Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Jan 05, 2000 12:38am | #8

   *
   We currently have a wood-burning stove in our living room which everyone (particularly my wife) thinks is ugly. I have to agree that it is, but in the winter, it really cranks out the heat! My wife has decided that the only thing she wants for Christmas is a new fireplace, in which you can see the fire (the current stove is just a solid black box with a hinged door and a small sliding vent). I'm all for a good looking fireplace, but I hate the thought of just putting up glass doors over the opening. The fireplace then just becomes another source of heat loss, as it sucks air in to burn, & pumps most of the heat out the chimney...might as well just open a window all winter!

   What I'm looking for is some kind of enclosure/insert that has some kind of passive heat-exchanger. For example, some fireplace are built with vents near the floor which connect to a vent near the top. Cold air is drawn in at the bottom, is heated by the surrounding warm brick, and rises out of the top vent, heating the room. I don't like the idea of partially demolishing & re-building the fireplace to do this, so I'm looking for an insert that has this feature. Any ideas? The local retailers in my area just scratch their heads. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 01, 1999 05:21am | #1

   *I think maybe the Fireplace Xtrodinaire insert might do what you want. I'll check my literature tonight. I just had a zero clearance fireplace (Heatilator) installed in new construction, and I'm having a Vermont Castings Winter Warm installed in it. I'm not sure what kind of fan capabilities (if any) it has, because that wasn't one of my concerns. I can see the fireplace itself is wired for power and has a vent to under the house, so I guess it has some fan capabilities.I'll be back after I find my literature.

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 01, 1999 07:45am | #2

   *Yes, the Xtraordinare will do the trick for you.It is essentially a woodstove recessed into a fireplace facing. Another manufacturer is RSF Energy in Smithers, BC, Canada. They are distributed in the US.Both have VERY high efficiency, and the ability to control burn rate, etc by controlling air. I prefer the non-catalytic RSF since i occasionally burn lumber, not dried, split trees.They both have a box within a box, so room air enters, is heated by the inner box and goes back to the room. Both have optional blowers to help the process. The RSF has an optional feature where you can take the heat and pipe it to a distant room.I cannot tell you if this can fit into your opening. Check it out, you get the heat of a wood stove with the look of a fire place. I faced one with polished slab granite and an Oak mantel and it looked great.Adam

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 01, 1999 09:10am | #3

   *Thanks guys. This sounds like just what I'm looking for. Do this manufacturers have a website? I'll try a search myself, but if you know the address, let me know. Are the Xtraordinaire units custom built (i.e. to specific measurements), or do they just have standard sizes? I'm not exactly sure of the dimensions of the fireplace opening, because the existing woodstove (Better n'Ben) has a big metal plate that covers it, so I have to pull the unit to measure. I'm guessing it's about 3' x 4' x 2.5'. I just like the idea of the efficiency of a woodstove, and the look of a fireplace (any chance of a picture Adam?). It brings to mind the old fireplaces in my parents' summer house in Sweden. It's an old farmhouse that was built around the turn of the century. In all the main rooms (including the bedrooms), they have a "stove" which looks like a quarter cylinder (floor to ceiling)wedged into the corner. It's all brick, with a tiled exterior, and it has intake vents at the bottom connected to airways which snake around the firebox, and end in exhaust vents about 6' up from the floor. Some of the fireboxes are enclosed (with brass doors) and some are just wedge-shaped slots in the face. Those "stoves" generate an incredible amount of heat. If I could find a distributor/installer in the US, I'd have one put in my bedroom for sure.

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 01, 1999 11:00pm | #4

   *I think I've seen those corner fireplaces in Europe. Never seen them here. However, Tulikivi makes corner fireplaces (from Finland) but they cost BIG $. http://www.tulikivi.com/com/index2com.html I found literature about Regency Fireplaces that look worth investigating.I found a webiste for Travis Industries, who makes the Fireplace Xtrordinair (no e on the end, I notice), athttp://hearth.com/travis/They make 2 sizes: Model 36 has overall width of 42", depth 27" for 24" logsModel 44 width 48" depth 27" for 32" logsIt kind of looks like this works best for new construction. I didn't know you already had a fireplace...just thought you had a free standing woodstove. Perhaps a woodstove insert would work better. Quadra-fire makes inserts with some sort of variable speed blower (my literature is limited). It has "side grills" and a "dual blower system". 3 sizes: Widths of 29", 32", and 36". Heights of 21", 23", and 24". All depths are 16".I got a magazine called "Hearthwarming-A Guide to Hearth Products" from my local wood stove store. This book has an overview of all the major manufacturers and a lot of generic information. Great one-stop resource.

2. 
   Beth_Hendrickson | Dec 02, 1999 05:21am | #5

   *You might want to check out the operation of the fan in the brands you are considering. I have an insert for my fireplace but rarely use the fan because it is VERY noisy. It depends on how much you need the insert for heating; it works very well for that but I just can't stand the noise. I forgot the brand but will check for you.

3. 
   Guest_ | Dec 04, 1999 03:56am | #6

   *What about a better looking wood stove, rather than a fireplace? I've seen some really nice looking enameled wood stoves with glass door where you can still see the fire. I don't remember the name of the company though.

4. 
   Guest_ | Dec 09, 1999 11:30am | #7

   *Per;I am pixel-deprived..no digital camera. But I may be borrowing one for something else. I'll post if I do.Adam

2. 
   mcrowleynh | Jan 26, 2007 04:38am | #9

   Hi Beth,

   What make is your insert? I'm shopping, so I'm interested in your experience.  Did it make noise when it was new or did the noise develop with time?

   Mike