School me on fireplace inserts

[RSWANNABE]

So we have a natural wood burning fireplace at our new house that we used last year. I don't feel that we get much from it for the amount of wood we burn and I'd like to utilize it more than look at the pretty flames.

I'm certain we should be able to heat the house to uncomfortably warm if we had an insert, but this is where I don't know what I'm looking for, or looking out for.

Can a good used unit be found and installed?
Any brand to look for or avoid?

I can make measurements or answer questions, but I don't know enough to post them ahead of time.

 

[JCTURBO6100]

I have a Napoleon for the last 10 years with nor issue.. you will have to put a insert liner going up the chimney to the top.. they say u have to have it but i didnt for the dirat 5 years with no ussues but decided to put it in to be safe. Heat bill was cut in half

 

[nitrousrick]

What are your goals? 24/7 heat for the entire heating season(it's cold inside I want warmth) or part time heater(burn when it's winter type cold)

A few different types of technologies in stoves, secondary burn stoves(this makes up the majority), stoves with a catalyst(similar to a cat in a car) and hybrid stoves which use both technologies. I've burned both secondary stoves and cat stoves, currently I burn a cat stove made by blaze king http://www.blazeking.com/ and don't ever see that changing anytime soon. The cat vs. non cat debates are as bad as arguing Ford vs Chevy.

I'd suggest checking out https://hearth.com/talk/ start reading and your mind will go numb for a bit.

As far as an insert goes I'd suggest getting as big of an insert that fits in your fireplace opening. You can build small fires in a big stove, hard to build a big fire in a small stove.

Brands, there are a bunch of good brands. I'd suggest taking a look at(in no order) Travis industries(Lopi, Avalon), Pacific Energy(PE), Blaze King, Jotul, Englander(great bang for the buck), napoleon and Woodstock.

I can totally geek out on this if you want but don't want to look too bad! :lol:

Biggest suggestion is start cutting, splitting and stacking wood now. That along with a good performing chimney is the most important part of successfully heating with wood. I have probably 4 years worth of firewood css(cut, split, stacked) right now.
http://firewoodhoardersclub.com/forums/

 

[wrath]

I did the same thing almost 8 years ago. I ended up with a Pacific Energy Super and an Olympia Titanium Alloy chimney liner. It is our primary heat source for our 1600sqft ranch. On average I burn 10 face cords of junk wood (deadfall, already started rotting) and 2 face cords of good hickory, oak, or river birch. Otherwise we have fuel oil, of which we burn about 200 gallons per year on.

http://www.pacificenergy.net/products/wood/inserts/super-insert/
http://www.olympiachimney.com/

I have had one problem that was irritating (the baffle used in the chimney connector rotted off) but no big deal. The other problem is that I burned through 6 squirrel cage fans since I've had it. Brand new ones are expensive. The latest design they sent me is rebuildable so I keep putting new bearings in.

The nice thing about the chimney liner is that I only clean it once per year. A few times during the heating season I let the chimney cool down and most of the crap falls down because the liner contracts.

 

[RSWANNABE]

Thanks for the information guys.

My intent is to be supplemental heating for the house, when it really gets cold or just because my wife likes the fire going. I figure if I can keep something warm going but not as the only heat source I'd be happy.

I'll get reading on the products and links you all mentioned and I'm sure I'll be asking some more questions. I'll also get some measurements tonight so we can see how big the space is.