We are having a heck of a time choosing an insert and have had very little help from the local stores. The dimensions of the existing fireplace opening are
46" wide
41" high
17" deep
back of firebox: 27" wide
Firebox begins to narrow toward damper 27" from firebox floor
Existing hearth is only 16" deep and improperly installed so we will be extending it while raising the floor of the firebox. My thought is to close the opening around the stove since it is so big and most of the panels for inserts we've looked at would not be big enough to cover it.
We bought this house this summer and will be slowly upgrading energy efficiency as money allows. It is a contemporary style built in the early 70's with a central 2 story chimney in the living room facing huge south facing windows. It is somewhat of an open concept with the kitchen behind the fireplace and the LR ceiling sloping up towards an open hallway and bedrooms. The current heating system is an oil boiler with baseboards. We do not expect to be able to heat entirely with wood due to the layout, but we'd like to heat about 1200 sqft primarily with wood. Any reduction in oil use would be great. We live in western MA, so winters see long stretches well below freezing. In keeping with the style of the house, we are interested in contemporary looking stoves, the more efficient, the better. We are leaning towards a catalytic stove but we've only had non catalytic stoves in the past (Vermont Castings and Jotul). Some of the models I'm considering are
MF Fire, Nova 2
Osburn Matrix or Inspire (I like the specs on these stoves, but not the look of them)
Rais QT
Regency Ci2700
Pacific Energy Neo
Stuv 16
Are there others I should be looking at? Does anyone know of any inserts that don't need blowers besides Stuv?
46" wide
41" high
17" deep
back of firebox: 27" wide
Firebox begins to narrow toward damper 27" from firebox floor
Existing hearth is only 16" deep and improperly installed so we will be extending it while raising the floor of the firebox. My thought is to close the opening around the stove since it is so big and most of the panels for inserts we've looked at would not be big enough to cover it.
We bought this house this summer and will be slowly upgrading energy efficiency as money allows. It is a contemporary style built in the early 70's with a central 2 story chimney in the living room facing huge south facing windows. It is somewhat of an open concept with the kitchen behind the fireplace and the LR ceiling sloping up towards an open hallway and bedrooms. The current heating system is an oil boiler with baseboards. We do not expect to be able to heat entirely with wood due to the layout, but we'd like to heat about 1200 sqft primarily with wood. Any reduction in oil use would be great. We live in western MA, so winters see long stretches well below freezing. In keeping with the style of the house, we are interested in contemporary looking stoves, the more efficient, the better. We are leaning towards a catalytic stove but we've only had non catalytic stoves in the past (Vermont Castings and Jotul). Some of the models I'm considering are
MF Fire, Nova 2
Osburn Matrix or Inspire (I like the specs on these stoves, but not the look of them)
Rais QT
Regency Ci2700
Pacific Energy Neo
Stuv 16
Are there others I should be looking at? Does anyone know of any inserts that don't need blowers besides Stuv?
!!
