Installation and operation of an insert?

[tiber]

Thanks for all the helpful replies, I can actually form educated questions now.

My wife is hell bent on being able to run the fireplace as a fireplace. Which means I need to find an insert which appears to be a fireplace. One thing I haven't seen researching the inserts: One with removable doors. I know about the creosote concerns - think it'll cause problems? Anyone know of a model which can run with the front door off so I can compromise with my wife?

Also might scratch the itch - can I remove the insert myself (I realize they're heavy as sin) and leave whatever union hardware would be in place and run it as an open fireplace when we don't need the heat? Is there an insert which can be pulled out when the wife wants a fire but we don't need the heat?

One of the guys at work has a vermont castings hearth and he says it's great. Plus they have local representation in the area.

Whats anyone's opinions on the Dutchwest ((broken link removed to http://www.vermontcastings.com/content/products/productdetails.cfm?id=325)) or the Montpelier ((broken link removed to http://www.vermontcastings.com/content/products/productdetails.cfm?id=414))?

Thanks,
Josh

 

[slayer7]

Well, this is my first year with the insert so I'll offer you some advice from my limited knowledge. We used to love running the fireplace...the ambiance and the warmth it gave off in a 10 foot radius was great. After about an hour though the rest of the house was stone cold frozen and the fireplace would continue sucking any warm air out the house leaving only the warm spot right in front of it while chewing through wood like an eager beaver. Not to mention intermittent smoke puffs in the room. After the record oil prices I thought we could do better and offset the heating bill with some efficient wood heat. I was somewhat reluctant to get an insert because of the same reasons you state above about missing the fireplace ambiance and whatnot. Well, we are actually very happy with the insert. The glass door still offers the fire ambiance and now the thing is actually capable of heating about 2/3 of my house toasty warm. (I'm still working on air distribution via small fans to get it even better.) I seriously wouldn't dream of going back to the open fireplace now that I've seen how much heat (= money) was lost up that thing. In your dilemna I don't see how you would take any modern effiecient EPA or cat style insert and run it with the doors off. They are designed for the air input to be controlled. As far as moving it in and out of the fireplace, knowing how heavy mine was and how much trouble it was to get positioned correctly, I don't see how it would be practical to move a 4 or 500 pound metal box into your living space temporarily to run an inefficient fire and then try to move it back. In addition, you would have to keep messing with the liner connections and also the fireplace will most likely not draft properly anymore with a stove liner in place. Basically, it's just a monumental hassle to try and have an ocassional inefficient fire. I guarantee you'll love the insert once you get it running...my .02.

 

[tiber]

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't going to move it for a single fire - I was trying to say I would run it for the burning season, then remove it for the warmer times.

Maybe I should start mailing pictures to my wife of fireplace inserts...

 

[bren582]

I'm a DIYer and I'm about to install the my second insert, Both Hearthstone Clydesdale's, and I can tell you I would never in my wildest dreams contemplate moving these beasts in and out on the masonry fireplace. There is nothing portable about them. The Clyde weighs it at 550lbs+ give or take a few.

I went with the Clydesdale for some of your same reasons, It has the largest window in the industry. about the closest you will get to an open fire. You can burn the Clydesdale and other stoves with the door open. They even sell a screen for doing it but you will loose much of the efficiency when doing so and definately don't run the blower with the door open..

I have burned with the door open a few times over the past year just for the heck of it and found I would rather have the door closed for efficiency and the secondary combustion that goes along with it as its a light show that you will never get with an open fire.

If you can find a stove shop with a demo actually burning you may be able to sway the wife on it witha preview..

 

[afblue]

It took me a while to sell my wife on the whole fireplace insert and in her words it "not looking like a square TV stuck in the hole". We ended up deciding on a Quadrafire 5100i, but we did first look at Pacific Energy, and they did have a door screen so you could operate with the door open, just not sure if you can actually take the door off. I am a noobie and dont have much experience with the new EPA inserts (pending the install of ours in a few weeks. But from what I have heard everyone say here, is they thought they would loose the ambiance of the fireplace by putting in an insert, but with todays EPA stoves with large glass doors the fire show has a majestic looks to it how it dances across the ceiling of the insert. Once its installed you will marvel in the efficiency of the heat, cleanliness, and the fire has a different and amazing look to it, you will never bother to "remove" it. Also if you read deep into most insert manuals they state that it should be considered a permenent install. Plus even with the firebrick removed, they are a beast and you run the risk of damaging something everytime you move it in and out.

 

[afblue]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzSiQ3dkgiw&feature=related

Here might be a Youtube video that will sell her against ever burning in a normal fireplace. An EPA wood insert will burn as well as that stove, and open fireplace will burn worse than that conventional stove.

 

[allhandsworking]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW6bgkRrelM