Wood burning insert questions

[denzel]

I've been considering getting a wood burning insert for my fireplace to supplement or use instead of my natural gas boiler. There seem to be a great many options, with quality and price covering quite a range. I first started looking at the inexpensive inserts northern tool sells, but it seems like spending a little more money gets lot more quality. My real problem is this: while my fire box seems plenty large for anything I'd want to put in it, I've only been able to find one insert that comes with a surround large enough for my fireplace opening. I have not removed the doors that are currently on the fireplace, but the outside measurement of the door frame is 33 1/2" high by 40 1/2" wide. I think I need a surround of at least that size to properly cover. The only insert I've been able to find that has a surround panel big enough to cover is the Quadra-Fire 4100i. It definitely looks like a nice stove, but I'm a bit concerned that my options are so limited by the available surrounds. Other than correct fit, I'm primarily concerned with efficiency and long burn time, a quality blower, and a large window would be nice too. My house is 1 1/2 stories and a little over 2,200 sq ft. I only use the upstairs of my house for guest bedrooms, and my boiler has a separate upstairs zone. That being said, I don't mind if I have to use the boiler to heat the upstairs.

I guess my questions would be:

1. Are there other inserts available with larger surround trim?

2. Is there any problem with buying a larger insert than I need? Does efficiency improve or decline?

3. Can anyone recommend a specific model?

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this, I truly appreciate any advice you may be able to give.

 

[weatherguy]

Most stoves have the option of a larger surround. I have the blaze king princess and ordered the larger surround because I have a large opening too. Im heating 2800 sf and I'll see what my Blaze King will do as this is my first year. Someone with more knowledge can help answer your other questions as Im a newbie to wood burning.

 

[denzel]

Thanks. I was aware of the oversized surrounds, but unfortunately the one available for the blaze king princess in only 32 1/2" high, and I need 33 1/2".

 

[fredarm]

Check Pacific Energy. The Summit insert has a 34 inch high surround. People here who have them seem to really like them. I have its little brother, the Vista insert, and it's a well-built easy to use stove that puts out a lot of heat for its size.

 

[Dix]

Pics are going to be important here. House layout, etc.

Welcome to the forums !!

 

[Rich_CT]

I had to get the over sized surround for my installation (Quadrafire 3100i). I believe that all of the Quadrafire inserts offer an os surround that would meet your specs. The Pacific Energy Summit has an os surround (34" x 52.75"). I believe the larger Lopi inserts might also work for you as well as some of the Jotul inserts. These were the inserts that I researched. I'd bet there are others that would meet your needs.

Rich

 

[pgmr]

We have a corner fireplace (two sides open, not a fireplace IN a corner), so I opted to install our insert without a surround at all. Kind of a "hearth stove" with very little protruding onto the hearth. It is basically a free standing stove without legs, which many of the current inserts are as well. Without the surround, we get a lot more radiant heat.

If you go this route, you'd not want to get one that has a pretty front and just a sheet metal back.

 

[denzel]

Pics are going to be important here. House layout, etc.

Welcome to the forums !!

Here's one pic... I don't know what else would be helpful, but I'll post whatever is needed. The mantle seems higher than most, it's 69" from the floor.

The layout is far from ideal. The fireplace is on a wall that is shared with my attached garage, and it's pretty close to the front of the house. The house was built in 1965, when apparently everyone like doors and walls. There was literally an interior door for every doorway in the house when I bought it last year. I removed all but the bathroom, bedroom, and closet doors. I do have ceiling fans in most rooms, so that should help some.

 

[denzel]

We have a corner fireplace (two sides open, not a fireplace IN a corner), so I opted to install our insert without a surround at all. Kind of a "hearth stove" with very little protruding onto the hearth. It is basically a free standing stove without legs, which many of the current inserts are as well. Without the surround, we get a lot more radiant heat.

If you go this route, you'd not want to get one that has a pretty front and just a sheet metal back.

Do you have a pic of your setup?

 

[pgmr]

I posted one on this https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/30833/ thread. There are a couple others showing inserts w/o surrounds as well.

 

[denzel]

I posted on on this https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/30833/ thread. There are a couple others showing inserts w/o surrounds as well.

Thank you for posting that. I wasn't aware that was an option. I think I am going to stick with installing with a surround. From what others have posted, it looks like I more options than I thought as far as brands go.

From my measurements, it looks like I can fit quite a large stove. Is there any disadvantage in going with an over sized stove? Will I use more wood if I end up with a stove larger than I need?

 

[weatherguy]

but the outside measurement of the door frame is 33 1/2” high by 40 1/2” wide

Your doors are overlapping, maybe your inside measurement will be low enough to open up more possibilites. The BK larger shroud is 32.5" high, maybe others are similar.

 

[oconnor]

One thing to consider is that you only have about 8 inches of hearth in front of the doors (2 bricks length), so any units that stick out into the room will eat that room up quickly - most will need at least 16-18 inches of spark protection, so you should be planning on some alternate flooring around the raised brick.

The Jotul C550 offers a larger surround, and has a lot of followers on here. Check out the C550 thread on here to get a feel for the unit.

Lastly, give the Guide to Residential Wood Heating in my signature block a read - excellent details for new and old burners alike.

Brent

 

[Hurricane]

One thing to consider is that you only have about 8 inches of hearth in front of the doors (2 bricks length), so any units that stick out into the room will eat that room up quickly - most will need at least 16-18 inches of spark protection, so you should be planning on some alternate flooring around the raised brick.

The Jotul C550 offers a larger surround, and has a lot of followers on here. Check out the C550 thread on here to get a feel for the unit.

Lastly, give the Guide to Residential Wood Heating in my signature block a read - excellent details for new and old burners alike.

Brent

Just a note that most bricks are 8" with the mortar joint the long way, so he would have a 16" hearth.

Here is a pic of my quad 5100 insert, the surround is 47 X 31.

I know I will get lots of abuse about the wife stuff piled all over and around it, and needing cleaning. When fire season starts all of her stuff is gone, and I am waiting for my new brick set to come in before doing the pre-startup heavy duty cleaning.

I am happy with it it puts out lots of heat, the blower could be quieter but that seems to be a complaint with most stoves.

 

[oconnor]

One thing to consider is that you only have about 8 inches of hearth in front of the doors (2 bricks length), so any units that stick out into the room will eat that room up quickly - most will need at least 16-18 inches of spark protection, so you should be planning on some alternate flooring around the raised brick.

The Jotul C550 offers a larger surround, and has a lot of followers on here. Check out the C550 thread on here to get a feel for the unit.

Lastly, give the Guide to Residential Wood Heating in my signature block a read - excellent details for new and old burners alike.

Brent

Just a note that most bricks are 8" with the mortar joint the long way, so he would have a 16" hearth.

Thanks for the correction. got my ups and downs inverted.