Beginner looking for insert recommendation

[superking_]

Hello all!

Newbie here looking for some insert recs. Been reading the forums fervently over the past few weeks. Getting a woodburner up and running has become something of an obsession.

House is an A-frame built in '69. Heat pump just doesn't cut it when it's really cold out. We had some $500 electric bills the first year. Smart thermostat and temps set around 65 helped, but we still saw some $300 bills this year, and our main floor was just too cold for us to enjoy. The house has a masonry fireplace with a hearthstove in front. Brand is treemont, label says it was tested in '86. Has 8" pipe out the back hooked up as a direct connect. Originally my plan was to just get the chimney swept and inspected and use the existing stove. I had several different sweeps come out to the house and none of them wanted to touch the thing, saying direct connect is no longer up to code in MD. One quoted me around $3900 to get an 8" liner all the way to the top and said for the same price he could install a new pellet insert and full liner. I'm not really too hot on pellet stoves, (too many parts to break and can't use it in a power outage) and I don't have $3900 laying around. So I'm hoping to go the diy route and save some money.

The house was listed as 886sqf when we bought it. Not sure where that number came from. When I measure it, it comes in at 1600 including the 2nd floor and the loft, or 1138 if you subtract the areas under 5ft in height, 1085 subtracting the loft. I'd like to be able to heat the whole house, but I would be ok if it just heats the 1st floor (875sqf). All the heat seems to rise upstairs anyway...

Chimney is approx 22-25 ft tall. Haven't been able to get up and measure flue tiles yet.

Fireplace measurements:
Hearth: 20.5". Surface is 5.25" above the floor.
Opening: 36"W X 28"H
Back Wall: 27"W
Depth: 23" on the floor, 20" at 28"H

Plan on installing a pre-insulated liner and block off plate. Roof is steep so my plan is to try and push it up from the bottom. Is that doable? Not sure how much flex an insulated liner has..

Considering a stove like century CW2900i. Would that be a good choice?
Other options? A stove with under 3gms emissions qualifies for a $500 grant from State of MD so that would be a plus but not necessarily a requirement.

Thanks in advance.

 

[begreen]

Century is SBI's value line. Not a bad choice if you're trying to keep the cost down. It'll want dry, fully seasoned wood to perform well.

 

[superking_]

Thanks, begreen.
Will that stove have any trouble heating 875 or even 1600sqf if I wanted it to heat my whole house?

 

[Rickb]

Keep in mind your going to want to clean and line that existing chimney regardless of what new stove/insert you get.

 

[superking_]

Rick,
Yes definitely. Once I move that old stove out, I plan on getting a sooteater and cleaning the chimney. Then I'm going to install an insulated liner, most likely 6" depending on the stove. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to cut the damper frame out of there. It measures 5.75" I am wanting to push the liner up from the bottom due to the steepness of the roof. Any idea how difficult that might be?

 

[begreen]

Thanks, begreen.
Will that stove have any trouble heating 875 or even 1600sqf if I wanted it to heat my whole house?

It should do the job ok. Being an A-frame, most of the heat will be felt on the second floor. A ceiling fan can help a bit with that.

 

[bholler]

Rick,
Yes definitely. Once I move that old stove out, I plan on getting a sooteater and cleaning the chimney. Then I'm going to install an insulated liner, most likely 6" depending on the stove. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to cut the damper frame out of there. It measures 5.75" I am wanting to push the liner up from the bottom due to the steepness of the roof. Any idea how difficult that might be?

It is pretty much impossible to push a liner up. You can pull it up or drop it down

 

[RobbieB]

You could get however many 2 foot sections of rigid needed. Stick each in at the bottom and insulate it then push it up and rivet on the next piece, rinse and repeat. Eventually you will have to get on the roof for the support and the cap though, but it will be there.

No, it's not possible to push a flex liner up from the bottom. It's hard enough to push one down from the top.

 

[bholler]

You could get however many 2 foot sections of rigid needed. Stick each in at the bottom and insulate it then push it up and rivet on the next piece, rinse and repeat. Eventually you will have to get on the roof for the support and the cap though, but it will be there.

No, it's not possible to push a flex liner up from the bottom. It's hard enough to push one down from the top.

No you would never make the bend through the damper into the flue with rigid pipe. It is not possible to push a liner up through a fireplace I am sorry I have been doing this a long time and talk with lots of guys all the time who have been doing it a lot longer than me you cant do it. You have to pull it up or drop it down.

 

[superking_]

Hey thanks for the input, guys. I kinda assumed I would have to do some pulling from the top. That just seemed a lot more feasible than hoisting the whole 23' length up on the roof and dropping it down. Thought about affixing a pulley at the top somehow and pulling it up through the flue that way.

 

[bholler]

Hey thanks for the input, guys. I kinda assumed I would have to do some pulling from the top. That just seemed a lot more feasible than hoisting the whole 23' length up on the roof and dropping it down. Thought about affixing a pulley at the top somehow and pulling it up through the flue that way.

Yes that is absolutly possible we use a hoist but many have pulled them by hand

 

[EatenByLimestone]

When I installed a long liner I rented a lift and let that do the lifting for me. It also gave me a level place to stand. Insulated liners aren't light.

 

[superking_]

Food for thought, eatenbylimestone. When I had a sweep out to the house, he said he was going to need a lift rental and because of where my power lines were located it needed to be one with a longer boom. I don't remember the price he quoted me for the lift, but it wasn't cheap. I'm trying to keep costs down if possible, but I may have to resort to a lift in the end. We shall see..

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Rick,
Yes definitely. Once I move that old stove out, I plan on getting a sooteater and cleaning the chimney. Then I'm going to install an insulated liner, most likely 6" depending on the stove. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to cut the damper frame out of there. It measures 5.75" I am wanting to push the liner up from the bottom due to the steepness of the roof. Any idea how difficult that might be?

I had the same thoughts last year, super. No dice pushing from the bottom as others have said. I too ended up renting the lift, never would have accomplished the install without it. Maybe scaffolding would have worked, too. About $400 to rent the lift.

If you are considering a century stove, check out the following website. I suspect it's SBI's direct web outlet, and how I bought mine (century, drolet, flame are very similar stoves, osburn is a step up, but maybe the same "engine" with upgraded options and finish). I went with one of the "trio" options that included the liner and attachments, only needed to buy the insulation separately. I would give the experience of dealing with the website 4 out of 4 stars.

(broken link removed to https://www.myfireplaceproducts.com/Catalog.aspx?Type=Stoves&SubType=STOVE&Cat=EBOIS&Lang=EN)

Good luck!

 

[Flame On]

Before you pump all that heat into your house with a stove you really should look into a fan to push the heat back down from the A. Second floors, or lofts, that are open to the first floor really suck up a lot of heat. I've spent many nights in an A frame loft in a pool of sweat.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[cableman]

My neighbor just ordered a drolet from this place, $1389 to his house. They make a smaller one too.
Cheapest place we could find with shipping.

(broken link removed to http://www.woodstovepro.com/store/Drolet-Escape-1800-I-EPA-Wood-Insert-DB03125-p29113.html)

 

[superking_]

(broken link removed to https://www.myfireplaceproducts.com/Catalog.aspx?Type=Stoves&SubType=STOVE&Cat=EBOIS&Lang=EN)

Good luck!

Thanks for the link, Ed. I will check it out.

Before you pump all that heat into your house with a stove you really should look into a fan to push the heat back down from the A. Second floors, or lofts, that are open to the first floor really suck up a lot of heat. I've spent many nights in an A frame loft in a pool of sweat.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Thanks, Flame On. I have ceiling fans on the first and 2nd floors. During the cold months, I block off the stairs to the loft with a piece of foam board. It's not perfect but it's better than nothing.

My neighbor just ordered a drolet from this place, $1389 to his house. They make a smaller one too.
Cheapest place we could find with shipping.

(broken link removed to http://www.woodstovepro.com/store/Drolet-Escape-1800-I-EPA-Wood-Insert-DB03125-p29113.html)

I will check this place out too. Thanks, cableman.