detlef Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 First off, to answer the oft-asked question. Apparently it's not always hot enough for me. So, we're looking to replace our gas log fireplace with a wood burning stove. We looked into pellet stoves but didn't want to be reliant on electricity since our heater requires electricity as well and the fireplace is our lone source of heat when the power goes out. Though our house is about 2300 ft, we're really only looking for it to take care of a 1200 ft section that is quite open. So far, I've read some that reassures me that wood is about as sustainable as many other sources and the new advancements are way ahead of many others in terms of emissions. Here's the deal, our hearth extension is only 16 inches, so we'd have to extend that by a healthy amount if we want to go with a free standing that vents out the back and into the existing fireplace. Considering that, an insert would work well for us but have heard tons of horror stories about how little they actually do in terms of heating a room. They mention "70%" efficiency but that's not exactly consistent with what I've heard. Then there's also the issue of the fans that help disperse the heat which would bring in the same power outage issues that we have with the pellet stove. Before you ask how often our power goes out, it's actually annoyingly frequently. For what ever reason, the block we live on is always the first in our general area to go out and the last to get it back. We've complained to the power company but that still seems to be the case. Anyone have any experience that they'd like to relate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 How often does your power go out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 A good friend of mine heats his home with a free standing wood sove. He has a central gas unit but prefers the wood stove. He says it is much cheaper to use. BTW, he has a blower on the unit to help circulate the heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingfootball Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Are you going to cut your own wood? A cord of wood (4x4x8) can cost anywhere from 150 to 250 bucks depending on where you are at. My folks got a propane stove for when the power is out, and man that thing kicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H8tank Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I've got one of these: http://www.hearthhome.com/product.asp?Prod...amp;l1=&l2= IT was about $2500 installed. I cannot imagine life without it. we were without power for 10 days during the past ice storm, that thing was a godsend. We cut all our own wood, and have a small home. Blowers are kinda gimmicky, if the fire is hot, the induction will do more than a blower ever could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 Are you going to cut your own wood? A cord of wood (4x4x8) can cost anywhere from 150 to 250 bucks depending on where you are at. My folks got a propane stove for when the power is out, and man that thing kicks. To be completely honest, it's not simply about having heat when the power goes out, there's certainly an ambiance element as well, so the wood burning stove has that going for it as well. We're certainly looking for ones with glass windows and apparently the new ones are so good about using up ever last bit of wood, they produce way less ash than older ones and the window doesn't dirty as quickly. Of course, I would love to have that last bit confirmed by someone. I've got one of these: http://www.hearthhome.com/product.asp?Prod...amp;l1=&l2= IT was about $2500 installed. I cannot imagine life without it. we were without power for 10 days during the past ice storm, that thing was a godsend. We cut all our own wood, and have a small home. Blowers are kinda gimmicky, if the fire is hot, the induction will do more than a blower ever could. Looks like a nice one and I would love to go that way but may not be interested in extending my hearth extension enough to make one of those work. It would cut too far into the room. When you say blowers are gimmicky, do you mean for inserts as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H8tank Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Don't know much about inserts, but blowers are like running a fan with the AC on... feels good standing right in front of it, not much else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 (edited) Don't know much about inserts, but blowers are like running a fan with the AC on... feels good standing right in front of it, not much else. I've been reading a bit more this afternoon and plenty are selling the insert kool-aid as well as echoing what you say about the natural convections being enough. I went to a showroom on Saturday that's closed Sun and Mon. He has the measurements for my hearth and extension and is going to put something together for me to look at later this week. Perhaps he'll have a reasonable solution for a free standing stove (which would be ideal if we can swing it). The bummer is, my hearth is not at the ground floor but 10 inches high, so if we had to extend the hearth extension, it would have to be the same which is, for obvious reasons, kind of a drag. The good news is that we're in the process of replacing the carpet with modular carpet tiles (FLOR), so it's not a drag to change that. Here's another thought at the risk of hijacking my own thread (heaven knows I've done it enough to others. It appears from the side that the hearth extension is literally just built right next to the hearth rather than the bricks being interlocked. Well, with the exception of the bottom most layer of brick. I'm wondering how much of a drag it would be to just knock the extension out and put something down at floor level. This would mean that we could build it out as far as we need without having this massive 10 inch tall platform extending into the room. Edited July 7, 2008 by detlef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Just curious, being down in NC, how much does your climate have you actually using it? 1 or 2 months a year, or is it more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 Just curious, being down in NC, how much does your climate have you actually using it? 1 or 2 months a year, or is it more? The heat kicks on most days starting November and into March. Waking hours when we're at home, we set the thermo at 68 degrees. I'm sure my wife would prefer it warmer if she could. Keep in mind, this decision is not 100% out of need. We're redoing a ton inside and pulled off our old fireplace doors because they looked dated and lame. So, at very least, we need to replace them which means around $500. We also are over our gas logs as they're just, well cheesy. So, if we're ever going to make the switch, this would be a great time to do it. Going with a wood stove creates an attractive element to the living room that can also be an affordable heat source that will work regardless of whether or not the power is on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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