I should've asked this question from the get-go: Which would be more effective (efficient) as far as heating effectiveness and wood burned: a wood-burning insert in an existing fireflace, or a free-standing wood stove in an adjacent room with a ~70,000 BTU/hr max output?
wood stove vs insert?
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Freestanding stove is more efficient.
My insert does fine, however.
Oh- you mean to heat a room from the next room? Well, in heating the house- we'd need to see where the insert would be and the freestander would be in relation to the floorplan.
My insert does fine, however.
Oh- you mean to heat a room from the next room? Well, in heating the house- we'd need to see where the insert would be and the freestander would be in relation to the floorplan.
If it's the room where your existing fireplace is located that you're most interested in heating, then you'd probably want to keep the heat source in there. These are space heaters, regardless of "flavor". Perhaps a hearth stove (better heating than an insert), or a freestanding on the hearth in front of the fireplace (better heating than a hearth stove). Our freestanding sits on a redesigned hearth in front of a decommissioned & bricked in old open fireplace. Works like a champ. Rick
I should've clarified:
I'm talking as a 80% primary heat source (I gotta figure 20% for the back bedrooms will be space heaters if nothing else), whether installing an insert in the existing fireplace in my ranch, or whether installing a free-standing stove in an adjacent room (previously referred to as the "cold room") would be the most effective.
My gut tells me the freestanding, even though it's more remote.
I'm talking as a 80% primary heat source (I gotta figure 20% for the back bedrooms will be space heaters if nothing else), whether installing an insert in the existing fireplace in my ranch, or whether installing a free-standing stove in an adjacent room (previously referred to as the "cold room") would be the most effective.
My gut tells me the freestanding, even though it's more remote.
I guess that I'm not sure what is meant by "remote". The middle of an open-floorplan downstairs is the most efficient place. A freestander is the more efficient stove. If you mean that this room is "disconnected", or through a doorway and sort of off to the side of the general floorplan, then you would have to look at fans for heat movement.
An insert can still deliver a lot of heat, and I don't think that the efficiency loss will be more than the efficiency loss of heating from an isolated room with a freestanding stove (again- a floorplan would shed more light on this)- especially if you're now heating a room more than you used to.
Also consider a hearth stove- fits into a fireplace, but has space around it and sticks out some to give a more freestanding-stove like efficiency (sheesh- I'm saying this a lot today). You may need some modification of the hearth, depending on clearance.
An insert can still deliver a lot of heat, and I don't think that the efficiency loss will be more than the efficiency loss of heating from an isolated room with a freestanding stove (again- a floorplan would shed more light on this)- especially if you're now heating a room more than you used to.
Also consider a hearth stove- fits into a fireplace, but has space around it and sticks out some to give a more freestanding-stove like efficiency (sheesh- I'm saying this a lot today). You may need some modification of the hearth, depending on clearance.
There is also the option for some people of putting a freestanding stove in the fireplace. If the fireplace is big enough, it is a good compromise for some.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/13541/
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/3092/
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/13541/
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/3092/
More clarifications:
I apologize, I keep thinking I'm in the same discussion as a previous post of mine; my house is a basic 1600 sq ft ranch (approx), with a 250 sq ft addition built on one end, to make the floorplan form an "L".
The existing fireplace is on one original end, and the addition is attached via 2 big french doors, and another regular door to the kitchen.
So the "remote" location I refer to is the corner where the period would be if I ended this sentence with an L.
Heat would have to radiate thru the french doors and the regular door to the kitchen.
I apologize, I keep thinking I'm in the same discussion as a previous post of mine; my house is a basic 1600 sq ft ranch (approx), with a 250 sq ft addition built on one end, to make the floorplan form an "L".
The existing fireplace is on one original end, and the addition is attached via 2 big french doors, and another regular door to the kitchen.
So the "remote" location I refer to is the corner where the period would be if I ended this sentence with an L.
Heat would have to radiate thru the french doors and the regular door to the kitchen.
Where is the fireplace located, at the top of the L? If a central location is not ideal then I guess I'd probably place the stove where the family spends the most time. A well placed fan or two will assist heat flow assuming that doors are left open when heating with wood.
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