Which fireplace is best?

[Homefry]

Hi! I'm new to the fireplace world. Just bought a house and we want to add a fieldstone fireplace. The house is 1000 square feet. We want to use the fireplace to heat the house, primarily. Stopped at a fireplace store and they had two inserts, Pioneer and Napoleon. I didn't find any reviews for Pioneer, but Napoleon got some bad reviews, mostly for a loud blower and the glass is hard to clean.

Need a little help, please. Which insert is the best in the market for our situation?

 

[Homefry]

I want to add, we have three places where it can go in this ranch house. In the corner (#1), in the middle of the wall (#2), or we could do a double-sided (#3) so we could have it in our bedroom too. Is a double-side a bad idea? I heard it's too drafty.

 

[begreen]

For heating the house and due to code, #3 is out, 1 or 2 will work, though you will have to measure and make sure there is enough room in space #1. I think you mean a Zero Clearance fireplace instead of an insert. An insert is inserted into an existing masonry structure. For a small home, you might also consider installing a freestanding stove on a nice looking hearth. That would not only save a lot of money, but some stoves qualify for the 25% tax credit, and that includes the full installation costs. You might also look at some 2 cu ft models from Astria, RSF, & Pacific Energy.

Ranch layouts are hard to heat at the far end of the hallway without assistance, so the fireplace or stove will primarily be heating the living, dining rooms, and kitchen.

 

[clancey]

I love those double sided fireplaces because I see them in restaurants and I think they are near looking..Why would number three choice be out---just curious--gosh the person could have heat in the bedroom and living--why not begreen? clancey

 

[bholler]

I love those double sided fireplaces because I see them in restaurants and I think they are near looking..Why would number three choice be out---just curious--gosh the person could have heat in the bedroom and living--why not begreen? clancey

You can't have a solid fuel burner in a bedroom. And regardless the few double sided fireplaces available are not heaters anyway. They are just for recreational fires.

 

[clancey]

Oh okay--thanks...But they are neat looking...lol clancey

 

[Homefry]

For heating the house and due to code, #3 is out, 1 or 2 will work, though you will have to measure and make sure there is enough room in space #1. I think you mean a Zero Clearance fireplace instead of an insert. An insert is inserted into an existing masonry structure. For a small home, you might also consider installing a freestanding stove on a nice looking hearth. That would not only save a lot of money, but some stoves qualify for the 25% tax credit, and that includes the full installation costs. You might also look at some 2 cu ft models from Astria, RSF, & Pacific Energy.

Ranch layouts are hard to heat at the far end of the hallway without assistance, so the fireplace or stove will primarily be heating the living, dining rooms, and kitchen.

Thanks so much for the help. Good to know now that we can't do the double-side. As for the free-standing stove, I have wanted a fieldstone fireplace for years. Finally have the chance to get one, so I'm going for it. We could try using fans to direct the heat down the hallway. And possibly if we put the fireplace in the corner, the heat will go further versus putting it on the straight wall where it faces one end of the house. The house has fuel oil, unfortunately natural gas doesn't run out there, but at least we'll have a back-up.

I heard that the Hearthstone Clydesdale will qualify for the tax credit.

 

[begreen]

Thanks so much for the help. Good to know now that we can't do the double-side. As for the free-standing stove, I have wanted a fieldstone fireplace for years. Finally have the chance to get one, so I'm going for it. We could try using fans to direct the heat down the hallway. And possibly if we put the fireplace in the corner, the heat will go further versus putting it on the straight wall where it faces one end of the house. The house has fuel oil, unfortunately natural gas doesn't run out there, but at least we'll have a back-up.

I heard that the Hearthstone Clydesdale will qualify for the tax credit.

The Clydesdale is not a zero-clearance fireplace, it is an insert designed to go into an existing fireplace. It would need a full, masonry fireplace built to install it in, $$$. Also, I am not sure if the 2020 version is at dealers yet.

The corner location is not going to help get warm air into the hallway and far bedrooms but a ceiling fan will help. In ZC fireplaces, one option would be to get one that can duct heat into adjacent spaces. Is there a basement or attic when an insulated duct could run through?

 

[Homefry]

The Clydesdale is not a zero-clearance fireplace, it is an insert designed to go into an existing fireplace. It would need a full, masonry fireplace built to install it in, $$$. Also, I am not sure if the 2020 version is at dealers yet.

The corner location is not going to help get warm air into the hallway and far bedrooms but a ceiling fan will help. In ZC fireplaces, one option would be to get one that can duct heat into adjacent spaces. Is there a basement or attic when an insulated duct could run through?

Oh, okay. We can definitely put in a ceiling fan. There is a basement and an attic, so we could run the duct work in either of those.

Thank you!

 

[Homefry]

Had a fireplace guy come out to see where we could install a fireplace. We had picked out a Quadrafire Pioneer but he said that would throw way too much heat in that little house. He said our other option is a fireplace that's mostly for ambiance, where most of the heat goes up the chimney. He said if there is such a thing as an efficiency fireplace for small houses, he didn't know of one. Anyone here know if there is such a fireplace? It would be nice to use the fireplace as our main heat source. I know we can use a wood stove as a solution, but my heart is set on a fieldstone fireplace.

 

[begreen]

I moved the posting to this previous thread so that we have more information that was previously supplied.

A 2 cu ft, high-efficiency, zero-clearance fireplace is not going to overheat the place. The house is in a cold climate. Sure, if you were to build a large fire when it is 50º outside and kept stoking it, it would overheat the place. But during 10-20º weather, the heat will be welcome. In milder weather just build smaller fires and add a log or two as needed, or let it burn out.

The Pioneer II is a bit large for the home, but there are other brands like RSF, PE and Astria that have 2 cu ft fireplaces. Here are some options:

Pearl 3600 – ICC-RSF

icc-rsf.com

FP25 Arch LE Zero-Clearance Fireplace – Pacific Energy

www.pacificenergy.net

Montecito - Astria

The 2.0 cu. ft. firebox with 19” log capacity provides ample space for a dramatic fire that is ideal for smaller spaces. The Montecito exudes classic beauty that transforms any room into an inviting gathering space. The traditional style arch-design facade and door is available in a variety of...

astria.us.com

 

[Homefry]

That's what we asked, but the guy said it doesn't run as efficient if you don't keep loading it. And that it won't burn as clean and the glass will always be dirty.

 

[begreen]

He is in error, on a few items. There are smaller fireplaces than the Pioneer II, there are many people in WI with 1000 sq ft house heating with wood. True, the burn will not quite as efficient during milder weather, but as long as a good coal bed is established and the fire is not smoldering, a 2-3 log refill can keep burning cleanly and if the wood is fully seasoned the glass will not quickly get dirty. Regardless of wood load size, the glass will need cleaning. If burning 24/7 then figure once every 2 weeks or so. If the stove is running properly with sufficient draft then you will be cleaning mostly ash dust off the glass, not soot. A sooty glass typically is an indication of a too cool fire (due to wet wood or weak draft) or a leaky gasket.

 

[Homefry]

Thanks for the suggestions on the fireplaces for our small house. The Pearl 3600 sounds promising. It's good to know we have options for what we need.

 

[Homefry]

Hi!

Sorry, one more question. We decided the efficiency wood-burning fireplace is not for us. The fact that we don't have a wood supply and would have to buy the wood, and the burden of constantly feeding the fireplace wears us out just thinking about it.

We told the fireplace guy we just want a wood-burning fireplace for ambiance. Sure, some heat would be nice. It wouldn't take much. The square footage on this ranch house is 1,023 and the ceilings are 7'6". He recommended a fireplace that has a glass door and a blower. We explained to him that we wouldn't need a glass door, and he said, well just take it off.

Could I get an opinion? Do we need a door or a blower?

 

[begreen]

The fireplace will suck heat out of the house for hours after the fire has died down. The glass doors help mitigate this issue. Burn with them open and close when the fire is just coals.

 

[Homefry]

Good to know. Thank you so much!

 

[Homefry]

Hi, sorry, another question. Our fireplace guy said he's installing a heatilator accelerator. I googled it to learn more about it, and found there are two options with that:

• Choose from optional bi-fold glass doors, or a gasketed cabinet-style door
• Available in either radiant or circulating heat option to fit your space

When I asked which style door to go with (what is a gasketed door?) , and whether radiant or circulating heat is best, I got the biggest runaround. None of my questions are answered. Can you help with this?

 

[Braxvang]

Hi, sorry, another question. Our fireplace guy said he's installing a heatilator accelerator. I googled it to learn more about it, and found there are two options with that:

• Choose from optional bi-fold glass doors, or a gasketed cabinet-style door
• Available in either radiant or circulating heat option to fit your space

When I asked which style door to go with (what is a gasketed door?) , and whether radiant or circulating heat is best, I got the biggest runaround. None of my questions are answered. Can you help with this?

What doors and model (circulating or radiant) did you end up getting? What do you think of the accelerator so far?