What size insert?

[treepmeyer]

I have a large traditional fireplace in a 15x12x8ft. room with two open 36" doorways. House is 3200sq. Ft. Contractor recommends Osburn 3500. Seems fine, but overkill for the size room it will be in. I told the contractor that I am afraid that such a big insert (110,000 BTU) would overheat the room. Even with the central furnace circulating fan on I doubt I can distribute that amount of heat in a reasonable manner. Salesman response: build smaller fires. I thought maybe a Matrix 2400 or Inspire 2000 would be more suitable in the Osburn line. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Caw]

Id always recommend going bigger and making smaller fires. That way if you do decide you want extra heat you'll have it available instead of trying to run a smaller stove into the ground. More flexibility. Longer burn times. I don't think I've ever read a post on here where someone said they wish they had a smaller stove.

 

[Dix]

Welcome to the forums

A floor plan (even rough drawn), is going to help here.

How much of the entire house space do you want to heat?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

How big is the rest of the house? What kind of insulation do you have? The stove isn’t going to put out 110k btu like a furnace will. Match the firebox size to your house.

 

[Solarguy3500]

Id always recommend going bigger and making smaller fires. That way if you do decide you want extra heat you'll have it available instead of trying to run a smaller stove into the ground. More flexibility. Longer burn times. I don't think I've ever read a post on here where someone said they wish they had a smaller stove.

^^^This
I have the Osburn 3500 and i often run smaller loads to match the need for heat. I currently have 3 splits in it and it's quite comfortable in the house. I can put 5 splits in and have a nice warm house, and there's still room in the firebox for more.

 

[treepmeyer]

How big is the rest of the house? What kind of insulation do you have? The stove isn’t going to put out 110k btu like a furnace will. Match the firebox size to your house.

The house is 3200sq ft. Two bedrooms and a finished attic are above the living room where the fireplace is. Also on the first floor are a family room, three bedrooms, kitchen and dining room. Using the insert to heat the house is not the primary objective, although making the living room toasty warm is. Mainly, we want to enjoy the beauty and warmth of a fire while we read or listen to music.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Ok. Your house is big enough to run the large insert if you want to. But since you’re not looking to heat the entire house, sizing becomes less important. 3200 feet is hard to heat with any stove.

If your stove room becomes too warm, blowing cool air from other parts of the house into the stove room will help cool it down.

 

[EbS-P]

The house is 3200sq ft. Two bedrooms and a finished attic are above the living room where the fireplace is. Also on the first floor are a family room, three bedrooms, kitchen and dining room. Using the insert to heat the house is not the primary objective, although making the living room toasty warm is. Mainly, we want to enjoy the beauty and warmth of a fire while we read or listen to music.

How tall is the chimney?

 

[Caw]

How tall is the chimney?

In the adult industry they ask how long your member is. On hearth.com we ask how tall is your chimney. 🙂

 

[mellow]

In the adult industry they ask how long your member is. On hearth.com we ask how tall is your chimney. 🙂

Don't forget girth, need to know that as well