I plan on purchasing and installing a wood insert soon. Any recommendations? or the ones to stay away from?
Welcome Tito ! As Chazsbetterhalf mentioned I'll let the more knowledgeable folks answer but it will usually start with your budget, house size, house layout, look you are going for, and room you have for the actual insert. There are many many good brands all ranging in price, heat output, aesthetics, etc... I'll throw my 2cents in for the Drolet!!! There are a few of us on here in the Drolet fan club which I feel gives you the best bang for your buck with outstanding customer service. But there are also many higher end brands such Napoleon, Blaze King, Quadrafire, Jotul, etc...
Thank You! Im new to all this so im a big rookie I have a 1600ft A-frame house and the chimney is in the center of the house. The most i have to spend on a stove is about $3000. So im just looking for a good quality wood insert at a fair price.
I was in the same boat few years ago, I knew nothing about inserts, still don't and still learning, LOL! $3000 is a very nice budget and should get you in some of the higher end models that not only look really nice but are of excellent quality. One thing I think most of the folks with more knowledge will say is buy bigger then you need. You can always make a smaller fire in a bigger box if the house gets to warm.
Here is another link for inserts. Wood Inserts I know I sent the other link on the Introduce yourself page. Link to Stove Builders International. Stove Builders International | Wood-Furnaces.net They make several different brands of stoves. A little info on them at the bottom of the Drolet page.
Does $3000 include a chimney liner and installation? Tell us more about your chimney. Straight shot up? Clay flue tile? Height? Dimensions? If you need a liner and are not doing the install yourself, that could eat up a good chunk of your budget. Haven’t personally tried to climb an A-Frame but imagine you need a ladder or staging.
Look on Craigslist or Facebook. I found my barely used quadrafire 4100i with SS liner kit for under $500. Granted I had to take it out of the house it was in, and installed it in my house, but when you get a stove that was about 3k and a SS liner for under what a new liner kit would run, that's a smoking deal.
With an A frame, plan on "oversizing" the stove for the houses sq footage...as I'm sure you know they are notoriously hard to heat...you will need to run a ceiling fan in reverse all winter to keep the heat from just going to the ceiling...
Can't say enough good things about the Drolet 1800i we put in... 5 years ago? Any way... Best 900 bucks we ever spent.
Been in many an A frame on skiing holidays... Is the entire volume open or did you fill in the A? I'd go as big as you can fit... Or demolish the fireplace and go with a big freestanding stove. Unaware of your climate, but too me A frame means up nort
He's not from LA (Lower Alabama) If it's cold enough to bust a water pipe, it's cold enough for a fire...
