Year of firsts

[BigJake]

Hey all,

I am a recent joiner though I have been reading the forums for a while. I was looking for either advice or a little encouragement in a wood stove insert purchase. I have had a few firsts this year bought my first house and the little woman just had our first son. Our new house has a high efficiency furnace but I would like to use a wood insert either as supplemental or full duty of heating in the winter. I understand that it would be a wash cost wise if I was buying wood but since I can get it for free it should be a nice benefit.

I have attached a picture of our floor plan to our 1800 sqft house and want to mention that even though the windows are about 5 years old she's an older drafty house. We recently went to a local shop to look at stoves around 2-3k price range and the owner tried to talk us into a regency 2400i saying it was more then adequate for the house. I was wondering what you guys think, I have done some research and I am actually thinking more of an osburn 2400 for more btu's and the larger fire box so I can not worry about it going out while at work.

Think I started to ramble. Like I said kind of a bigger investment for the family and want to make sure I'm getting something big enough for our house and layout. If you also have another suggestion please say so I can look it up. Thank you all in advance. Also forgot I'm located in Michigan so winters spring and fall can be cold and we are able to see stints of sub 0 temps.

 

[rideau]

Can you post some information about your fireplace opening (width and height) and your hearth? It looks like you have room for a woodstove, and I'd surely be aiming for that with your house layout. I think you'd get much more heat into the home. You're going to want to use a small fan or two on the floor to help move air around, for sure. I'd be considering a Woodstock Fireview in your situation. They are on sale now at a good price...around $2000, I think. The install wouldn't run you a total of much over $3000, I'd think. It would heat your home. It's easy to use and beautiful, and really maintenance free, and produces very comfortable heat. Take a look at their webside. You would need about a 25 inch high fireplace opening, I think, and a hearth pad extending 8 inches in front of the glass on the stove front.

There are many other stoves out there that would also suit your needs, but the soapstone stove is beautiful and efficient and easy to operate, and the radiant heat off it just feels so comfortable - like sunlight. Also has a slight added safety factor, in that if you touch the soapstone by mistake, you don't get a burn, unless you hold your hand on it.

I'd really go for a stove, so you have that heated mass sitting out in the home instead of back in an exterior chimney.

 

[BigJake]

I'm at about 30 high by 40 wide 18 deep going from memory, currently slow day at work. I wouldn't mind a stove if it wasn't for 2 issues 1st is that the hearth is raised about a foot and a half off the ground and only 16 inches out so I will have to add tile to the floor to keep it in code 2nd the wife said no to the stove due to losing a little real estate and she doesn't like the look of a stove sitting in front of a cave in the wall as she calls it. I thank you for the suggestion though it is a good looking unit. Hopefully I can find a good insert with some deals like that on them for the end of the season

 

[Nick Mystic]

My fireplace and hearth set up is similar to yours, except my hearth is only up 8" rather than 18". My extension is 17". Here are a couple photos you can show your wife:





Show her the one above with my happy wife enjoying the warm of the stove!

 

[rideau]

The Fireview is 20 inches deep, so on your hearth it could be placed so only a few inches (5 or so) were in the chimney. You would not need to do anything further to the hearth, as the distance above the floor can be used as your required front clearance. It would look very much like the install in the above pictue.