Post Chimney Fire Advice for a Newbie--did I get good advice and what are my next steps?

[blake]

Greetings--I'll try to keep the saga short and appreciate any advice you can provide.

I just bought a 40-year-old, 2400sf ranch in KC. Home inspector said original masonry fireplace and 13"x13" chimney was fine. On New Year's Day, we had a chimney fire (complete with roaring train/jet sounds! woohoo!), so obviously all was NOT fine! Fortunately, we had 3 fire extinguishers in the house and all was over quickly.

Two chimney guys have told me the tiles are toast and that I must reline. Chimney Guy #1 suggested steel, Guy #2 suggested steel or Thermocrete (any experiences?).

Guy #2 also said for about the same $$ as relining, I could get a wood or pellet insert and its accompanying vent liner, thus fixing the toasted tile problem with its lining system *and* boost my efficiency by about a zillion-fold.

Question 1: Have I gotten straight-up advice so far, IYO?

Question 2: Being in Kansas City, is there a geographic advantage to wood vs. pellets? (i.e. after reading this forum all day, pellets seem more popular in New England than elsewhere)

Question 3: Will a wood insert be a better option than a pellet insert in terms of resale value of the house? (are pellets too "weird"/not mainstream enough for prospective buyers?)

Question 4: Should I only consider pellets if I want to heat my home full-time? (Electricity here is MUCH cheaper than either pellets or wood would be, so heating all the time with either wouldn't make sense. Electricity will always be the #1 heat source.) Or differently phrased, should I not consider pellets and go with wood if what i really want is an occasional fire for the ambiance and some additional warmth on a blustery day? Either way, I don't envision whichever type of insert I end up with to be running 24/7. Does that make sense?

Anything else I should be on the lookout for?

Many, many thanks.
Blake.

 

[jtp10181]

You have gotten good advice. If you went to keep the open fireplace either a SS liner or a poured line would probably be needed.

From you said, I would not go with pellet, you will not use it much and be disappointed.

I would go for a wood insert with a full insulated liner up to the top. You can still see the fire well, and not only will it look great but you will get some real heat out of the wood you burn.

 

[webbie]

Wood is going to provide you a much better looking flame and fire.....and, yes, it sounds like you are on the right track with the advice - if everyone got such good advice, we'd be out of business (here).

 

[annette]

Guy #2 also said for about the same $$ as relining, I could get a wood or pellet insert and its accompanying vent liner, thus fixing the toasted tile problem with its lining system *and* boost my efficiency by about a zillion-fold.

I'm just wondering, why is it that lining it for a wood insert would cost a lot less than just relining it? Would something other than 6" flex be used to reline it for open fireplace use? Does it have to be that rectangular flex stuff?

Oh, and I, too, think you'd enjoy a wood insert more than a pellet insert.