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Posted: 3/5/2015 11:43:05 PM EDT
I'm having one of these installed Tuesday-
http://www.lopistoves.com/product-detail.aspx?model=422(Large Flush Hybrid) I haven't seen anything that says I need a grate for the wood to sit on. Do I need one? I've always used a cast iron grate in my open fireplace My open fireplace can put out a lot of heat (depending on the wood) but I'm constantly feeding the thing For those that heat with an insert, will I be seeing a big, dramatic change in efficiency? (sales guy said I would  )
Hope it's money well spent |
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Posted: 3/5/2015 11:48:58 PM EDT
[#1]
My next house will have a free standing wood stove instead of a fire place.
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Posted: 3/5/2015 11:53:11 PM EDT
[#2]
I have a standard lined 'insert' in my house which I do use when it gets really cold. It does help but it goes through a lot of wood and only has screens in place, I never leave a fire burning when I go to bed. I've been thinking of going down this road to augment my propane furnace during winter but the costs are staggering for an unknown bang for the buck. $4-$5K is a lot of coin to spend when perhaps replacing my A/C with a heat-pump and keep my propane furnace for cold periods.
Anyone have thoughts? |
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Posted: 3/5/2015 11:53:51 PM EDT
[#3]
Its like night and day compared to a open fireplace ... more heat from way less wood
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Posted: 3/5/2015 11:53:57 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My next house will have a free standing wood stove instead of a fire place. My old house had a Vermont Castings free standing unit and it was really nice |
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Posted: 3/5/2015 11:55:23 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Its like night and day compared to a open fireplace ... more heat from way less wood Thanks Hillbilly. I'm a hopin' |
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Posted: 3/5/2015 11:58:01 PM EDT
[#6]
Quoted:
I haven't seen anything that says I need a grate for the wood to sit on. Do I need one? I've always used a cast iron grate in my open fireplace A grate is not needed. Just build the fire on the floor of the insert. I have an insert from Harmon. Love it. |
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Posted: 3/5/2015 11:59:48 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
A grate is not needed. Just build the fire on the floor of the insert. I have an insert from Harmon. Love it. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I haven't seen anything that says I need a grate for the wood to sit on. Do I need one? I've always used a cast iron grate in my open fireplace A grate is not needed. Just build the fire on the floor of the insert. I have an insert from Harmon. Love it. Good. Thank you |
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Posted: 3/6/2015 12:00:29 AM EDT
[#8]
I can get between 2 hours and 4 hours on feeding my quadra fire insert. 3100i.
Just build a fire on the fire brick. Fire bricks need replaced every few years, they're cheap. (Like a dollar.) |
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Posted: 3/6/2015 12:03:42 AM EDT
[#9]
i had an insert in my fireplace installed, it worked well, but i did run into a chimney sweep that wanted to see installation papers before they would clean the flue.
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Posted: 3/6/2015 12:06:47 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I can get between 2 hours and 4 hours on feeding my quadra fire insert. 3100i. Just build a fire on the fire brick. Fire bricks need replaced every few years, they're cheap. (Like a dollar.) My model says up to a 10hr burn time on a load. While not realistically expecting that, I'm hoping for a good 4hrs. anyway |
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Posted: 3/6/2015 12:08:24 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My model says up to a 10hr burn time on a load. While not realistically expecting that, I'm hoping for a good 4hrs. anyway Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I can get between 2 hours and 4 hours on feeding my quadra fire insert. 3100i. Just build a fire on the fire brick. Fire bricks need replaced every few years, they're cheap. (Like a dollar.) My model says up to a 10hr burn time on a load. While not realistically expecting that, I'm hoping for a good 4hrs. anyway All comes down to the wood you use. Perfectly seasoned oak I've had burn 6+ hours. Ash is what I'm mostly burning. A lot shorter. I have some older junk wood and its just paper. |
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Posted: 3/6/2015 12:08:33 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
i had an insert in my fireplace installed, it worked well, but i did run into a chimney sweep that wanted to see installation papers before they would clean the flue. Good to know, thanks |
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Posted: 3/6/2015 12:10:10 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
All comes down to the wood you use. Perfectly seasoned oak I've had burn 6+ hours. Ash is what I'm mostly burning. A lot shorter. I have some older junk wood and its just paper. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I can get between 2 hours and 4 hours on feeding my quadra fire insert. 3100i. Just build a fire on the fire brick. Fire bricks need replaced every few years, they're cheap. (Like a dollar.) My model says up to a 10hr burn time on a load. While not realistically expecting that, I'm hoping for a good 4hrs. anyway All comes down to the wood you use. Perfectly seasoned oak I've had burn 6+ hours. Ash is what I'm mostly burning. A lot shorter. I have some older junk wood and its just paper. Great! I've got a bunch of well seasoned oak and some cherry |
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Posted: 3/6/2015 12:29:34 AM EDT
[#14]
thats a topflight unit there, gonna be sweet. i never usea rack, just right on the bricks. gets so hot doesnt matter. all burns.
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Posted: 3/6/2015 12:37:07 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
thats a topflight unit there, gonna be sweet. i never usea rack, just right on the bricks. gets so hot doesnt matter. all burns. Thanks. Yeah, I really wasn't expecting to spend that kinda coin but we built the house 10 yrs ago with the expectation to go with an insert but just never had the cash until now We're planning on spending the rest of our life here so maybe the investment will eventually pay off I'm just really tired of feeding that fireplace a log every 20 minutes 
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Posted: 3/6/2015 12:43:39 AM EDT
[#16]
No grate needed.
The efficiency will be huge compared to a standard fireplace. |
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Posted: 3/6/2015 12:49:58 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
No grate needed. The efficiency will be huge compared to a standard fireplace. Good again! Even with oak, I'm lucky to get 45mins on a fully loaded grate as it is now Fast burning maple or sycamore.... seems I'm up and down constantly feeding it |
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Posted: 3/6/2015 1:04:02 AM EDT
[#18]
It's getting down to 28 tonight here in Central Texas...I am sitting in my den next to a insert that was installed when the den was added onto the house in 1977.
Bought and remodeled the house 6 years ago, it was built in '55, and is about 2700 square feet. The insert runs none stop pretty much all the time from November to mid March and will heat the front half of the house. It will burn 1/8 of a cord every 3 days if we keep it stoked. Wouldn't be without it. Changed one of the fan motors out two years ago...other than that it's been great. Build the fire right in the box. I had the same question when I bought the house... |
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Posted: 3/6/2015 1:05:55 AM EDT
[#19]
im now in ky too,in my detached garage, i put a free standing old steel woodstove, its a ponderosa- looks like a fisher. 400+ lbs takes 30" wood. man that thing is a heat throwin monster. with this crazy winter i wish it was in the house, it'll be like 4 tonite with over a foot of new snow. guess i brought my weather down here.
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Posted: 3/6/2015 1:11:51 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
It's getting down to 28 tonight here in Central Texas...I am sitting in my den next to a insert that was installed when the den was added onto the house in 1977. Bought and remodeled the house 6 years ago, it was built in '55, and is about 2700 square feet. The insert runs none stop pretty much all the time from November to mid March and will heat the front half of the house. It will burn 1/8 of a cord every 3 days if we keep it stoked. Wouldn't be without it. Changed one of the fan motors out two years ago...other than that it's been great. Build the fire right in the box. I had the same question when I bought the house... Awesome! I think the last days of frost are in April here so I'll at least have that long to enjoy it |
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Posted: 3/6/2015 1:14:31 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My old house had a Vermont Castings free standing unit and it was really nice Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
My next house will have a free standing wood stove instead of a fire place. My old house had a Vermont Castings free standing unit and it was really nice expect the same, probly longer burn time with the new stove. money well spent! |
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Posted: 3/6/2015 1:15:39 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
im now in ky too,in my detached garage, i put a free standing old steel woodstove, its a ponderosa- looks like a fisher. 400+ lbs takes 30" wood. man that thing is a heat throwin monster. with this crazy winter i wish it was in the house, it'll be like 4 tonite with over a foot of new snow. guess i brought my weather down here. Crazy! -17 below last week and this morning I measured 15" of snow! Sure wish I had it now, brrr... |
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Posted: 3/6/2015 1:23:03 AM EDT
[#23]
im in western ky, by LBL. i have 3' drifts around my house. my kids are never gonna go to school.ugg.
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Posted: 3/6/2015 1:28:34 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
im in western ky, by LBL. i have 3' drifts around my house. my kids are never gonna go to school.ugg. Ohio Co. My kid loves school Hard for her...hard for mom and dad
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Posted: 3/6/2015 1:54:49 AM EDT
[#25]
You'll need a metal bucket with a lid and something to shovel the ashes out...they do build up. After shoveling out the ashes, the bucket should be set aside on a non-flammable surface, hot coals can stay that way a long time, and more than a few fires have been set by careless disposal of ashes. I've had my insert for 10 years now, love everything about it but the mess...and I can deal with that when the power is out and I'm all warm and toasty.
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Posted: 3/6/2015 5:54:35 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
You'll need a metal bucket with a lid and something to shovel the ashes out...they do build up. After shoveling out the ashes, the bucket should be set aside on a non-flammable surface, hot coals can stay that way a long time, and more than a few fires have been set by careless disposal of ashes. I've had my insert for 10 years now, love everything about it but the mess...and I can deal with that when the power is out and I'm all warm and toasty.
Yes. A whole 'nother thread but I've looked at air purifier's but don't have the cash now for one large enough for my sq. ft I wish I knew what it's like to be nasal congestion free for a day Just my little shop-vac, frequent dusting and clean return filters |
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Posted: 3/6/2015 6:04:09 PM EDT
[#27]
My neighbor has a Lopi insert and he loves it. I have a Quadrafire 4100i insert. My home is 1900 sq.ft. That's the one they recommended for us based on house sq.ft. I say go up another size, trust me. Make sure you try out a demo model to see how quiet the fans run. Mine is loud, however the next model up 5100i is SUPER quiet, plus you can put more wood in a bigger model which will last longer.
Make sure you don't get one with a catalytic converter!!! This was our first winter with it and we used it 99% for our heat, since our furnace is oil burning. Stock up on wood NOW. We went though over 4 cord this year. Lucky I have my deuce and a half to haul wood. 
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Posted: 3/9/2015 10:27:05 AM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My neighbor has a Lopi insert and he loves it. I have a Quadrafire 4100i insert. My home is 1900 sq.ft. That's the one they recommended for us based on house sq.ft. I say go up another size, trust me. Make sure you try out a demo model to see how quiet the fans run. Mine is loud, however the next model up 5100i is SUPER quiet, plus you can put more wood in a bigger model which will last longer. Make sure you don't get one with a catalytic converter!!! This was our first winter with it and we used it 99% for our heat, since our furnace is oil burning. Stock up on wood NOW. We went though over 4 cord this year. Lucky I have my deuce and a half to haul wood. http://i.imgur.com/sRJlHbol.jpg http://i.imgur.com/qKSVZYwl.jpg http://i.imgur.com/4jMhCe6l.jpg Nice! I was told this insert uses new catalyst technology. Not supposed to ever have to worry about replacing it and the place I bought it from doesn't even keep those in stock (I was concerned about that as my old free standing stove's catalyst needed replacing after about 6 yrs.) We'll see! This is a hybrid design as well, as it not only can burn wood but pellets, coal, etc. I'll post pics once installed if interested |
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Posted: 3/10/2015 1:58:07 PM EDT
[#29]
Bad news...
Guys came out to do a pre-inspection and chimney sweep before putting the liner in and getting started Used a brush first then had to go a heavy gauge, aggressive wire....still didn't get all the stage 3 creosote (bad) off He and another guy spent a good hour just scrubbing He didn't want to get any more aggressive with it for fear of damaging the tile Had a couple of deep cracks in the joints as well Ran a camera up there and it still looked pretty bad Though they (kinda) isolated the area and (kinda) cleaned afterwards it still made a pretty big mess and I just got through running a shop-vac throughout the house I had it swept 6 yrs (?) ago but I've obviously been burning wet/damp wood Only dry wood from now on (20/22%) and will have it cleaned every year now Sooo.... gonna have to have the build-up chemically removed now. All day job that they'll have to re-schedule Mo' money!
Good news.... No chimney fire Won't have to pay for initial inspection and cleaning as salesman forgot to add it to final bill Will take off cost of several feet of liner as they charged me for 33' (unseen) but they measured it at 26' Always sump'n 
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Posted: 3/10/2015 2:12:39 PM EDT
[#30]
Had an insert at my last house. Loved it. Lots of heat. No grate needed, made fire right on the brick.
Tip: Take two average to small sized logs and form a V out of them. Ball up newspaper and place in the middle of the V. Add your kindling on top of that. As the kindling burns down the two logs start to take as well. Gets you faster to coals. Also, buy yourself a few can of Sterno. I used this to preheat my flue. I'd pop a can in and leave it while I gather wood, kindling and newspaper. Make a torch out of the newspaper to test just before lighting. I've filled the house with smoke a time or two. What a mess. Enjoy! |
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Posted: 3/10/2015 2:48:18 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Good again! Even with oak, I'm lucky to get 45mins on a fully loaded grate as it is now Fast burning maple or sycamore.... seems I'm up and down constantly feeding it Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
No grate needed. The efficiency will be huge compared to a standard fireplace. Good again! Even with oak, I'm lucky to get 45mins on a fully loaded grate as it is now Fast burning maple or sycamore.... seems I'm up and down constantly feeding it I've got a LOPI insert. with oak, you shouldn't have any problem getting 8 hrs a load. I can fill it up at 7am and the blower will still be running with a nice bed of coals when I get home at 5pm there is a learning curve on how to load it and set the damper. ETA. the liner works very nice in a masonry chimney. the only creosote I have is right at the top where the liner exits the chimney. clean it maybe once a year for the last 13 years |
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Posted: 3/10/2015 3:18:12 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Had an insert at my last house. Loved it. Lots of heat. No grate needed, made fire right on the brick. Tip: Take two average to small sized logs and form a V out of them. Ball up newspaper and place in the middle of the V. Add your kindling on top of that. As the kindling burns down the two logs start to take as well. Gets you faster to coals. Also, buy yourself a few can of Sterno. I used this to preheat my flue. I'd pop a can in and leave it while I gather wood, kindling and newspaper. Make a torch out of the newspaper to test just before lighting. I've filled the house with smoke a time or two. What a mess. Enjoy! Great tips. Thanks! |
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Posted: 3/10/2015 3:20:29 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've got a LOPI insert. with oak, you shouldn't have any problem getting 8 hrs a load. I can fill it up at 7am and the blower will still be running with a nice bed of coals when I get home at 5pm there is a learning curve on how to load it and set the damper. ETA. the liner works very nice in a masonry chimney. the only creosote I have is right at the top where the liner exits the chimney. clean it maybe once a year for the last 13 years Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
No grate needed. The efficiency will be huge compared to a standard fireplace. Good again! Even with oak, I'm lucky to get 45mins on a fully loaded grate as it is now Fast burning maple or sycamore.... seems I'm up and down constantly feeding it I've got a LOPI insert. with oak, you shouldn't have any problem getting 8 hrs a load. I can fill it up at 7am and the blower will still be running with a nice bed of coals when I get home at 5pm there is a learning curve on how to load it and set the damper. ETA. the liner works very nice in a masonry chimney. the only creosote I have is right at the top where the liner exits the chimney. clean it maybe once a year for the last 13 years Good to know on the burn times. That's a relief Guy said there's a definite learning curve to getting it set right |
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Posted: 3/10/2015 3:30:31 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My model says up to a 10hr burn time on a load. While not realistically expecting that, I'm hoping for a good 4hrs. anyway Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I can get between 2 hours and 4 hours on feeding my quadra fire insert. 3100i. Just build a fire on the fire brick. Fire bricks need replaced every few years, they're cheap. (Like a dollar.) My model says up to a 10hr burn time on a load. While not realistically expecting that, I'm hoping for a good 4hrs. anyway We have a Lopi Freedom. Heats the whole house (legit 3000sqft), though as you expect, the far reaches are cooler. We have a pretty open house. Turn on the recirculate on your central to move the heat and/or the overhead fans on winter setting. You don't need a grate. That would take up precious wood space. We get about 5-6 hours of useful heat out of 'er, we use wood cut off the place. Those 'burn time' numbers are like the MPG on the car sticker. They burn stuff in a perfect environment to get the most. We use dry, cured firewood from the pile. You have to build it back up in the morning, but there's plenty of coals to git 'er going again. Struggles to maintain house temp below 20. Really shines in 20s - 30s. We went from heating with 600 gal propane/yr to about 50 gal this year. |
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Posted: 3/10/2015 3:33:53 PM EDT
[#35]
I have a craft stove insert, my house is small, around 1500 sqft, it will run you out of the house if you turn the blower on too high, I mean when its 20 degrees out it will get the house up to 80 if you are not watching. They are awesome, we dont use it much living in SC but when it gets really cold, down below 30 ( yea thats really cold here) we start a fire and I love the smell.
nothing like heat off the stove its great. |
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Posted: 3/10/2015 3:36:42 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've got a LOPI insert. with oak, you shouldn't have any problem getting 8 hrs a load. I can fill it up at 7am and the blower will still be running with a nice bed of coals when I get home at 5pm there is a learning curve on how to load it and set the damper. ETA. the liner works very nice in a masonry chimney. the only creosote I have is right at the top where the liner exits the chimney. clean it maybe once a year for the last 13 years Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
No grate needed. The efficiency will be huge compared to a standard fireplace. Good again! Even with oak, I'm lucky to get 45mins on a fully loaded grate as it is now Fast burning maple or sycamore.... seems I'm up and down constantly feeding it I've got a LOPI insert. with oak, you shouldn't have any problem getting 8 hrs a load. I can fill it up at 7am and the blower will still be running with a nice bed of coals when I get home at 5pm there is a learning curve on how to load it and set the damper. ETA. the liner works very nice in a masonry chimney. the only creosote I have is right at the top where the liner exits the chimney. clean it maybe once a year for the last 13 years Oh, yeah, and regarding the automatic blower switch, I got tired of it and first thing I did was jumper the thermostat to come on when I wanted it to. I had the thing cutting off prematurely because of ash buildup in front of the thermostat. |
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