Finding a new insert

[superdave5599]

It is a FireplaceX Large Flush NexGen-Hybrid Insert

Large Flush Wood Rectangular NexGen-Hybrid™ | Made in America | Fireplace Xtrordinair

www.fireplacex.com

As for more house details:
This will be on the main floor. The living room has vaulted ceilings that go all the way up to the second story.

The chimney is probably ~25ft from the top of the fireplace.

The appliances exhausting air will be the kitchen microwave, dryer, bathroom fans, radon system, the basement wood stove, and the main floor insert being discussed here.

The more I think about it, my windows are old enough to leak a bit of air and I don't see myself replacing them anytime soon.

I'm betting a fresh air intake on my HVAC system could probably handle the makeup air for the entire house.

Found this forum this morning after doing a little googling for a fireplace insert with a large window.

I like the look of this insert!

Annoying thing is I cannot find a price without having to contact the local store, and they are a little annoying... Anyone know the price range of this model?

Our house has two fireplaces, upstairs and downstairs. We installed a Regency insert downstairs almost 2 years ago and have been pretty happy with it overall. Haven't used the upstairs one at all, since the previous owners capped it off. (They did so after, one time having a fire going downstairs (with, at the time, essentially an open fireplace setup) and lighting a fire in the upstairs, and the draw that had, drew smoke out of the downstairs fireplace! So they glued some sheet metal over the top of the chimney and stopped using it.

We would like to be able to at least do some ambiance fires upstairs. I did peek down the chimney this weekend and the masonry looks good from that end, but I know open fireplaces are wildly inefficient and would prefer an insert. Wife is concerned that the view wouldn't be as nice and that is her main interest in the upstairs one.

Hence looking for an insert with a large viewing door. That this thing looks very efficient is a bonus.

 

[begreen]

I moved this to a new thread so that the specific requirements and answers are better addressed.

Guessing that the smoke issue is due to both chimney flues terminating at the same height. In order for the smoke from the upstairs fireplace to not be drawn into the lower fireplace, the upstair's flue termniation should be 12-18" higher than the basement's. This can be addressed when the new liner is put in for the insert.

Can you describe the floorplan? Is this room open to the rest of the floor or closed off by a doorway? How much area would this insert be heating or is it mostly for ambience fires?

There are a few options, all are efficient. The Lopi is a good choice. Also consider an Osburn Matrix. and the Regency i2700 insert?

 

[MRD1985]

I have the Drolet 1800i and it has a good viewing window. Heats well too.

 

[superdave5599]

I moved this to a new thread so that the specific requirements and answers are better addressed.

Guessing that the smoke issue is due to both chimney flues terminating at the same height. In order for the smoke from the upstairs fireplace to not be drawn into the lower fireplace, the upstair's flue termniation should be 12-18" higher than the basement's. This can be addressed when the new liner is put in for the insert.

Can you describe the floorplan? Is this room open to the rest of the floor or closed off by a doorway? How much area would this insert be heating or is it mostly for ambience fires?

There are a few options, all are efficient. The Lopi is a good choice. Also consider an Osburn Matrix. and the Regency i2700 insert?

Thanks.

From what I understood the sellers to say, when they started a fire upstairs, it was attempting to draw so much air, that it drew the air from the downstairs (then-open, and burning) fireplace, which meant it was pulling air down from the downstairs chimney, which pulled smoke from the downstairs fire into the room. I don't think it was specifically pulling smoke from the upstairs chimney, all the way down and through. But, no reason to not make the pipe be taller anyway.

The upstairs living room is larger than the downstairs, and is open to the dining area, with a doorway into the kitchen. Another doorway opposite the fireplace opens up the the entry area and the stairs leading to the second floor.

We put the first insert downstairs figuring, "heat rises" so it seemed to make sense at first, but when we did that, the only way for the heat to get up and out of that room was through the stairwell and it didn't spread through the house well. I eventually cut vents in the ducts that led to the upstairs living room ducts, so some heat could escape through there and from the downstairs living room, into the upstairs. Put one of those assistance fans over one of them, and that has helped a lot.

I suppose it could easily be used to heat the house, and/or for ambiance fires.

 

[begreen]

Siphoning of smoke from a main floor flue into the basement flue is a common issue. They make flue extenders just for this reason.