Debating again if i should spring for a fireplace insert and get away from the heataltor fireplace that does more harm than good in terms of heating the house. What I am looking at now is the quadrafire 2700i insert that goes inside the firebox of the current fireplace, but the cost is pretty steep ($4k). Its a small unit but looks like it would do ok. Anyone have any first hand expirience with this kind of set up? . . . . thanks
Fireplace insert
- Thread starter saltyg
- Start date
jim_golding
New member
I would go to hearth.com. I have been told the website has a lot of good info by my brother who just bought himself a woodburner.
Crawford Sledder
New member
I have an older version of that quadrafire insert and its been very nice and puts out a ton of heat.That being said it sometimes gets way to hot in the room its in and too cool on the opposite end of the house, kinda the nature of the beast with these I suppose.The quality of this brand is quite good, also you'll need some nice seasoned hardwood to get anywhere near the burn time they advertise plus theres a learning curve. That price sounds steep though I'd shop around if I were you. If there is any other questions you have don't hesitate to ask!
I have one made by heatnglo. It throws a TON of heat and with the outdoor air used for combustion you eliminate drafts in the house. I agree with Crawford Sledder that there is a learning curve and I can't get close to the burn times I was told. All in all I love it and think it was a good investment. I wish I would've installed the air to air heat exchanger the connects to the ductwork this might be something you could look into. I paid about 4K installed with about 25ft of pipe.
We have a Lopi Freedom Bay, great woodburner and nice looking as well, it has a fire in it right now! As far as burn times, they all overstate the truth. I modified the air inlet control so the plate could close the intake holes 100%. Now you can get the burn times you need, get it rockin in the morning, neck it down, 10-12 hours later we still have enough big hots to get a good fire going again without kindling. The chimney is the most important part, tripple wall all the way to the cap or a liner in the block chimney. If the chimney liner is exposed to the cold air, single wall, it will build up creasote at that point. Good wood is a big bonus too.........nothing like heating with wood, always something to do!
I have an Avalon woodburning insert, in our basement, and love it! Once you figure out the choke and how to manipulate the coals, it's burn times can be extended while throwing a ton of heat!
I'm now in the market for a gas burning insert in our livingroom.
I'm going with either the Mendota or Fire Xtraordinaire. If anyone has any feedback I'd appreciate it. I'm not trying to hijack the thread I'd just like to continue the discussion.
I'm now in the market for a gas burning insert in our livingroom.
I'm going with either the Mendota or Fire Xtraordinaire. If anyone has any feedback I'd appreciate it. I'm not trying to hijack the thread I'd just like to continue the discussion.
We put in a Blaze King with dual blowers & throws out plenty of heat. Liked the gold trim around the large glass takes logs up to 22". When the little kids are here I put a turkish screen infront on the fireplace ledge where you can sit & warm up & have log storgage below too. I may be too careful with the screen when little ones around but that sucker gets real hot to the touch & don't want the gkids learning the hard way. Yep learning curve on amount of air you let in but more important to have hard dry wood. If your wood is wet you are wasting your time & wood too much energy used to dry out wood in the burner. Zero clerance or heatlator waste of wood just fun to look at but not much benefit to heating & I have had both. So far this year no furnace just been using insert to heat entire 3700 sq.feet saving propane for colder weather maybe mid October if drops in teens no sun. 20s & sun the insert does the job well. As someone else said you will always be hauling wood, cleaning area, loading wood or changing air settings to max heat output. Not for anyone who can sit still for hours on end. Look into a loveless ash vac to keep area clean & wife happy.
anonomoose
New member
I am glad to hear that safety is at the top of the list with wood stoves of any sort. One burned kid and it was NOT worth it.
When I used to heat with wood, I trained my kids about the dangers and it worked well...they would never invite anyone in without telling if they were near the wood stove.
The cold spots can be corrected. Nearly everyone who has the forced air has a circuit that can turn the blower of the furnace ON....allowing air to circulate throughout the house. Some will complain that "cold air" is blowing out of the registers, but all you are doing is moving the heat around to all parts of the house. You can set it up so that it only runs in the evening when you are there to get the fire burning really well and to move the excess heat around to the far bedrooms or areas that are further from the stove.
Wood stoves need working on, and cleaning and wood works best when fully dried out. But it is surprising what a central heater such as a stove can do to make you warm when you want to be warm, and move to another room where it is cooler giving you some options that no other heat can provide.
When I used to heat with wood, I trained my kids about the dangers and it worked well...they would never invite anyone in without telling if they were near the wood stove.
The cold spots can be corrected. Nearly everyone who has the forced air has a circuit that can turn the blower of the furnace ON....allowing air to circulate throughout the house. Some will complain that "cold air" is blowing out of the registers, but all you are doing is moving the heat around to all parts of the house. You can set it up so that it only runs in the evening when you are there to get the fire burning really well and to move the excess heat around to the far bedrooms or areas that are further from the stove.
Wood stoves need working on, and cleaning and wood works best when fully dried out. But it is surprising what a central heater such as a stove can do to make you warm when you want to be warm, and move to another room where it is cooler giving you some options that no other heat can provide.