howdy

[mikeiss]

First of all great site! I am trying to learn as much as possible before buying stove and/or insert for supplemental heating. I am a son of a lifelong wood burner/cutter and ready to reduce the electric bill(yes i have a heat pump). The only problem is i don't know much about stoves and inserts.

I have the standard 4br 1972 2300sf colonial 2 story "fixerupper" home that unfortunately does not have an open floor plan and have decided that my fireplace is a waste of time and wood. The existing brick fireplace could handle a good sized insert which i believe may be step 1. If it works well i may stop here, if not on to steps 2-3 (changing order or adding steps may be necessary).

Step 2 may be a small/med stove in a large "cold" room at the opposite end of the house from the fireplace (but near the stairs leading up). Step 3 may be knocking down walls, adding/improving ductwork, fans, better insulating the attic, and whatever anyone else can come up with.

I don't plan on moving anytime soon so i am going to spend the next few years making the place more habitable and efficient. I am frugal and hate paying retail for anything and hopefully handy enough to do the install myself. However after reading a post or two from the "ELk somthing" guy, i don't want to compromise safety, and like almost anything in life i guess you get what you pay for.

questions will follow in the near future. I don't want to screw this up!

 

[begreen]

Welcome Mike. The best place to start is with a picture of the existing fireplace if you can post one. What is its height, width and depth? Also what size is the interior dimension of the flue? Is the fireplace on an interior or exterior wall?

It sounds like you are on to a good plan, though I might consider moving step 3 ahead of step 2. Opening up the house, if done well, will benefit you year round. How is the insulation in the "cold room" area of the house? How is it in general? Is there a basement or crawlspace?

 

[Jags]

First of all great site! I am trying to learn as much as possible before buying stove and/or insert for supplemental heating. I am a son of a lifelong wood burner/cutter and ready to reduce the electric bill(yes i have a heat pump). The only problem is i don't know much about stoves and inserts.

I have the standard 4br 1972 2300sf colonial 2 story "fixerupper" home that unfortunately does not have an open floor plan and have decided that my fireplace is a waste of time and wood. The existing brick fireplace could handle a good sized insert which i believe may be step 1. If it works well i may stop here, if not on to steps 2-3 (changing order or adding steps may be necessary).

Step 2 may be a small/med stove in a large "cold" room at the opposite end of the house from the fireplace (but near the stairs leading up). Step 3 may be knocking down walls, adding/improving ductwork, fans, better insulating the attic, and whatever anyone else can come up with.

I don't plan on moving anytime soon so i am going to spend the next few years making the place more habitable and efficient. I am frugal and hate paying retail for anything and hopefully handy enough to do the install myself. However after reading a post or two from the "ELk somthing" guy, i don't want to compromise safety, and like almost anything in life i guess you get what you pay for.

questions will follow in the near future. I don't want to screw this up!

Welcome to the greatest hearth based forum on the net. Pictures, pictures, pictures, thats a really good start. You will get many answers and ideas from here. Shake well, filter and consume them. Oh, and when it comes to code (and many other topics), you may just learn a thing or two from "Elk Something", so keep open eyeballs and ask away. Heck, if we don't know the answers we'll just lie to ya %-P

 

[MrGriz]

Welcome Mike . You've found a great source of information and a great bunch of people to help you. You are in the same place I was at this time last year. I asked a ton of questions and took some time digesting all the advice and new knowledge. After all the research, I felt that I could hit the local dealers and make a very well informed purchase.

I also chose to do my own installation (a whole new round of questions) and am confident that it was done correctly and most importantly safely.

If you can provide us with the information that BG and Jags asked for, I'm sure more good advice will follow.

 

[Gooserider]

Welcome, and sounds like you are on the right track, though I'd suggest that in addition to the insert (and probably a liner in the chimney), your best bet will be putting a LOT of work into draft sealing and weatherproofing the house, as that seems to offer the most payback for the least effort. I'd start by searching for past threads about that, as there is a wealth of info already posted on the subject. If you have further questions, or need specific advice, feel free to ask.

Another thing I'd suggest you need to start thinking about NOW if you want to be ready to burn this winter is getting in your fuel supply. Cordwood needs to be seasoned AT LEAST 6-9 months before burning, and longer is better, but you are getting tight on the time to stock up. Even getting cut & split should be done now because we've consistently found on the board that what the "wood guy" calls "seasoned" is what everyone here would call "soggy", not to mention that it's cheaper to buy your wood now than it will be in the season.

Of course, if you are going to process the wood yourself, don't forget to get your PPE gear FIRST... (Check out the "GEAR" forum for advice on that, plus more...)

Gooserider