wood stove inside fireplace???

[Lewisthepilgrim]

hey guys, long time "hearther" here. We bought a new house. The new house has a fireplace. Obviously a wood insert would be optimal, but funds are low now. Can I just install my Englander summers heat woodstove inside the fireplace??? I was thinking of picking up a blower to move the air into the house. The room also has a ceiling fan. Whata you guys think???


google image search revealed something like this...

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

hey guys, long time "hearther" here. We bought a new house. The new house has a fireplace. Obviously a wood insert would be optimal, but funds are low now. Can I just install my Englander summers heat woodstove inside the fireplace??? I was thinking of picking up a blower to move the air into the house. The room also has a ceiling fan. Whata you guys think???


google image search revealed something like this...

Many of us have a stove in the fireplace. But, you need to take care of a few things first. Have the chimney cleaned and checked for safety. Have an insulated liner installed, put in a block off plate. Check for clearances to combustibles. The pros might have a few more tips.

 

[weatherguy]

If it fits sure, I have a Progress Hybrid in my fireplace.

 

[Modenacart]

hey guys, long time "hearther" here. We bought a new house. The new house has a fireplace. Obviously a wood insert would be optimal, but funds are low now. Can I just install my Englander summers heat woodstove inside the fireplace??? I was thinking of picking up a blower to move the air into the house. The room also has a ceiling fan. Whata you guys think???


google image search revealed something like this...

Love that fireplace. How old is the house?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[begreen]

Maybe. What is the stove height and what are the dimensions of your fireplace? Can you post a picture of the fireplace?

The stove will need a liner up the chimney. Is this in the budget?

 

[Lewisthepilgrim]

awesome sauce! Yes I plan on installing a nice 6'' stainless steel liner. The house is early 1800s I will post some more pics as we progress.

 

[2fireplacesinSC]

house from early 1800's? clearances will be the main issue I would imagine.

 

[FPX Dude]

Thats looks beautiful "as is", what do you want to change?

 

[weatherguy]

Thats looks beautiful "as is", what do you want to change?

That's not his, its something he found on google.

 

[RickBlaine]

+1 for stove in a fireplace. As mentioned, you will have to measure the run- compensating for any bends, have an insulated liner all the way up (I needed a short extension to get me above the minimum run), a block off plate with insulation such as Roxul covering it, and figure out if your fireplace is at an outside wall or is inside. There will be heat loss through the bricks- so you may want to insulate the fireplace housing.

I posted detailed measurements and pictures of my fireplace here and the brain trust was more than helpful in guiding me to the right stove and set up. Having the proper clearance between the stove and firebricks is important. My back wall curved slightly- so that there was less depth at the top of the fireplace than there was at the bottom. Still, my Englander NC-13 fits and warms my home.

If friends bring their pets over- they make a bee line to the front of the stove and don't move until their owners drag them out of the home under protest.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/dsc05571-jpg.131567/

 

[Ludlow]

That picture violates code. The first picture. Not yours Rick.

 

[kennyp2339]

I personally hate free standers in small fireplaces that an insert can easily be installed in, it just looks odd to me or not practical, especially if the stoves controls and blower controls are located in the rear of the unit, that being said I'm not totally opposed to it either, there are many members here that have done installs of free standers in fireplace that look absolutely amazing.
Its all about the outcome.
One of the most important things to do after all the safety things (like inspection, cleaning the old fire place and chimney, installing a insulated liner) is sealing, oak, and insulation, you want has much heat as possible from your stove running on a lower setting, so if the fireplace is masonry you want to seal the firebox area, build a block off plate and insulate above the place. Some people have also insulated the side walls of the fireplace, if your good with light metal work you can create a sandwitch of insulation and a metal plate painted black to keep the heat from being absorbed into the masonry, a lot of free standing stoves are heavy radiators, where as the majority of inserts are double jacketed and become convection machines.

 

[kennyp2339]

That picture violates code. The first picture. Not yours Rick.

Not 100% sure on that statement- side door loading looks to have the 16" of hearth needed, unsure about the floor requirements and the distance to the mantle though.

 

[Ludlow]

Not 100% sure on that statement- side door loading looks to have the 16" of hearth needed, unsure about the floor requirements and the distance to the mantle though.

What if they open the front doors?

 

[kennyp2339]

What if they open the front doors?

I'd just chalk that up to user error, kinda like cleaning out hot ashes into a cardboard box that is sitting on the carpet.
#happenedtomyuncle

 

[begreen]

awesome sauce! Yes I plan on installing a nice 6'' stainless steel liner. The house is early 1800s I will post some more pics as we progress.

In order to help it would be good to post a picture or two before you get started so folks here can spot issues you may have missed. Clearance are important to watch for example. Also, plan on installing an insulated block-off plate in the damper area to keep the most heat in the room and not up the chimney.

 

[Lewisthepilgrim]

question: Why INSULATED chimney liner??

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

question: Why INSULATED chimney liner??

Safety, to avoid creosote build up.

 

[jetsam]

question: Why INSULATED chimney liner??

Creosote condenses on surfaces under 250°F. An insulated liner stays warmer and gets less crud, especially if you plan to burn low.

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

Creosote condenses on surfaces under 250°F. An insulated liner stays warmer and gets less crud, especially if you plan to burn low.

What he said. And some more. I start to condense at 180F, guess what happens then.

 

[bholler]

Not 100% sure on that statement- side door loading looks to have the 16" of hearth needed, unsure about the floor requirements and the distance to the mantle though.

You still need the 16" in front it isnt just about stuff spilling out it also has to do with the radiant heat off the glass.

 

[Lewisthepilgrim]

The chimney is in the middle of the house. Will I be ok just insulating the the top of the chimney so cold air doesn't get into the flue around the liner?

 

[oconnor]

The chimney is in the middle of the house. Will I be ok just insulating the the top of the chimney so cold air doesn't get into the flue around the liner?

Best to insulate the entire length of the liner. The insulation does a couple things. Obviously it keeps the liner warmer, preventing creosote and therefore less cleaning and less risk of chimney fire.

The second thing it does is it breaks the radiant path of heat transfer to the surrounding materials. In an 1800s house, there is a good chance that something in the chimney isn't optimal anymore. Pretty common to have timbers adjacent to bricks. Not sure if you mentioned if it even has clay liners. Flue gas temps on the original fireplace were much cooler than today, so the risk of heat transfer through the bricks to combustibles was lower when the flue was built. When you add in age and likely flaws in clay, bricks and mortar, plus a steel pipe radiating heat at say 700*F into the surrounding brick, you can end up with combustibles being weakend or pyrolized, or worse.

Generally (but not always) you'll see something in the liner instructions discussing when insulation is needed. It's usually worded around needing insulation unless you can verify air gap clearances from the outside of the brick structure to combustibles.

 

[bholler]

The chimney is in the middle of the house. Will I be ok just insulating the the top of the chimney so cold air doesn't get into the flue around the liner?

Do you have the required 2" of clearance from the outside of the masonry structure of the chimney to any combustible materials? If not then you need to insulate the entire liner to meet code and protect your house from fire

 

[Lewisthepilgrim]

ok, so what is a good insulation blanket??