I was looking at fireplace inserts this weekend. Very impressed with the

[bluerum]

current technology.

There appear to be several decent models from various manufacturers out there. Has anyone had any experiences that might help me in the decision making process?

The dealer I am thinking about sells Enviro, Napolean, Pacific Energy - maybe more but these appear to be their main lines.

The new inserts recycle and re-combust the exhaust (smoke) to reduce deposits into the air. They also conserve wood by burning slowly. What I burn in an 2 hours with my current insert would last 6-8 hours in one of the new models.

They also burn more completely. They don't even have an ash drawer. The ash (what there is left) collects in the combustion chamber. I guess you sweep it out when it cools off.

The only thing that I worry about is that the process is very dependent on electricity to recycle the smoke and circulate heat.

[MinneapolisMatt]

1. Hi there!

I'm of no help with fireplaces, but you should also cross-post this in the DIY/Home Improvement Group. Lots of smart people there who would probably know about fireplaces too!

Matt :)

[bluerum]

2. OK - thanks!

[arcadian]

3. Don't get an insert.

Get a wood burning stove. We have an insert now and have a wood burning stove in the past. The stove puts out more heat and has the added plus that you can cook on if need be.

[bluerum]

4. Stoves were a consideration. I love wood stoves - but in this case the cost

would be much more than an insert and the room is not large enough.

How long have you had your insert? It seems like manufacturers have put a lot of effort into making inserts more efficient. My current insert is very inefficient. Better than an open fireplace but compared to current models it poor.

[madokie]

5. I'm going to suggest looking into a wood pellet insert

many manufacturers. Self lighting and thermostat control is the norm now. Been heating with wood pellets since the winter of '91 '92. We use two tons of pellets a winter and last years price was 185 a ton. Love it.
Even battery backups with some models.

[bluerum]

6. Thanks. Will look at them next weekend. Problem is I have a lot of wood.

Maybe I can sell it.

[madokie]

8. Oh yeah you have to consider it all

and thats why only a suggestion from me. Without trying to sell you anything I would like to say that our only other choices here where I live is propane, electric or firewood. The hassles of firewood is what made me consider the pellets stove to start with and I am very pleased with the decision to buy one. The first one paid for itself in savings in the first two winters over what propane or electric would have cost. I was getting tired of the hassles of firewood burning as here there is many days where it will warm up into the 60's and up and then drop back down to the teens at night so it was always chasing the fire it seems. Now all I have to do is put a 40 lb bag of pellets in every day or so and clean the ashes out maybe four times the whole winter, set the thermostat, set back and enjoy while worrying about the electric going out. Have to keep that in mind. I have an inverter that works for short outages with a larger welder/generator for the others. Up until the last two winters we didn't have any power outages all winter long but these last couple have been buggers.
Lots of regular wood stoves out there that are like you describe that are quite advanced from the ole franklin stove.

[NV Whino]

7. Do some more research

The newer wood burning stoves use convection to recirculate and reburn gasses. You shouldn't need electricity to recirculate the gasses. If they can do it with stoves, I'm sure they can do it with inserts. That's my objection to pellet stoves as well.

[Warpy]

9. Fireplaces are wood wasters

They're great if you're a plutocrat with money to burn but so inefficient that most people who have them would do better to consider an insert of one type or another.

There used to be a few out there that featured glass doors , vents to control air flow into the firebox and a circulation system to push cool air in at the bottom and warm air out at the top passively through convection. They weren't perfect, but they were better than an open fireplace and all your house's heat going up the chimney with the smoke. The problem with those is that they burned dirty. You needed your chimney swept after every second cord of wood, same as with an efficient woodstove.

The best ones are combo jobs where the firebox pokes partially out into the room so that you're getting maximum heat from both radiation and convection.

There are now forced air inserts that deliver heated air into the room with a fan. Once again, vents control the amount of air delivered to the firebox. A few of them have catalytic converters to scrub the woodsmoke so they can be used on pollution alert days and your chimney won't be choked with as much creosote.

Woodstoves generally don't have ash drawers. They all produce the same amount of ash and generally require an inch or so of it in the bottom as an insulator so they don't warp or burn through.