Wood fireplace suggestions

[Ajax03]

Hello.
I am building a new construction home and want to install a zero clearance wood burning fireplace. I want to be able to heat the entire 2200 square foot home and be able to utilize a blower and duct work to separate rooms

I will be using this for a primary heat source for about 3-4 months out of year burning 24/7

I prioritize simplicity, reliability, and long burns times

I don’t want to have to spend a fortune on this but understand none of these units are cheap

There seem to be a million options out there, could you help me find the correct option for me?

 

[begreen]

The size of the fireplace will depend on how well insulated the home is, how tall the ceilings are and how much glass exposure it has. The Pacific Energy FP25 and FP30 would work unless the place is superinsulated. The Valcourt Lafayette II is also a good choice in the 2.5 cu ft range. RSF also makes a good range of EPA fireplaces.

If funds are tight, consider a freestanding stove. It will heat well and will open more options in size and pricing.

 

[Ajax03]

I am in the US and on there site it shows unavailable in the us. Is there somewhere else you would recommend searching for it ?

 

[begreen]

I mentioned 3 companies. Which company's site is unavailable in the US?

 

[Ajax03]

The fp30

 

[Ajax03]

Right now I have been in contact with someone through woodland direct fireplaces and also acucraft.
The acucraft is a 9 cubic foot firebox with no secondary tubes reburn process and no catalytic converter. Firebox made with 1/4” steel and it is a 750 lb fireplace. It is the 30” model that takes 26” logs and it is the smaller model they make. And says they have average 10 hour burn times. Has manual damper for combustion air and for flue pipe

Woodland direct has pointed me towards the Osburn Stratford 2 and the Val court Waterloo.

I am wondering if anyone has any good or bad things to say about these two company’s and or these fireplaces. I am going to be relying on them for 24/7 burn heating the house for 4 months

 

[stoveliker]

a 9 cubic foot firebox?
You'd be burning 9 cubic foot of wood in 10 hours?

That's either wrong info, or, if correct, you should run.
Unless you want to have a nice crisp outer layer on your body.
Or all the heat is going up the flue (that is possible; no secondary tubes, so low tech - likely not even legal to be installed in the US ?)

You'd run through a cord of wood (4x8x4 ft) in 142 hrs = less than 6 days.

That has to be a mistake.


I have a 2.9 cubic foot freestanding stove and I heat a 1700 + 825 =2,525 sqft home with that, and my lowest burn time is 6-8 hrs or so with pine, and up to 36 hours with oak in milder weather when the need for heat is low.

 

[stoveliker]

I see the things here

The Hearthroom Wood-Burning Fireplaces

The Hearthroom wood-burning fireplace collection offers expansive viewing areas, unique stylesm and a 30-min wood to gas conversion!

www.acucraft.com

Either you get heated out of your place, or you'd be heating the great outdoors.
There's no need to go that big.
Especially in Kentucky.

 

[begreen]

The fp30

This is a temporary situation due to new testing requirements. It may not affect the project, depending on how far out it is. Check with the local dealer(s) for expected dates.

As noted in the PM, a 9 cu ft fireplace is likely too large for what is being proposed and not an efficient design as compared to EPA fireplaces with good secondary tube or catalytic combustion.

 

[TheJeff]

According to the brochure from accucraft, the 30'' model has 9 cubic foot firebox.

 

[begreen]

According to the brochure from accucraft, the 30'' model has 9 cubic foot firebox.

It's kind of an odd looker, taller than wide with no ducting or secondary combustion as far as I can tell. The information is a slim on their website.

 

[Ajax03]

I would not think it would take a full 9 ft.³ to burn for 10 hours, but I will look into that

 

[TheJeff]

It does have secondary air, you have to contact them an have links to the brochures sent to you.
Actually the diagram only show intake from outside air kit.

 

[Ajax03]

I was thinking this acucraft would be a superior product due to the fact it seems to be made a lot better than most prefabs considering it’s over twice the weight, and they have a rectangular fire box instead of it tapering smaller in the back. And the fact they use a simpler design that requires less maintenance and worry

 

[Ajax03]

They do bring in outside air for combustion, what do you mean by secondary air?

 

[stoveliker]

Secondary air is a second place (at the top of the firebox) that brings in pre-heated air to further combust gases that otherwise go up the flue (providing heat while keeping the flue and the outdoor air quality cleaner).

The acucraft is basically an open fireplace that they encased.
That does not make for a good heater, even if it does make for a nice view.

If you want to heat, I would go with the ones be green suggested.

Good noncat stoves or zero clearance fireplaces require very little (if any) maintenance. Gasket replacement is the same as for the acucraft. Reburn tubes are cheap and last many many years.

 

[TheJeff]

 

[stoveliker]

outside air is good, may even be needed for a new built (that is tight).
Yet, this is a looker, not a heater imo.

If you are looking for heat (pun intended), I'd not put one of these in.

 

[Ajax03]

He did tell me there is a steel plate at the top of the firebox that the smoke hits and slows it down before entering the flue pipe

 

[stoveliker]

That is a baffle. That is the very minimum.
If I remember correctly, zero clearance fireplaces are not held to the same efficiency (and clean-burning) standards as wood stoves or inserts. Therefore their heat output (efficiency of energy put in from the fuel vs heat energy coming out into the room) is not mandated to certain levels. Just like open fireplaces.

There are "high-efficiency" ZC fireplaces that are efficient (and clean). Those are the ones begreen is recommending, I believe.

A fireplace is the epitome of inefficiency.
The fact that the flue pipe on the video on the acucraft page I saw is so humongously large means a lot of air flows up there, and with that a lot of heat.

You say you want to heat 24/7 for months. That's not what this thing is for imo. Far better choices exist.

Do they give an efficiency (~75-85%) in their materials? (I don't want to give my email address to them.)
Does it have an EPA label attached to it?

(Also, do you have wood ready to go? Most wood takes 2 years to dry sufficiently for clean burning, and for heating - you don't want to waste half the energy in the wood to vaporize the remaining water in it to go up the chimney. Oak takes 3 years to dry, split, off the ground, and top covered. Buying firewood that was in a pile for 4 months won't make you happy burning it...)

 

[Ajax03]

Every website I go to that sell pacific energy either tells me they can’t sell to the United States

 

[Ajax03]

I pm’Ed you

 

[begreen]

Every website I go to that sell pacific energy either tells me they can’t sell to the United States

PE stoves are not sold online. Call your local dealer.

 

[Ajax03]

PE stoves are not sold online. Call your local dealer.

Apparently the fp 25 is currently not available and the fp 30 is currently in retesting, I was referred to the warm majic - II
I’m not a huge fan of the warm majic that I have seen in person before due to what looks like a very small firebox that makes it hard to load much wood and no control on combustion or flue air

 

[begreen]

The Warm Majic II is a 2.7 cu ft fireplace. It takes a 22" log. That's should work. However, there seems to be a disconnect between what is necessary to heat a home continually and a desire to have a really big fireplace.

To further help, we need the heat loss calculation for the home. In lieu of that, how well insulated will the home be? How tall will the ceilings be, and how many large windows in the main area?