Fireplace not efficient

The other thing you can do is put a big glycol heat coil just above the opening of the firebox/chimney. . use a circulating pump and some baseboard registers to move heat to a farther corner. Even with an insert . you can put a glycol coil around the first section of stove pipe above the insert and circ pump it to registers or in floor heating.

 

Here’s what I want to ask: If its prefab then why is it safe to burn wood in but not put an insert in? My parents have a fireplace. My mom wants to put a propane set up in here. I keep persuading her not to as wood would become obsolete for the house and the crackle would be gone. So that staved off that a bit. During the xmas time I told her “you know you can put an insert in here or even a wood stove that could be sheathed with a liner in the chimney?

The flue stays open...evacuating huge amounts of heat from their oil furnace. With an insert, they could easily keep the fireplace(theirs is one that is level with the floor level). No raised hearth just a few pieces of tile that might be better off removed and replaced with some slate and further out.
This way could be great to just keep the heat in the house when its cold. Yes yes I know “close the flue”, the parallel for this isn’t that part, its allowing for an insert that could be greatly used for heating otherwise leaving the oil to not be used. I hear of oil on here a lot that is really supplementary or back up when it could get really cold. Honestly I hate oil being used for heating: there’s a strong smell to it, I visualize black syrup. Enough said but I’m working on this as the wood stove here is already popular. You guys and your experiences are priceless and it helps when I can give them a viable option without taking the wood fire in the first place.

 

Yes this is true. You may be able to heat some 500-700 square feet but it’s often the side of the house the chimney is on. One thing however... I know that my family can feel “warmer” with a fire but it doesn’t warm us like my wood stove warms me. Much bigger fire. In fact i’ll burn maybe 5-7 times as much wood on a given day in a fire place than I do in the wood stove at home. The efficiency is exactly opposite for measure.

 

Prefabs are designed to be installed with zero or next to zero clearances. Mine has wood trim right up against it on the front. They have air passages inside that cut clearances down, the same way a double wall stove pipe does. Sort of a sheet metal box, inside of another sheet metal box, with air moving (and cooling) between the boxes. As soon as you change that construction in any little way, you blow the clearances up. Or using them any other way than how they were built for, might interrupt or change the cooling internal air flows in a bad way. Or trying to extend the stove pipe down and/or out to hook something else up will really bring in a wonky clearance - example my wood trim is suddenly a really bad thing. You would actually be modifying the appliance itself - huge red flag for insurance company. And they are not very big inside the business section to start with. So doing anything with them other than what they were originally built for pretty well always mean yanking them completely out and starting from scratch.

But also keep in mind, 'fireplace' can mean all kinds of different appliances - some you can work with more than others. Like a built in place brick jobbie. They're really a situation specific thing, in most cases - each should be assessed on its own merits. Or shortcomings, which fire places usually have lots of.

 

Adding to the above: The prefab would have to be UL rated to accept an insert. No advantage for the prefab manufacturer to pay for the expense of testing. Also along the lines of what others have posted, the prefab would probably actually get much hotter with an insert in it. The heat is being contained/concentrated/used instead of being flushed up the chimney/diluted at 500 CFM.

IMHO, an open fireplace is a wood powered air pump that pumps hot air out the chimney and sucks cold air into the house to replace it.

 

[QUOTE="fox9988, post: 774477, member

IMHO, an open fireplace is a wood powered air pump that pumps hot air out the chimney and sucks cold air into the house to replace it.[/QUOTE]
Basically like a hot air balloon bellows. I see what you mean about prefab being a different element now. I would just think that even though an insert would get warm, it would be within a temperature range that most stone would take the heat unless its not made for anything about 500°F

 

Can you give me some examples of these high efficiency inserts? I've heard some models can burn the smoke and all for heat.

 

My sister burns a similar fireplace during winter. Have told her that most of the heat is wasted. "It makes it seem warmer." LOL It's all she's got besides electric so what are you gonna do, I guess?

That's why any big old 1800s house will have a fireplace in nearly every room and several chimneys. They had to, no choice if they wanted to stay warm. Gathering wood must have been a heck of a chore back in the day with axes, hand saws, horse or mule and a very hungry fireplace.

 

Any EPA rated insert will be efficient with a secondary burn or catalyst to burn the smoke. If needing an insert, I’d checkout the Blazeking Princess Insert. Only one I’m familiar with that has a long burn time. Another option maybe to put a stove in the (masonry) FP, that’s what I’d prefer.

 

About all of them made after 1992.

 

Any new stove will at least be EPA compliant and have reburner tubes that burn the smoke. Then there's catalytic stoves that even go further to reduce emissions and make the longest burn time and recapture all the btu's from the wood.

 

How long until you are thinking of building new? Just wondering because it seems like it might make more sense just waiting to build instead of installing a new insert in your old home then moving it.

Or like others have said instal a wood stove, I'm sure they are easier to instal and move.

 

The insert sits in the aperture of the fireplace. That volume will determine the size of the insert that you can use.

Get the largest insert that will fit, eventually you will want to see how much you can cut of off your heating costs by using the insert and the larger firebox simply holds more wood. More fuel means longer burns and more heat if you choose to run it at a higher level.

I think Horkn and I must feel like a broken record repeating the same thing about inserts lately. Yes, you can get one that works well without going bankrupt. I will again recommend the drolet 1800i that I have. It's inexpensive and delivers a lot for your dollar... Alternatively a used MODERN insert with an insulated firebox and secondary combustion tubes is a very sound investment. Same goes for one with a Cat, but used they are likely a bit more of a gamble.

 

I would not bother with planning to move the insert. Install it, be frugal and leave it with your house you want to sell. It will be a selling point. For the new house, plan on a standard wood stove. They deliver somewhat more heat in a less directional way than the insert. This way there's no compromise. There are plenty of awesome stoves to choose from that are affordable.

 

Agreed.

 

If I ever end up building new,which is mostly just a dream of my wife and I, i would consider putting in a wood furnace. I have a friend that has one and it is slick. Works right into the ductwork and heats the whole house. The professional is coming this morning so it will be interesting to see what he says.