Newbie here! Should I do it or not?

[Anne In TN]

Hi,

I am new here. I need your help. Here is my situation:

We have a fireplace that is no longer functional either for wood or gas because of an unrepairable defect. It has a huge stone hearth and a fantastic mantle beautifully decorated. I'd say that the hearth and mantle are the focal point of our house.

Shortly after we first moved in (9 years ago), In anticipation of a long electrical outage, we bought a propane Vanguard heater and had it installed in front of the opening to the firebox which has a glass screen in front of it. We also bought a 500 gallon propane tank that is hooked up to it and a gas stove and genny.

Last Winter, our electricity was cut off so we turned on the Propane heater. After an hour, I could not stand it anymore. My eyes were glazed over and I was sick to my stomach from the fumes. We called the company that installed it and they came out to take a look and make sure it was functioning properly. It was.

Since then, I have worried about what would happen if the electricity cut off for a long period of time. I just cannot stand that propane heater.

As a result from my concern, we have looked into the possibility of getting a wood stove. The Chimney cleaner/woodstove/fireplace installer came here this morning to survey our situation and see if a woodstove could be installed in front of our firebox on the hearth. He said that our beautiful mantle would have to be removed for good. (To me that is short of tragic. No more Christmas mantle with the oil lamps lit on each end and my beautiful tray in the middle. No more wood duck or manger scene.) Also, he would have to remove the firebox to insert the piping and then we would have to get a stone mason to block it up. He said it would look very good and be safe.

One of my problems with this, is that, although we have many trees that can be used from our acreage, my husband is over 70 and has never used a chain saw since he was very young. We wonder how long he might be able to cut the wood. Splitting it is no problem. Storing it is no problem. I am concerned that he could hurt himself with the saw. If we get someone else to saw the wood, we would have to pay and there goes our savings.

In addition, there is the usual list of pros and cons about having a wood stove such as smoke in the house, burnt spots on the carpet, dragging the wood around at an older age. Also, in a crash, there will be no gas to use a chain saw.

I guess my biggest question here is, shall we give up the beautiful mantle in order to install the stove even though we live in a fairly temperate climate which seldom goes below 32 degrees in the day time. Of course at night it can get down to 15 degrees.

Also, are there any older folks here who use a wood stove and have to cut there own wood.

Incidently, how long can we store wood for? We do have dry buildings we can keep it in or under. How do we keep out the termites? The last time we stored wood, it rotted in 6 years, so we tossed it. However it was stored under a leaky shed roof. I was thinking maybe we could cut a lot of wood now while my husband still can. In other words, we could prep on wood.

Oh, the price we were quoted for stove and installation is $4,500 and the stone mason would be about $400 more plus the cost of the chain saw. That big of an expense is kinda scary! The installer can't install the stove for us until January as this is now chimney and flue cleaning season. Which, now, brings me to the fact that we will have to pay to have this man come out once a year to clean our flue.

I am not sure what to do. As far as being ready for harder times, we have everything else in place but for a woodstove. Can any of you give me some input as to what you would do?

Here is the stove we have picked out: (broken link removed to http://www.southernhearth.com/pacific-energy-t5-alderlea-wood-stove-with-butterfly-cooktop.html)

Thanks.

 

[jeff_t]

Have you thought about a pellet stove? They still require electricity, but you said you have a generator.

I definitely wouldn't burn the propane heater anymore.

 

[begreen]

Welcome Anne. You have some options here, but we need more information. What exactly is the damage to the current fireplace? Is there still a chimney on this fireplace?

The propane unit sounds like it is unvented. A vented unit should never have this problem.

The Alderlea T5 is a great stove. Easy to use, good looking and solid. It should be a nice visual complement to the hearth. But first help us understand the current problem better. It could be that a proper, vented gas unit is a better solution. If you can post some pictures of the current setup, that would help.

 

[Anne In TN]

Welcome Anne. You have some options here, but we need more information. What exactly is the damage to the current fireplace? Is there still a chimney on this fireplace?

The propane unit sounds like it is unvented. A vented unit should never have this problem.

The Alderlea T5 is a great stove. Easy to use, good looking and solid. It should be a nice visual complement to the hearth. But first help us understand the current problem better. It could be that a proper, vented gas unit is a better solution. If you can post some pictures of the current setup, that would help.

You know, I never thought about a "vented" propane heater. That could be doable. I will send a pic if I can. I do have one.

 

[Anne In TN]

Here are two old pictures of our fireplace. The one with the wreath is from the previous owner and the one with the lamps is right after we bought the house.

 

[Anne In TN]

Well, I don't know what happened to the photo of the fireplace with the wreath taken by the previous owner before we bought the house. Perhaps you can only post one picture at a time. I will try again to post it here:

 

[begreen]

Beautiful spot Anne, I can see why you love it. What is the problem with the chimney?

The Alderlea T5 would not work for a hearth stove here. It is top vent only and the flue exit is too high. This would require a rear-vent stove, most likely a nice cast iron unit like the Jotul Oslo or a soapstone stove from Woodstock or Hearthstone. Jotul also has a new steel/cast iron stove, the TL-50, that looks a bit like the Alderlea T5 but can be rear-vented. Which stove would depend on the lintel height and understanding what the current defect is.

But there are some nice gas stoves and inserts that might work here also and they would look better in this setting than the current unit. Look for direct vent stoves like this one:
(broken link removed to http://www.jotul.com/en-us/wwwjotulus/Main-menu/Products/Gas/Gas-stoves/Jotul-GF-400-DV-Sebago/)

If you decide to go with wood, stay here in this forum. If you have more questions about gas, then post a new thread in the "It's a gas" forum on this website.

 

[Anne In TN]

Beautiful spot Anne, I can see why you love it. What is the problem with the chimney?

There is no longer a chimney. Years ago, the fire box fell backwards and somehow caused a fire in the attic. The chimney (whatever type it was) has been removed and the roof has been sealed.

The woodstove man is planning to vent the woodstove up about where the mantle is. To do this, he has to remove the firebox and get inside the space. He is going to insert the pipe down from the roof. He said the project would be hard as we have a valted ceiling there and the attic is not suitable to get into.

 

[madison]

Since you have propane to the area, and have concerns regarding the effort for the wood, there are some pretty impressive, both looks and heat output, gas inserts that can be used with propane.

We have had three of these in previous and current homes, and you cannot beat the convenience and cleanliness of a gas unit.

My wife and I both prefer the woodstove, but the gas unit in the living room is really convenient, and kicks out a lot of heat -- with and without electricity.

 

[begreen]

Ah, that sounds like a catastrophic failure for sure. A direct-vent gas unit out the back of the wall would probably be the cheapest for installation. If this is only for back up heat during power outages, that would be my consideration. Ask your dealer to show you the Enviro Westport gas stove. However, if the intent is to heat the house all winter with the stove, then it sounds like you and your installer have a working plan. Though I would also visit a Jotul dealer if there is one in your area and talk with them about installing a rear-vent stove.

Just curious, what is the height of the opening in the fireplace?

 

[Anne In TN]

Just curious, what is the height of the opening in the fireplace?

I don't know the height. It was high enough that the man could stand up a bit.