Fireplace Insert ???

[Orchid Crazy]

This is so totally NDR, but hey, always like to get feedback from actual people whenever I can. Do any amongst you have fireplace inserts? We currently have a zero clearance fireplace which my husband won't let me run much in the winter because they are so non-efficient. Most fire heat goes up the chimney while the fire place is burning, then you get house heat going up there while the flue is open and it is cooling down. Plus, they are polluters and will soon be banned, mine is 20 years old.

I want to get a fireplace insert, looking at a Quadra-fire brand which can go into my current fireplace. It is very expensive and would really be a bear to pay for, but I feel in the long run it would be beneficial. If I used it as I should, I should be able to cut my oil bill by about 50% which would pay 1/3 of the insert this year. Many people, including my parents, have told me they cut their bills by 2/3.

Does anyone here have one? Do you like it? Have you found a savings from prior to the install? Do you have any problems?

Sorry, I know it's not doxie related, but like I said, I love to get input from people wherever I can. Thanks!!!!

[Anatresia]

We tried to get a gas log insert and our stupid fake fireplace wasn't deep enough. I know that's not helpful, but I wanted to vent, as you made me remember how annoyed I was last year at this time with that issue...

[kpm_tex]

I don't know about the inserts but my dad lives in NJ has has a wood stove that burns pellets (?) it keeps their family room very toasty. Aren't the inserts sort of like a wood stove?

[dutchman]

First off I will the first to say I know very little about the specifics of the inserts but having said that I can make a few general comment about trying to use a point source heart source to cut your overall fuel bill. First have you considered that you will either need to find a way ( fans and the like) to circulate the heat to other parts of the home or are you willing to have a house with one warm area and the rest of the house cool to down right cold? If your thermostat if any where close the area being heated by the insert the rest of the house could soon become an icebox. You could relocate the thermostat to an area like a back bedroom and try closing down the hear registers in the areas supplemented by the fireplace insert.

Due to winter weather inversions and smog problems it's almost impossible to install any new wood burning appliances (stoves fireplaces) along the Colorado front range. The few systems that will pass emission codes are so expensive that they are seldom bound in any homes under say &50,000. Gas fireplaces or stoves are the norm and they are too inefficient to utilize for any thing more that atmosphere. The last few years I haven't even bothered to turn on the gas and light the pilot on my gas fireplace. It's not worth it having it running only to head to bed in a very cold bedroom. pecially the way natural gas prices have gone up in recent years. NAtural gas is by far the most common method of home and hot water heating in this area.

[Orchid Crazy]

Thanks for the feedback! Yes, I've thought of the circulation. I have a corner fan (small like a triangle that sticks up in the corner of the doorway) that pulls air out of that room and into the other rooms on the 1st level. I also have a fan only option on the furnace that I can use to recirculate air throughout the house. I realize it won't heat the entire house, but right now in the winter I keep the downstairs, where I spend alot of my time during the day, so cold to keep my oil use down. I know in a few years I may be doing the hot flash thing and wishing for a/c in winter, but right now I want to be warm. I have arthritis in my knees, one hip and one ankle and I find it hard to be cold, it makes me ache.

I am aware of the EPA and how they are getting into fireplaces. The fireplace I have now will most likely be banned at some point because it is a great polluter. The insert I want to use is very efficient and the company has been rated very well for the last 15 years in a row.

I can't do natural gas where I am, we have no city services here. I have a well and an oil tank. I could do a propane fireplace, but I don't really care for propane. Use it while camping and that's about it.

I have considered pellet stoves as I have spoken to many people who are closer into the main part of town that have them and are happy. The main downfall with them is not being able to use them in a power outage because they require electricity to run. Being on the outskirts, having less of a population and not having any important services in the particular area I live in, we are often low on the priority for restores when the power goes out.

I appreciate all the input. It's a big thing for us so I wanted to collect as much info as I could before making a decision. Thanks!!!!

[quavec]

I know this sounds silly, but we have a wood burning fireplace but I have NO idea what kind it is. It is not on the floor but up about 1 foot. And we have a circulation fan installed in it that helps blow the heat out towards the living room. We do get small cold spells down south but it is mainly used for ambience. I did learn though that during a hurricane or bad storm w/lots of wind, you should make sure the chimney flue is closed. We came home to LOTS of debris in our living room....small debris but enough to make me scratch my head for a second trying to find out where in the heck it came from. :dizzy: