Hi folks, new to the forum! Purchased a new home back in April and it has a traditional open faced fireplace. I am completely brand new to using a wood fireplace. Our old house had a gas fireplace we installed given to us for free. Only time I've burnt wood was in the yard with the fire-pit a few times. Anyways I had it cleaned out and checked as I was eager to try it out. All in all it's in good working order! Our home backs to a huge wooded lot, so went out and bought a chainsaw and took down some small dead tree's & ones that were downed by prior storms. So a couple times this fall temps dropped enough to think about burning some wood and yes there is no comparison to this fireplace to my old gas fireplace. I mean it hardly gives off any heat unless you are on top of it. I've always heard they were very inefficient but I thought they would provide alot more heat even though most of the heat is going up and out. I was really starting to get into the whole firewood thing, Chainsaw, Axe, Stacking wood, drying it out. I probably got over a cord of wood already stacked drying but less then half ready to burn (checked with moisture meter). I mean there really is something about a fireplace but it's purely for ambiance as someone stated in another thread and it is a hec of alot more work then turning the switch on in my old house. BUT, there is def sometime about the whole process that I personally enjoy. I really enjoy dropping trees, bucking them, splitting them by hand. I don't know what it is about it but it's enjoyable or therapeutic. My wife makes fun as i'll disappear for a few hours out back, am always splitting something making kindling or re-stacking something. Perhaps an insert at some point to a wood burning stove but not sure how much they cost$$. Anyways its fun and glad I found this website for a resource.
Welcome ReelFaster , You're gonna like it here, I guarantee it! You seem excited enough but understand this is a marathon, not a sprint and you came to THE place for advice and support. Lots of hoarders in your area but we're all one family. Nice to meet you now just sit back and take it all in.... You will never regret installing whatever you end up with, insert or free-standing and we'll counsel your new-found addiction along the way. So you got that going for ya!
Hey ReelFaster , welcome aboard. Congrats on the new home. Couldn't tell you what a decent insert would cost. It would depend on the size, I suppose.....whatever would fit in the FP opening. Lots of folks here have one. Don't forget the cost to line the chimney too. Is the chimney on an outside wall or interior? If interior, you might get by w/o lining it. Oh yeah, what Ashwatcher said.....we're enablers. Also, any cost for a stove or insert, etc. is one and done. Unless you move, you're likely to have it 20 years or more.
Welcome to the FHC Family ReelFaster you will receive alot of great advice from everyone on here. What ever you decide to go, insert or freestanding stove, it will pay for itself in the long run. Always better to heat with wood then to pay the oil company.
Thanks fella's much appreciated! I am enjoying it I really am, wish the fireplace was a little more efficient but hey we are just using it for the ambiance on some colder nights, it's fun it truly is and I enjoyed learning allot about wood, cutting, splitting, drying etc...from youtube, the internet and I am sure from this forum as well. Chimney is exterior mostly parts of it goes through the attic's. Thanks again everyone and look forward to talking to you all.
welcome ReelFaster yup your going to need a wood burning appliance! it's ok.. I am sure some will chip in once you decide your ready... so keep cutting stacking and splitting then you will have fuel for it when it's installed.. OK a good basic Woodstove best bang for buck is NC 30 about 700 ish... inserts start around there also and go up.. once you post some pics I am sure the advice will flow
Welcome to FHC ReelFaster ..... Shhhh.... Don't be telling everyone about our cozy home away from home.... j/k....
Welcome aboard! Anyone care to start a pool on how long it will take for ReelFaster to buy a stove/insert?
Well ReelFaster, what took ya so long to get here?! Allow me to join everyone else in welcoming you in the traditional FHC manner....... is good, heats ya (often more than) twice! Hope you can get some pics up,soon. And I'm with yooperdave & papadave (they're almost twins), and Mag Craft- you will want to be stepping into a wood burner purchase before ya know it..... Great peeps here (even the one who watches azz's ash trees ) so share what ya will!
Welcome to FHC ReelFaster ! You'll find that you'll want a more efficient way to burn wood than an open FP. I lasted more than a season on FHC with my open FP with a heatilator wood rack before last fall when I found a smoking deal on a barely used Quadrafire 4100i insert. The difference between the FP and the same hearth with the insert was unbelievable. I burnt the same amount of wood as in past years, but it heated my whole house, and lowered my natural gas bill by $3 a day in winter. Yeah. That insert paid for itself last year. I find that my stressful day job is equalled out by running a saw and cutting/ hauling/ splitting and stacking wood. It's very therapeutic. Yep, you'll never know until you look. I found a great deal, and others have too.
echoing others here ReelFaster but hello and welcome to the club nice to meet you. We will definitely help you feed that growing wood addiction you have :stacke:. You can never have to much wood .
Welcome to the forum ReelFaster. Lots of knowledge here. You should keep track of what you spend on heating and compare the cost again after you start burning wood in some kind of stove, either free standing or an insert. It doesn't take long to recoup your cost of the stove and all of your other wood gathering tools.
Although I'm still technically a newbie here... welcome! An insert will be the way to go. My story is similar to Horkn above... we bought our insert when fuel oil was topping out at $4/gallon. We were using around 500 gallons per heating season. The first heating season we used the stove, we turned on our furnace a grand total of 3 times, and that was when the outdoor temp was at or below 0F. We've used the furnace a bit more the last couple seasons (mainly just to put a degree or two in the house when running a load in the stove would be too much heat). However, since we bought the insert in 2013, we have not purchased ANY fuel oil, and we still have at least 2/3 tank. Use the $ you save for something for something you really want, rather than forking it over for fuel! Enjoy yourself here!
Reelfaster, Sorry you caught this horrid affliction - Having said that... Welcome Aboard All the best
(December 25 if he plays his cards right.) What a great Christmas present to give your wife! She will be forever grateful.
