Which wood stove for old fireplace?

[karv]

The F400 Castine might work too. We could get the F500 and just not use the side door. We don't want the stove to stick too far out since the hearth is already part of a walk way.
If we put the stove outside of the fireplace, we should have to put in on the right hand short side. That is the only side with space. But it would take up a lot of room.

 

[Ashful]

I think the Woodstock Keystone is a bit too tall. The wife doesn't like the look of a stove with out legs. The Bucks are interesting but I can't find a local dealer. We looked at the vermont castings, but it appears most are top loaders? She likes the contemporary look. Also wider to fit into the opening better and the biggest glass available. lol

Vermont Castings are more traditional, not contemporary. If you want contemporary, check out Blaze King, Appalacian, High Valley, Sierra, etc. Then again, if you like VC's you won't like any of those stoves.

 

[eclecticcottage]

Encore, Intrepid and Defiant are all front/top/side loaders I think.

Encore:



Of course you can't get a full load from the front...are you looking for a wood heater or a decorative stove that heats when burning?

 

[BrowningBAR]

Encore, Intrepid and Defiant are all front/top/side loaders I think.

Top and front load only. Side load is not an option unless you are talking about the Pre-EPA Defiant that is about 30 years old. The only other side loading VC stove that was made within the last 20 years was the Madison, which is no longer in production. It had about the same firebox size as the Resolute.

 

[pgmr]

Since my thread seems to be a hot topic (pun intended) lately, let me add my few cents worth.

We went with the Buck since it was one of the few that was designed for both freestanding or insert usage. This allowed us to keep the short end open and not have the typical ugly shroud of a dedicated insert showing (the part normally behind the metal surround). If you don't want to keep the short end of the fp open, you can have someone make a sheet metal surround panel for the short end to match the factory surround of almost any insert. That will give you a lot more choices to pick from.

I'd recommend using an insert or stove with a blower to get the heat out of the firebox/chimney area. A radiant stove will put a significant amount of heat into the masonry, which sounds like a good idea, but without knowing for sure what's behind it (is there wood framing touching the masonry, for instance), could be problematic. Even with our stove, which has a double wall on five sides, the heat coming out of the chimney block in the attic has caused ice damming problems - wrapping the chimney with fiberglass insulation in the attic has been helpful.

 

[firefighterjake]

The F400 Castine might work too. We could get the F500 and just not use the side door. We don't want the stove to stick too far out since the hearth is already part of a walk way.
If we put the stove outside of the fireplace, we should have to put in on the right hand short side. That is the only side with space. But it would take up a lot of room.

I love my Olso . . . but I would not want to use it without using the side door . . . the front door can be a pain as ash often builds up there and spills all over the place.

 

[karv]

I like the idea of a heater, but the wife is definitely more interested a decorative stove that heats when burning. We still are considering an insert too. Maybe the 33 elite plus or morso 5660 std.