Need Mo' Heat!

[bholler]

It's hard to sweep when going from round pipe to square tile, I would think..maybe @bholler can shed some light. Heck, I think the guy that sweeps my neighbor's pulls his insert, and it's lined all the way to the top. That guy isn't all that sharp though..

The different shapes is not the issue it is the fact that the stainless isnt tight in the clay so creosote falls down around the liner and needs cleaned out. Our fee for cleaning one like that is double a regular cleaning and may be going up again next year.

 

[Woody Stover]

it is the fact that the stainless isnt tight in the clay so creosote falls down around the liner and needs cleaned out.

Now I remember you saying that previously. I have an encyclopedic knowledge but when it is needed I can only pull about 1/8 of it from the depths of my cavernous mind.

 

[Hogwildz]

Direct connection is a junk install. Yes, fully lining it will make it MUCH easier to clean. Pull the baffle(insert stays in place) sweep letting the crud fall into the firebox, reinstall baffle, burn away.

Not sure on gum, but hickory & oak ain't going to burn worth a crap with only 1 yr drying. Oak optimal is 3 years, hickory about the same, sometimes more. These two properly dried, will give you a ton of heat, with longer burn times. Burnt less than optimal, the heat output drastically reduces and frustration level greatly increases.

Have you reversed the direction of your ceiling fans for winter?

 

[venator260]

As for dumping the sweep ... I hear you. But I'm in a rural area with no sweep competition. Not sure I can coax another sweep from a couple counties away to come out for a visit but I'll certainly look into it. Otherwise I'm not averse to some DIY ... I just.

Depends on the size of the job. The people that installed my chimney liner were a bit over an hour away. The guys that did my fireplace and chimney drove something like 1.5 to two hours. To do the estimates, they stopped by when they were in my direction. The installs must have paid well enough to make the trip. I always looked up the drive time to their office/showroom/shop and asked toward the beginning of the conversation if they came that far.

 

[Rich L]

I've just read the thread about free-standing vs insert. Hope it's OK to start a new thread because I'm thinking of going in the opposite direction, from insert to free-standing. But feel free to convince me otherwise.

I've been heating with wood for 7 years now. When I bought my current house it had a fireplace with a stone chimney on an exterior wall - obviously not ideal. I decided to go with an insert and (like an ignorant newbie) bought it based on the square footage I was hoping to heat, completely disregarding the vaulted ceiling ... and not yet knowing how poorly insulated my attic was. I ended up getting a good quality Regency insert and that first winter we had no choice but to burn relatively green wood ... needless to say it was cold. I've learned a lot about wood heating and thermodynamics - the hard way.

Fast forward to 2017 ... I'm burning well-seasoned hardwoods and my attic has 20" of blown-in insulation. I've done just about all I can do to insulate, including the windows at night. But my wife & daughters are still sitting on top of that insert trying to stay warm, with that squirrel-fan rattling away trying to push some heat into the room. I can't help but think I'm severely undersized with that insert, and I'm thinking of bringing a free-standing stove onto the hearth, and go with something like the Hearthstone Equinox that's better sized for the CUBIC footage I'm trying to heat.

Couple of things are what they are - that exterior stone chimney for one. But are there considerations other than just going with a bigger free-stander? I'd sure hate to make that kind of investment and be disappointed in the outcome. Thanks for the counsel.

Since you have no block off plate you might be able to stuff Roxul insulation around the pipe to keep the heat from going up the chimney.This might keep more heat in the house now and not have to go through this winter with so much heat loss.

 

[Rich L]

I've just read the thread about free-standing vs insert. Hope it's OK to start a new thread because I'm thinking of going in the opposite direction, from insert to free-standing. But feel free to convince me otherwise.

I've been heating with wood for 7 years now. When I bought my current house it had a fireplace with a stone chimney on an exterior wall - obviously not ideal. I decided to go with an insert and (like an ignorant newbie) bought it based on the square footage I was hoping to heat, completely disregarding the vaulted ceiling ... and not yet knowing how poorly insulated my attic was. I ended up getting a good quality Regency insert and that first winter we had no choice but to burn relatively green wood ... needless to say it was cold. I've learned a lot about wood heating and thermodynamics - the hard way.

Fast forward to 2017 ... I'm burning well-seasoned hardwoods and my attic has 20" of blown-in insulation. I've done just about all I can do to insulate, including the windows at night. But my wife & daughters are still sitting on top of that insert trying to stay warm, with that squirrel-fan rattling away trying to push some heat into the room. I can't help but think I'm severely undersized with that insert, and I'm thinking of bringing a free-standing stove onto the hearth, and go with something like the Hearthstone Equinox that's better sized for the CUBIC footage I'm trying to heat.

Couple of things are what they are - that exterior stone chimney for one. But are there considerations other than just going with a bigger free-stander? I'd sure hate to make that kind of investment and be disappointed in the outcome. Thanks for the counsel.

gstowe if you check out the stove reviews about the Equinox it may help you in your decision if you decide to go that way.