a fireplace built like that. It looks good.
I need to come over and take some measurements, but, I bet the reason it smokes is because the firplace opening is too large, relative to the size of the flue.
The area of the flue needs to be about 10 percent of the area of the fireplace opening.
If the flue is too small it will smoke.

 

[Hubjeep]

Good Lord! That is a fantastic fireplace! I have never seen a fireplace built like that. It looks good.
I need to come over and take some measurements, but, I bet the reason it smokes is because the firplace opening is too large, relative to the size of the flue.
The area of the flue needs to be about 10 percent of the area of the fireplace opening.
If the flue is too small it will smoke.

Thanks!
YES! I was thinking not enough air volume to clear that big opening.

 

[Jo191145]

Yep, looks to be roughly 6 feet wide, 40" tall and a 42"- 48" damper. Who knows what kind of flue? I did say roughly
Rules can be bent but not that far. Looks awesome though.

 

[Fsappo]

Yeah, for my money it would be Osburn for sure.

Do you have a budget in mind?

I think Fsappo was asking about the 8" liner because that fireplace is big enough to fit a stove that has an 8" flue collar.

Yup. I was thinking about how beautiful a Equinox would look there. But now I'm seeing based on your shopping that you may not be looking at stoves in that price range,

 

[Hubjeep]

So far, it looks like the Osburn 2400 looks to be a good choice for me so far. Good size viewing window, well liked brand (as far as I can see here), and it's a wider stove (E-W log orientation, N-S ones tend to be narrower) for the big opening.

There is a local dealer (actually a town away) (broken link removed to http://www.osburnwoodstoves.com/Osburn_2400_Osburn_Stove_Osburn_Wood_Stove_p/obo2411.htm)

Stove is $1,779
Blower $230
Black door overlay $150 (says required)
$2,159

Check out the Chimney Liner Kit Sale on the site above... the salesman said the sale would more than make up for the tax, said since they are not installing it, tax would have to be collected. Thanks.

Good Lord! That is a fantastic fireplace! I have never seen a fireplace built like that. It looks good.
I need to come over and take some measurements, but, I bet the reason it smokes is because the firplace opening is too large, relative to the size of the flue.
The area of the flue needs to be about 10 percent of the area of the fireplace opening.
If the flue is too small it will smoke.

I took some measurements:
The flue flap opening is 5.25" X 43" = 225
The fireplace opening is 43" X 90" = 3870

= 5.8% percent.

Yup. I was thinking about how beautiful a Equinox would look there. But now I'm seeing based on your shopping that you may not be looking at stoves in that price range,

That is quite a nice looking stove. About double what I was looking to spend though and I really need a blower to push the heat forward, away from under the hood.