I need help in choosing the right stove/fireplace for new construction.

[shop girl]

Hi guys, Been surfing for days and getting more confused as I go along. Need some advice and help in choosing the right supplimental stove/fireplace for our new construction home. 34oo sq ft. will have train electrical heat pumps but want to have fireplace hearth area in den to suppliment. Will start at the beginning. foune vermont castings and decided on winter warm but found out it is only an inssert and pricy about 3000 plus 1200 for venting not including installation. went to the sequoia zero clerance fireplace and it was priced out at close to 5000 not including install. read on the web about the sequoia recall and shied away from it. now looking at a regency R 90 zero bla bla fireplace but am finding really hard to get an installer in va that has put one in. lots of vent and am weary of it although it looks great. have been going around looking for just a wood stove with non catyliic and air wash system with larg door. cant seem to find who makes the best. ruled out vermont castings because of price and warping and bad reccomendations. Is there anyone out here in cyber land who can help??? thanks Sandy

 

[nshif]

Do you want a free standing woodstove or an insert? How much of that 3000' are you trying to suppliment? What kind of budget are you trying to stay in? How big is the den?

 

[begreen]

That would be VA, in the fine print

 

[begreen]

Sandy, it's a bit hard to decipher what is the main objective here. Heat or ambience or both?

I'm going to assume you want to build in an insert. Here are a couple less expensive options to consider:
Consolidated DutchWest 2500.
(broken link removed to http://www.vermontcastings.com/content/products/productdetails.cfm?id=325)
Napoleon 1401
(broken link removed to http://www.napoleonfireplaces.com/Webshare/wood/wood%20inserts/1401.html)

 

[shop girl]

This is new construction so it will have to be either a zero clearance fireplace or a fre standing wood stove. The mc mansion is in South Eastern VA . the greatroom (den) is about 420 square feet with nine foot ceilings and an open floor plan to adjoining rooms. the coldest eps are between 15 and 20 above 0. We really liked the masonary fireplace in our home now and enjoy the ambience as well as dampering it down for a really great heat advantage. We want to have this in our new house but dont want the cost of a brick chimney and fireplace. The builder will put in hearth and chase and mantle if we go with zero clearance. The budget is flexable and we are willing to invest in a unit that is functional and asthetically pleasing. We know about the mess of wood fires and dont mind the extra effort to hear the crackle of a wood fire. What we really would like you advice on is a zero clearance fireplace safe and user friendly unit. thanks for allyour postings thus far. Sandy

 

[DonCT]

For the "Fireplace" look, check out Fireplace Xtrordinair. They have some very nice high efficiency fireplaces. They install much like most other ZC's, but are essentially airtight fireplaces. Many of the units even have blowers. The FPX44 Elite is rated to heat up to 3,000 sq. ft., so it may give you the best chance to heat a good portion of your home. There are many custom options as far as appearance, so you can choos the right look.

http://www.fireplacextrordinair.com/

I hope this helps

 

[elkimmeg]

ruled out vermont castings because of warping and bad reccomendations.

This is a generalized statement do you have any real evidence anyway to substanciate this claim?
Overfiring in any stove can create warping. It is not manufacturer specific Its user or oppertions errors.

Gaskets wear out in every stove. Most are supplied from the same sub contractor Rutland. Maybe you should advoid all stoves that have Rutland gaskets

 

[jldunn]

I'd take a look at the Quadrafire 7100fp. They claim heating up to 3500 square feet and it's specifically intended for new construction and to be hooked into ducting.

 

[Bushfire]

For the "Fireplace" look, check out Fireplace Xtrordinair. They have some very nice high efficiency fireplaces. They install much like most other ZC's, but are essentially airtight fireplaces. Many of the units even have blowers. The FPX44 Elite is rated to heat up to 3,000 sq. ft., so it may give you the best chance to heat a good portion of your home. There are many custom options as far as appearance, so you can choos the right look.

http://www.fireplacextrordinair.com/

I hope this helps

A dealer near me has one of the 44 elites in his show room and the thing rocks - pumps out the heat like there's no tomorrow, and it looks awesone, too. If I ever built a house, I'd probably have on of these (or one of those masonary heaters, or ....)

 

[DonCT]

Ditto Bushfire. I like the looks of them. But I am torn between those and the Tuki's.

 

[jldunn]

I talked to a dealer around here a couple months ago who stopped carrying Fireplace Xtraordinaire (and the other Travis Industries brands) due to parts quality issues. I don't know how reliable he was, but he had a box full of wrecked parts after "a year of service" to show off.

 

[dogtired]

I have a 3000 sf two-story, open-floor-plan house in Illinois. It is about 25 degrees outside right now but 75+ inside and my furnace hasn't run for days. I have a masonry fireplace in the upstairs living room and the "wreck" room downstairs.

I currently have a Jotul Oslo (cost me two grand for the stove) in the living room and it heats the entire upstairs (about 1600 sf) with no trouble. I have a Lopi insert downstairs (don't recall the name of the model) and that heats the entire downstairs and then some.

Both have nice, big viewing areas to watch the flames dance, are easy to start and one of the best upgrades I have done to this place. I really enjoy them. And they are saving me a bundle with the gas company. My gas bill on the budget plan is $54 a month. Without the stoves the winter bills would probably be almost ten times that.

 

[wg_bent]

For the "Fireplace" look, check out Fireplace Xtrordinair. They have some very nice high efficiency fireplaces. They install much like most other ZC's, but are essentially airtight fireplaces. Many of the units even have blowers. The FPX44 Elite is rated to heat up to 3,000 sq. ft., so it may give you the best chance to heat a good portion of your home. There are many custom options as far as appearance, so you can choos the right look.

http://www.fireplacextrordinair.com/

I hope this helps

A dealer near me has one of the 44 elites in his show room and the thing rocks - pumps out the heat like there's no tomorrow, and it looks awesone, too. If I ever built a house, I'd probably have on of these (or one of those masonary heaters, or ....)

I have to second (or third?) this post.

Is the fireplace built yet? Masonry? If so...find a heater mason...Build a masonry heater.

 

[slashct]

Look at the Security BIS fireplaces, Lenox has the some of them as well.
We saw this one in action and it is very nice:

http://www.securitychimneys.com/pages/fireplace/high_BisPanorama.asp?country=ca

 

[Hogwildz]

I don't know alot about RSF, but they have some nice looking fireplaces, and their fireplaces also have zoning outlets for ductwork. You might be able to basically heat most if not all your house depending on what you put in there. RSF has one called the Delta 2, firebox is 4.4 cf thats pretty large.
(broken link removed to http://www.icc-rsf.com/en/fireplaces/foyer_delta.asp)

Kozy Heat makes some nice looking ones also. http://www.kozyheat.com/

And I must agree, that Quadra-Fire 7100FP looks like a beast. I wonder how much heat that monster pumps out.

 

[BrotherBart]

I have to kinda wonder if she hasn't already found a stove since her post was November first.

 

[Hogwildz]

Doh, Well hell I am a neanderthal, thats my excuse & I am sticking to it