I currently have freestanding wood burning stove that heats my 1,650 sq ft cabin with no problem. It's in a geat room with about 16' of single wall flue pipe before going to triple wall before exiting the ceiling. In the same room I have very nice masonary fireplace. I rarely use it. I have had such hot fires using pitch pine I believe I have warped the damper so to avoid cold drafts I cover the opening with a piece of two inch styrofoam. Opening on the fireplace it 4'. It has a ash cleanout in the floor that goes outside that could be used as a fresh inlet. Currently the wood stove does not have a fresh air kit installed. I have one but not installed. So I know I am drwing cold air into the cabin but my stove has no problem heating the place.
My question is if I put in as large of a inset that will fit along with a fresh air intake and fan kit how will it do? The cabin is at 7,000' in the north half of AZ. Two winters ago it was eighteen below zero, so it does get cold. Within the next couple of years I'm going to need a new roof and if I'm going to remove the wood stove to clear up some floor space I would like to remove the stove flue first. I have a garage/shop that I could use the stove in.
We have a cabin at 10K in the Collegiate Peaks of Colorado. We have a fireplace insert. Ours is only 1000 ft2, but the insert has a blower on it and keeps it plenty warm when we are there.
If it were me, I'd put the wood stove in your shop and get an insert for the fireplace since you don't use it much anyway. You'll gain some room out of it at least.
We were 3 above, our stove got the 24/7 workout that Febuary..
2 heating options are great, I would definately upgrade your fireplace and go from there. My boss has a log home in Alpine and heats the whole place with a pellet stove, not my style, but keeps the house warm and cozy..
There is a fire in the insert here as I type. I don't really like the 2 inserts I have experience with. They make plenty of heat - that is not the issue. The biggest issue is NOISE. The constant noise of the blower fans gets crazy obnoxious after awhile. Doesn't help it is in the living room where the idiot box is. To watch a movie the tv needs to be cranked to eleven to hear it.
I'm looking for a free standing woodstove to replace the insert just for the noise. A ceiling fan can circulate the heated air way quieter than any of the insert fans I've ever heard. I'm also of the opinion that a stove standing in the room is gonna get more of the heat into the room vs. the insert stuffed into the fireplace. The insert does heat the masonry pile which is nice and a stove won't do that.
The inserts I've seen don't seal into the flue of the fireplace firebox very well either meaning warm air is drawn out with the smoke. It's sometimes hard to get the draft going when lighting the fire because of this. It is easier to get the correct sized flue pipe with a stove vs. insert. The insert size I have would draft better if it had a 8" round flue instead of the 12" square it has now. Sure, I could drop a liner down the chimney to get there but installing a decent stovepipe is easier.
Maybe it's a "grass is greener on the other side of the fence" deal but I would keep the stove myself.
I didn't bring up the noise but was curious if anyone would. My current stove has the fan kit and I really don't care for it. Only time I use it is when we first arrive. I have a few really hot fires and use it along with a ceiling fan. If I don't use the stove fan the wall behind the stove gets pretty hot. Shopping around a little most incerts seem to be much smaller than my 48" opening. I was hoping to find a large one that might be open with the fan on low. Was also thinking about lining the sides with some kind of fire proof sound board to help kind it quiet. To be honest I would be more intersted in who has the quietest fan then is the most efficient. The seal to the damper would also be a concern. Does anyone know if the ash cleanout in the fireplace floor could be used as a source for outside sir to the fire box? My current Quadro Fire stove all the combustion air is drawn in thru the bottom and the outside kit was either thru the floor or out the back.
I did an insert that has a fan kit and like you said, I put the insert fan on low (because of noise) and use the ceiling fan. When looking for an insert, compare efficiency ratings.
We had a King free standing unit. No fan ,100 year old house, no insulation in walls and it about cooked us in Arkansas when snow was on the ground. Mike
