We are renovating an old house with a fireplace, and I want to get a wood burning insert for heating back up and ambiance. I got one quote that recommended a large Lopi NexGen Hybrid. The first floor location of the fireplace is only about 600 square feet, so I'm worried about overheating the area. The company said it is easy to control heat output by just not adding a lot of wood. Is this true? What are other questions I should be asking about this installation, and should I get a second quote? I don't know anything about fireplaces!
Wood burning insert - where to start?
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Yes, you can limit the heating by limiting the fuel load size and by not reloading the stove if the room is warm enough. How open is the fireplace room to the rest of the house? Is there an open stairwell in the room?
Definitely visit more stores and get more quotes. Ask if the chimney will be completely cleaned first and whether the liner will be insulated.
Definitely visit more stores and get more quotes. Ask if the chimney will be completely cleaned first and whether the liner will be insulated.
Thanks. Yes there is an open stairwell but otherwise the space is small. Are there recent articles here that compare the various manufacturers? Pros and cons? My main hope is that the insert works hassle-free for a long time!
That’s still a decent sized area. I had a buck 80 in a room half that size with 2 doorways to the rest of the house. Yes on the milder days it would be overly warm in there but on colder days it was ok. I think you’ll be ok. Especially if you have an opening or 2 for the hot air to flow to the 2nd floor. If not maybe a blaze king insert would be a better option so you can adjust thermostat To heating needs
Some of the heat will go upstairs which should reduce concerns about overheating. The Lopi is a good looking and operating insert. It's a hybrid which means it has both secondary tube burning and a catalyst. If hassle-free burning is the primary goal, perhaps a simpler, non-cat would be better.
Oh, I didn't know there was a thermostat option - will check that out!
That depends on the insert. Some Drolet and Osburn non-cat inserts qualify.
Ctwoodtick
Minister of Fire
As mentioned above, 600 sq ft is not a small area. I have a good size insert in a 300sq ft sun room and it works well for the space. There are two door ways off it and rest of house gets heated. You’ll figure out how much wood to put in to not overheat space. You’re location is a bit colder than mine as well:
I did miss the ambiance backup part. So maybe a lopi hybrid wouldn’t be a bad choice. The flush hybrids are nice choices and offer a large viewing area. Could always get the medium flush hybrid.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
You won’t have wood dry enough to burn this winter. Maybe you could buy a cord a truly seasoned ready to burn but it won’t be from anyone advertising they sell firewood.
I like my Drolet. It’s a great value. Not the best looking. Osborn has better looking options. If you want ambiance get a tube stove. Have fun with it. I make pizza on occasion in mine! If you want 24/7 consistent heat get a Blaze king.
I like my Drolet. It’s a great value. Not the best looking. Osborn has better looking options. If you want ambiance get a tube stove. Have fun with it. I make pizza on occasion in mine! If you want 24/7 consistent heat get a Blaze king.
Where can I find information about pros and cons of the catalytic combustion? I understand it is far more efficient, but also one more thing to break. Will this hybrid stove work if the catalyst stops working? Any issues associated with that scenario? Our seller insists that Lopi lasts many, many years. And there aren't many dealers where I am in Upstate NY so not a lot of opportunity to comparative shop.
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There are a lot of threads on the forum regarding catalytic versus non-catalytic stoves if you use the search function. As a first-time burner who uses his fireplace for secondary heat, I was leaning toward non-cat because I was concerned about complications and simplicity seemed better. But I am also cheap, and the tax credit on the cat insert we purchased (which I understand is disappearing at year-end) tipped the scales.
All this to say that I am not an expert of any kind, but have not found our cat insert to be at all difficult to use. It just requires a few extra minutes of attention during the lighting phase.
All this to say that I am not an expert of any kind, but have not found our cat insert to be at all difficult to use. It just requires a few extra minutes of attention during the lighting phase.
With a good design it can be more efficient for very low and slow burning. The cat chews up the smoke from the smoldering fire. With a moderate or high fire, the efficiency is a moot point.
Lopi (Travis) is a premium brand with a great reputation. If that is the preference, it's a solid choice.
PS: There are countless threads here debating cat vs non-cat. It's an annual discussion. There are pros and cons to each option. Other considerations are how the stove loads (East/West, North/South), how it looks, many people will be operating the stove, maintenance costs and frequency, local service, aesthetics, quietness, heat into the room, etc.
It sure is nice that our new (new last year) BK stove in the basement lasts 12+hours easily between reloads.
We have a Pacific Energy insert upstairs, it's great, it throws a lot of heat with fan blowing, but it is almost always out of fuel by the time I'm home from work (9ish hours) and if it's cold I'm relighting, which is not a big deal either.
These "new insert" threads do have me dreaming/researching a new insert, and if I was to buy today I would be looking for something that burns more than 12-15 hours (which probably means more than 8 hours for me since I don't burn much hardwood).
So far, the catalyst is not a big deal as far as operations, I don't really look forward to the replacement cost but the long burns really are worth it. I've also been able to burn lower temperature fires earlier in the year and later in the year, and get a bunch more use out of the stove.
We have a Pacific Energy insert upstairs, it's great, it throws a lot of heat with fan blowing, but it is almost always out of fuel by the time I'm home from work (9ish hours) and if it's cold I'm relighting, which is not a big deal either.
These "new insert" threads do have me dreaming/researching a new insert, and if I was to buy today I would be looking for something that burns more than 12-15 hours (which probably means more than 8 hours for me since I don't burn much hardwood).
So far, the catalyst is not a big deal as far as operations, I don't really look forward to the replacement cost but the long burns really are worth it. I've also been able to burn lower temperature fires earlier in the year and later in the year, and get a bunch more use out of the stove.
Yes, these are all factors in how the stove or insert will be used. A best fit for one may not be ideal for another. This is irrespective of the stove quality. For instance, our stove goes 12 hrs between reloads in 35-45º weather and that drops down to 8 hrs in cold weather, all softwood burning. We have a heat pump that covers the milder weather heating. The timing is partly because our house's heat loss is fairly high due to its age and too many windows. Howver, being retired, this works fine for us.
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