Maximizing heat from a fireplace

[trishok8]

I had a stove company come last year to price out the install of a wood burner. By the time I bought the stove and they installed it was going to be quite pricey. I may have another company take a look at it and see. I have yet to price out the inserts ( esthetically they don't appeal to me) but hey, if it helps with the bills, why not.

Thank you all so much for your quick responses and wisdom, it is very much appreciated.

 

[enjoy the ride]

BTW my first insert was purchased used- a friend who did remodels got it for me because a person he was working for just wanted a new one. Worked fine for years- was still working when I sold the house years later. Was a very good price. Very very good and my friend did the install.

 

[Farmfresh]

I wanted to go the wood stove in the old fireplace route - to save a buck.

Hubby did some research ... I seem to say that a lot ... and we ended up dropping a little coin and getting a cast iron insert with a blower. It was a little painful at the time ... money wise, but what a long term deal!

This is our third year of heating with it. It puts out so much heat and burns so much less wood than our old non efficient insert, that it is actually saving us quite a bit of money. We have gotten about a cord and a half of wood this year alone for FREE. You don't get prices like that at the utility company! We have ceiling fans and that helps move the heat around the house. It stayed around 70 all over the house (well, the basement and upstairs were a little cooler) and closer to 80 in the living room last winter when temps were 20 degrees outside.

Plus it was great to sit by the fire and toast after being outside or just to read a book. Friends and family were all running around in sweaters and freezing to afford the bills and we sometimes spent the day lounging in shorts with a book! (You do have to fill the wood supply well, before donning the shorts)

I would definitely do it again!

 

[captchris]

a wood stove is muck better thsn a fire place also dont go cheapon the chimney. we got 15 cords of poplar for free so the next few winters will be very economical even after purchasing stove and chimney for about 3000 installed

 

[FarmerChick]

trishok8
that is the hard part. spend some kinda big money on a self sufficient woodstove, or put that money into paying monthly bills for a long time???

coming up with the cash is always the worst of it..LOL

but in the end the woodstove saves big money. hard work to stack, cut etc...but if power goes out etc. you know you will be warm!!

 

[sylvie]

My DH is looking into the pipes that set on the grill or are the grill in a wood burning fireplace. They heat up and a small fan blows the air into the room. No insert. He is designing this and working out the bugs so I have no details beyond this description.

 

[jackiedon]

We don't use our fireplace 24/7 but the other day when it was 16 for the high, the central heat didn't come on at all and it stayed a toasty 70 degrees except for the bedrooms.

Our fireplace has blowers on the top but even when the electricity is out it keeps the house comfortable.

I really think the set up has a lot to do with it. My BIL had a cast iron wood stove and it never warmed their house. They finally replaced it with a gas stove and it works.

Good luck,

jackie

 

[me&thegals]

We have a wood stove in our basement that generally heats the entire house (open floor plan and furnace fan on all the time), but when it gets around 0 or below, we also use our fireplace insert and electric fan. That gets the house up to 80 degrees in sub-zero weather. Very efficient.

 

[cknmom]

Our fireplace heats the livingroom great. The blower on it sends the electric bill sky high, so we only use it sparingly when absolutely neccessary.

Monica

 

[sylvie]

Those who use the fireplace to heat, do you use a ceiling fan to draw the heat down to floor level? I just wondered if that really works.