First question from a newbie...
A local Regency dealer is having a sale on the Regency I1100, which is their small insert. The cost of two I1100's is about the same as one I2400 (plus an additional $1000 for install/parts for the second I1100). I am trying to decide if I should by two I1100's, or just one I2400.
My home is a two-story bi-level house. I attached a picture of my house dimensions to this post. Each level is about 1750 sq ft, for a total of 3500 sq ft. The attic and walls are well-insulated and I have triple-pane windows. There are two large fireplaces in the center of the house (one on each level, directly on top of each other). Each fireplace has its own dedicated chimney. On the lower level, I just need to heat the 300 square-foot room with the fireplace (it's my kids' playroom). The other rooms on the lower level don't need to be fully heated (work room, laundry room, garage).
If I buy the single I2400,
1. Should I put it in the lower level or upper level? The upper level has the bedrooms, LR, DR, so I definitely want to keep it warm.
2. If I install the I2400 on the lower level, how much heat can I expect to radiate up through the floor to the upper level?
If I buy two I1100's,
1. Will I be spending my entire day loading one of the fireboxes?
2. Will the room on the upper level with the fireplace be too hot (because the room below it would also have an insert)?
3. Is this overkill?
Ideally I'd like to heat most of my house with wood (I live in the woods, so the cost of fuel isn't an issue), but realistically I expect I'll still need to fire up my NG boiler this year (or use a space heater in the far end of the house) to supplement the heat from the wood insert(s). I know the installation of two inserts (plus parts) would cost me about $1000 more up front, but in the long run I'm wondering if I'll get better heat on the second floor and save money by having two units.
As I'm typing this, I'm wondering if I should just get one I2400 and put it on the upper level since that's the most important area to keep warm. Then I could get a space heater for the play room in the lower level. Hmmmm. Any advice would be most appreciated!
A local Regency dealer is having a sale on the Regency I1100, which is their small insert. The cost of two I1100's is about the same as one I2400 (plus an additional $1000 for install/parts for the second I1100). I am trying to decide if I should by two I1100's, or just one I2400.
My home is a two-story bi-level house. I attached a picture of my house dimensions to this post. Each level is about 1750 sq ft, for a total of 3500 sq ft. The attic and walls are well-insulated and I have triple-pane windows. There are two large fireplaces in the center of the house (one on each level, directly on top of each other). Each fireplace has its own dedicated chimney. On the lower level, I just need to heat the 300 square-foot room with the fireplace (it's my kids' playroom). The other rooms on the lower level don't need to be fully heated (work room, laundry room, garage).
If I buy the single I2400,
1. Should I put it in the lower level or upper level? The upper level has the bedrooms, LR, DR, so I definitely want to keep it warm.
2. If I install the I2400 on the lower level, how much heat can I expect to radiate up through the floor to the upper level?
If I buy two I1100's,
1. Will I be spending my entire day loading one of the fireboxes?
2. Will the room on the upper level with the fireplace be too hot (because the room below it would also have an insert)?
3. Is this overkill?
Ideally I'd like to heat most of my house with wood (I live in the woods, so the cost of fuel isn't an issue), but realistically I expect I'll still need to fire up my NG boiler this year (or use a space heater in the far end of the house) to supplement the heat from the wood insert(s). I know the installation of two inserts (plus parts) would cost me about $1000 more up front, but in the long run I'm wondering if I'll get better heat on the second floor and save money by having two units.
As I'm typing this, I'm wondering if I should just get one I2400 and put it on the upper level since that's the most important area to keep warm. Then I could get a space heater for the play room in the lower level. Hmmmm. Any advice would be most appreciated!