# Wood stove in front of existing fireplace?



## Seegull (Mar 26, 2015)

Hello, first post and had a rather noob question.

We are getting into a house that is about 1200sq ft with an existing standard fireplace.  I'd like to heat primarily with wood in the winters.

Can you put an efficient wood stove inside or just outside the fireplace and run the piping up the chimney?

Is there a low profile stove or brand that works better for this type of setup?

I have seen the regency fireplace inserts with half a woodstove sticking out but they seem to run fans in electricity - not wanting that.

Thanks in advance.


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## Jan Pijpelink (Mar 26, 2015)

Yes, that is possible and often done. I am sure other members can advice you on brands; I have bought a used stove to put in our fireplace.
Before searching for a stove, I suggest to have the chimney cleaned and inspected by a pro and install a stainless steel liner (insulated).


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## bholler (Mar 26, 2015)

Yes many stoves will work for what you want a rear vent would be the easiest but regardless a blower will help you circulate heat off the stove regardless of whether it is a stove or an insert.  There are also some shorter top vent stoves that can be slid all of the way into the firebox if your fireplace is large enough but in my opinion if you are going to do that you might as well get an insert they get the heat out of the firebox better in that situation.  If you post the dimensions of your fire box there are lots of guys here that can give you more details recomendations


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## TheRambler (Mar 26, 2015)

Also a picture of your fireplace and whats in front of it in addition to the dimensions would help get you the best advice.


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## Seegull (Mar 26, 2015)

Thanks Jan - was the stainless liner pricey?  Your setup looks great, nice and clean.

Thanks bholler

We aren't in the house yet, just doing some initial groundwork.  Once we are in the house I can post Picts and dimensions.

Fireplace looks similar to Jan's but wider with a brick step in front.


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## TheRambler (Mar 26, 2015)

I have mine sitting just outside the fireplace. As ling as your floor meets the required r value or you build a hearth to suit you can go this route.


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## Jan Pijpelink (Mar 26, 2015)

Seegull said:


> Thanks Jan - was the stainless liner pricey?  Your setup looks great, nice and clean.
> 
> Thanks bholler
> 
> ...



Stainless liner price depends on the height of the chimney and the model you choose. They are available single wall, double wall, pre-insulated and rigid.
Check woodlanddirect.com and chimneydirect.com for pricing. Many more websites can give you price and quality info.


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## bholler (Mar 26, 2015)

dont get the double wall crap if you want smooth wall get rigid or heavy wall flex the double wall stuff sucks in my opinion.  And no matter what liner you choose insulate it you will not regret spending the little bit extra


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## begreen (Mar 26, 2015)

Seegull said:


> Hello, first post and had a rather noob question.
> 
> We are getting into a house that is about 1200sq ft with an existing standard fireplace.  I'd like to heat primarily with wood in the winters.
> 
> Can you put an efficient wood stove inside or just outside the fireplace and run the piping up the chimney?


Maybe. It depends on the fireplace dimensions. If the lintel is low this can be challenging. Can you post a picture of the fireplace and also post the fireplace opening dimensions?


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## Seegull (Mar 26, 2015)

Thanks begreen, I will post the dimensions once we get in the house.  I'm just doing research right now looking at options.


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## Stelcom66 (Mar 26, 2015)

Mine as seen here is in front of the fireplace. It works well, my house is also around 1200 sq ft. It's a Vermont Castings Dutchwest - it can have a top or rear vent. In my case a rear vent was essential. It just made it, if the pipe was another inch higher it would not have fit under the fireplace.


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## Woody Stover (Mar 26, 2015)

My fireplace opening is 10 bricks high (about 28.75" to the lintel) and the Woodstock Keystone (or Fireview) can sit out on the hearth and rear-vent into a tee which is connected to the bottom of the liner. The rear-exit flue centerline of both is 22.75". With those stoves, which are mainly radiant, more heat is felt when they sit outside the fireplace opening. Depending on how tight and well-insulated the house is, even the Keystone might handle it. Those are catalytic combustor stoves, not sure if you have decided weather you want that type or a tube stove.
I'll go ahead and ask....Have you got dry wood? Any type of modern stove is going to need dry wood or it won't put out the heat you need. This heating season is about done, so focus on getting fast-drying species of wood split and stacked now; There's plenty of time to get a stove but not much time at all to get wood dry enough, even wood from a seller that claims it is "seasoned," but is most likely wet.  Don't get Oak, you don't have that kind of time. Wood cut to 16" will fit in about any stove that will heat 1200 sq.ft.


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## claydogg84 (Mar 26, 2015)

This is my Jotul Oslo. I have no need for a fan with this setup - The stove radiates nicely.


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## Excavator (Mar 26, 2015)

Very popular installation and works great. When I did my liner install, I had to cut out the damper frame and then chip out few fire brick to allow room for easy liner drop in. I love this setup.


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## newatthis (Mar 26, 2015)

Our Oslo is parked in front of our fireplace, and as said above, it was a very easy install, dropping a liner straight down, with a horizontal attachment to the liner.  The avatar to the left doesn't show it very well, but here's a link to the mantle shield project, which shows it from several angles.  (If there's a mantle that sticks out, you'll need to shield it from the heat)

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/removable-mantle-shield-project-done.141703/#post-1909708


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## hamsey (Mar 27, 2015)

Here's ours: 
	

		
			
		

		
	



Started out with an insert but ended up freestanding stove. We are going to install a blower to get faster heat in the coldest time of winter.

We have a hearth board in front of the stove to meet all clearances but removed it for the photo.


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## Rearscreen (Mar 27, 2015)

My fireplace opening is 26.25 inches high and the Progress with the short legs fits nicely with a similar set up as Excavators. The Progress may be a bit too much for 1200 sf.


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## weatherguy (Mar 27, 2015)

I had an insert and this year I went with the Progress Hybrid on the hearth, like it much better, all the Woodstocks rear vent, some Hearthstones, Jotul, can't think of any more off the top of my head but once you give us the info you can narrow down your list.


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## Seegull (Mar 27, 2015)

Thanks for all the info everyone, lots to think about.

If for some reason we needed to go with an insert, are there models that do not run fans?  Electricity? 

I certainly do not want to go with an insert but if it's the only option it beats an open fireplace in efficiency.


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## begreen (Mar 27, 2015)

It depends on the insert design, but in general terms the more the insert projects out onto the hearth, the better it is likely to heat without the blower running. PE and Lopi inserts do well in this regard.


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## bholler (Mar 27, 2015)

Seegull said:


> Thanks for all the info everyone, lots to think about.
> If for some reason we needed to go with an insert, are there models that do not run fans? Electricity?
> I certainly do not want to go with an insert but if it's the only option it beats an open fireplace in efficiency.


They will all work fine with out the fans going but you will not get nearly as much heat off of them with out the fan.  But if you are worried about not being able to use an insert if the power goes out it is not an issue.  Many freestanders work much better with a fan running on them as well.  All that being said a freestander in front of the fire box will generally give you more heat in the room than an insert


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## Dix (Mar 27, 2015)

A fan on an insert does not use that much electricity. I have noticed no change in my electric bill with the fan running on the PE (which I adore). It's basically the same as leaving a light bulb burning. Costs are minimal.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Mar 28, 2015)

O


Seegull said:


> Thanks for all the info everyone, lots to think about.
> 
> If for some reason we needed to go with an insert, are there models that do not run fans?  Electricity?
> 
> I certainly do not want to go with an insert but if it's the only option it beats an open fireplace in efficiency.




why do you not want to run a fan if you get an insert? It would be a great mistake to buy an insert without a fan. The fan is what heats the room. Inserts are space heaters so be sure to know how much space you want and need to heat before buying or you could end up being sorry. Always go bigger with an insert and always burn dry wood under 20% MC in order to get good results..... Good luck and keep learning....


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## claydogg84 (Mar 28, 2015)

Ram 1500 with an axe... said:


> O
> 
> 
> 
> why do you not want to run a fan if you get an insert? It would be a great mistake to buy an insert without a fan. The fan is what heats the room. Inserts are space heaters so be sure to know how much space you want and need to heat before buying or you could end up being sorry. Always go bigger with an insert and always burn dry wood under 20% MC in order to get good results..... Good luck and keep learning....



I believe he simply doesn't want an insert and is asking whether any inserts are strictly radient. My guess would be no. Inserts are not a bad thing, but will absolutely require the fan to efficiently heat a space. I love the radient heat from my Oslo - No other heat source compares, at least in my opinion.


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## begreen (Mar 28, 2015)

Some inserts are more radiant than others. The Regency Hearth Heater being an example.


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## Seegull (Mar 28, 2015)

bholler said:


> They will all work fine with out the fans going but you will not get nearly as much heat off of them with out the fan.  But if you are worried about not being able to use an insert if the power goes out it is not an issue.  Many freestanders work much better with a fan running on them as well.  All that being said a freestander in front of the fire box will generally give you more heat in the room than an insert





Ram 1500 with an axe... said:


> O
> 
> 
> 
> why do you not want to run a fan if you get an insert? It would be a great mistake to buy an insert without a fan. The fan is what heats the room. Inserts are space heaters so be sure to know how much space you want and need to heat before buying or you could end up being sorry. Always go bigger with an insert and always burn dry wood under 20% MC in order to get good results..... Good luck and keep learning....



Thanks.  I was just curious about inserts and radiant heat.  We lose power a lot here in the winter which is one of the reasons I want to heat with wood. Not saying I wouldn't install the fan, but wouldn't want to have to rely on it in a power outage.

Looks like the Lopi & regency stick out of the hearth more.  I will look at those locally as well as standalone woodstove for the front.


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## Excavator (Mar 28, 2015)

I don't have or use a fan with my stove but might try one for fun of it one of these days


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## Stelcom66 (Mar 28, 2015)

The fan pictured here is 12vdc, I run it with 6v if when it's very cold and the stove has been running for a while. The reduced voltage is enough to get the air moving, and the
fan runs quietly. Looks primitive, but it's effective. As mentioned in this thread, the black shield reduces some heat to the mantel.


.


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## gyrfalcon (Mar 28, 2015)

Ram 1500 with an axe... said:


> O
> 
> why do you not want to run a fan if you get an insert?.



Jeez.  Maybe he wants to be sure he has heat if the power goes out.  Maybe he doesn't want the noise of the fan in an otherwise silent operation.  I wouldn't want a blower if you paid me-- for both of those reasons.  Each to his own, but to me, running an electric blower is completely contradictory to the whole esthetic of wood-burning.  My house is so quiet with the wood stove, I get irritated when the freezer motor in the kitchen goes on.


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## Jo191145 (Mar 29, 2015)

gyrfalcon said:


> Jeez.  Maybe he wants to be sure he has heat if the power goes out.  Maybe he doesn't want the noise of the fan in an otherwise silent operation.  I wouldn't want a blower if you paid me-- for both of those reasons.  Each to his own, but to me, running an electric blower is completely contradictory to the whole esthetic of wood-burning.  My house is so quiet with the wood stove, I get irritated when the freezer motor in the kitchen goes on.



Sitting here on the couch on a lazy Sunday afternoon next to the soapstone. As I'm reading your post I hear the refrigerator kick on. A new quite one nonetheless.
Do you realize thanks to you from now on that's going to annoy me


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## gyrfalcon (Mar 29, 2015)

Jo191145 said:


> Sitting here on the couch on a lazy Sunday afternoon next to the soapstone. As I'm reading your post I hear the refrigerator kick on. A new quite one nonetheless.
> Do you realize thanks to you from now on that's going to annoy me


Literally laughing out loud.  Jo, I'm SO sorry!


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## Stelcom66 (Mar 29, 2015)

Excavator said:


> I don't have or use a fan with my stove but might try one for fun of it one of these days



Saw the close up of your stove (Excavator) in a previous post - never would have guessed it was a Vermont Castings like mine. I've never seen one that color,
Looks good!

I usually don't need to run the fan, when I do it is quiet since I'm running it on half the voltage. I happened to have it on hand, so as you said I tried it for the fun 
of it. It's raised above the stove with aluminum foil underneath to keep it from overheating when not in use.


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## FTG-05 (Mar 29, 2015)

Yes!

before:







After:







Good luck!


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## Woody Stover (Mar 31, 2015)

Stelcom66 said:


> The fan pictured here is 12vdc, I run it with 6v if when it's very cold and the stove has been running for a while. The reduced voltage is enough to get the air moving, and the
> fan runs quietly. Looks primitive, but it's effective.


I've got the two-speed blower for my 2460. It's not as quiet as I'd like but I need it for that stove to heat the place to 70 when it gets cold out (mid-teens at night.) It wasn't cheap either, but pulls a lot of heat off the stove.


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## Stelcom66 (Mar 31, 2015)

Woody Stover said:


> I've got the two-speed blower for my 2460



Having 2 speeds must be nice. This evening with the temp around 34 the fan wasn't necessary. 2 weeks ago tonight had no fan option - a pine tree down the street fell onto the electrical wires. The power was out until the next morning. Sure appreciated the stove, got close to 20 overnight and was able to use it to heat up a meal.


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