Fireplace insert worth it?

Hello,

We've got a nice fireplace that we love to use. Unfortunately (and particularly since we don't have any glass doors in front of it), we know it sucks out more hot air than it provides to our house. And, with the price of heating oil, I've gotten concerned.

So, I'm considering having a wood stove insert installed (for around $3000).

My big question is, do people that have one think it's worth it? Does the heat really move around the house, or do we have to install corner fans everywhere?

Are there better alternatives?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Steve

 

This is going to be a little dated because when I retired from the service we moved back home to sunny Fla, but where we were stationed in NC we installed an insert and it worked very well.

Couple of comments. We had no problem with firewood supply being in the middle of a national forest where we could collect firewood as long as the tree was already on the ground. We always burned hardwood.

Your wood needs to be DRY, or seasoned as they say. At least a year of sitting in a dry location isn't excessive before burning it.

Condition of the chimney is important.

We had a three bedroom ranch with the fireplace in end of the living space (back of chimney and clean-out door was in the garage) and the bedrroms were in the other end of the house. Yes, the bedrooms tended to be a little cool so blankets were the order of the day for sleeping.

CO alarm is a really good idea.

We had a pretty basic insert and installed it in 1987 I think; inserts and stoves nowadays are much better engineered. I think we paid $800 for ours and it came from either Sears or Lowe's, can't remember which.

Having said all that, we saved a ton of money. Probably $200 a month during the heating season plus any time the power was out (electric heat and air), we still had heat, albeit without the forced-air fan.

 

We had a nice fireplace too, but realized all the heat was going up the chimney, I talked with a friend who was in the business, (then got me into it, but have since moved on) and he suggested a wood insert.

It's now the only way I heat my house. I have all electric baseboard in my house, and I didn't want to give the electric company anymore of my money than I had to.

WE love this insert. they lined the chimney with a stainless steel liner, put a cement/insulation mixture down the chimney to secure it, it's called Thermix. having it done this way meets NFPA 211 Fire Code.

I'm actually getting a woodstove installed the same way next week for the basement.

any questions. contact me..see ya

 

Thanks for the advice! Will get one this week.

Steve

 

Touching on one of my points, you have ready access to plentiful feul for it at a reasonable price? We used to burn about a cord and a half a season, I think, but I cut my own so the only cost was my time and fuel for the chain saw.

 

Hi, my sister and I own a house together and when we renovated the livingroom 3 yrs. ago we raised the ceiling from 8ft. high to 13ft. high. Of course now that oil is over $4/gallon we're thinking that this probably was not one of our best decisions. Anyway, we do have a fireplace but it does not have an insert which basically deems itself useless, it's very pretty but useless. I'm just wondering where you got your insert and who did the steel liner and Thermix. Also what is it going to cost you to have a woodstove installed in your basement? Also if you could give me a ballpark figure on the insert and Thermix. Thanks so much!!

 

I got my insert from a dealer here in Maryland, who just happens to be a friend., his subcontractor did the installation. If you want a really GREAT insert, either go with Regency, or Quadra-Fire.

To do the insert and the free standing wood stove, it was about $4000 each. Sounds like a lot of money, but well worth it.

The liner is $28 per foot.

Thermix is $50 per bag

Of course it depends how long of a run you have for the liner, and then that dictates how many bags of thermix you'll need.

Please, please, please, if you decide to go with the insert, get a blower on it. for the last 2 years, this is the only way I heated my house, which is 6 bedrooms and 3 baths. a pretty good size rancher.

My other suggestion is to get ceiling fans, they will blow the heat down from the ceiling and into other rooms. any other questions, just ask.

Nice talking to all of you. Chuck

 

Thanks for the advice. I'm getting a Jotul 550 I believe. Sounds like we have to get a mantel heat shield installed too, since it's not high enough.

It will definitely have a blower.

Thanks again!

Steve

 

Thanks so much for advise. I had a friend over and he had a look at the fireplace in the livingroom and he said that if I just closed the glass doors to the fireplace that it would suffice as to not letting the warm air up the chimmeny. He had an insert that he was going to sell to me for $400 but he said that I did not need an insert with the way my fireplace worked. I just have to make sure that the vents on the doors are kept clean. I also just replaced all of my windows this summer so that should also help with insulating the house. What do you think?

 

Hi, I was also considering getting an insert for my fireplace but have since learned that the doors on the fireplace(as long as they are closed) will suffice. You could probably get an insert for about $1500 or go to Ebay. Ebay has some for sale but you most likely have to live in the area that it is being sold because you'll have to go and pick it up. The insert is very heavy and it would cost a fortune to ship it.
Good Luck!

 

I bought a Buck stove/ insert, chimmney liner and installed for around $3000 here in NW. Ohio. The stove could either be free standing or a insert. I am using it as a insert and with the blower it puts out alot of heat. My only complaint is that I live in a tri level home with the insert downstairs. It is hard to move the heat out of the family room even with a small fan blowing toward upstairs. But before the insert I would have a roaring fire in the fireplace and get no heat from it. I also have a free standing wood burner upstairs which will heat the mid level and up stairs but then it is cold down. Its too much of a pain to keep them both going.