Wood Stove Inserts Explained



Posted: Thursday, July 05, 2007

by
The Fireplace Channel

Wood stove inserts are wood burning stoves that mostly fit inside of a fireplace. Most wood stove inserts consist of an outer shell and an inner wall that allows warm air to pass through. Many inserts have a glass door where you insert wood and it allows you to see the fire. Wood stove inserts keep more of the heat from escaping through the chimney as opposed to an open fireplace. The inner wall also provides and extra layer between the fire and the hearth that helps to keep more of the hot air in the space being heated. The glass door can also help to keep heat in the house when there is no fire burning as it creates a seal from the inside to the outside. Many people who heat their homes with a firewood use wood stove inserts when they have a fireplace. An insert serves several purposes. First of all, they can keep heat from escaping through the fireplace. Wood stove inserts also dramatically raise the heating efficiency of the fireplace, allowing it to spread more heat to a wider area. Fireplaces with wood stove inserts are far cleaner and easier to manage than open fireplaces.

Wood stove inserts make fireplaces more heat efficient. They reduce heat loss through the outside fireplace walls, allowing more of the heat generated to warm up the area intended to be heated. Most wood stove inserts have  a small, unobtrusive electric fan that blows the warm air out into the surrounding area rather than letting it stay in the fireplace. The glass door that covers the fireplace opening can keep reduce drafts that are normally felt with open fireplaces. Also, by keeping the door closed, any smoke or soot can be kept from being blown out onto the area surrounding the fireplace.

Fireplaces with inserts are easier to clean than open fireplaces. The floor of wood stove inserts are flat, allowing people to simply scoop up any ashes or easily sweep them into an ash pan located beneath the insert.

Wood stove inserts make fireplaces much more efficient. Far less heat escapes through the masonry and chimney which keeps more heat in the area being heated. Most modern fireplace inserts are attractively designed in addition to being functional. 

*This article copyrighted by THE FIREPLACE CHANNEL

Karen Duke is a fireplace, chimney and hearth industry expert of over 25 years in both the retail and service sectors. She is a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep and has numerous hearth industry certifications. She is the founder and webmaster of www.TheFireplaceChannel.com. She is also the co-founder and webmaster of www.GasCoals.net, one of the largest online fireplace retailers in the world. She makes her home in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Karen's contact information can be found on either of the above sites.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Anonymous 3 years 82 days ago.
I bought a fireplace insert this year when fuel oil prices went sky high, my stove has a blower installed and can heat up to 2000 sq, feet. MY problem is i can not get my stove to heat my house past 70 when its in the 20s outside. My home is only 1700 sq feet, and my wood is good dry seasoned wood. What could be the problem? Im starting to think these stoves are for show not warmth.
» left by Anonymous 3 years 5 days ago.
There are a lot of factors that could come into play.
 
Lets deal with the first and most obvious. Your perspective of adequate heat. 70F is considered a luxurious heat level when your stove is closely rated to your SqFt. You can fry an egg on these stoves, but not if the stove is in the living room and the egg is in the kitchen.
 
Other factors to consider. Are you controlling an efficient burn? Small hot fires (burning rapidly) require less logs more frequently but they're more efficient and produce higher BTU's/hr. But you have to tend them every 2 or 3 hours vs. 8 or 10.
 
That'll also take your home above 70F depending on where you're measuring and how the heat gets there. If the area with the stove is significantly (+5F) warmer than the measured area, you'll need some air flow. I leave my furnace fan on all the time.
 
This pulls the warm air from the living room and sends it through the humidifier (strong point, heating with wood can dry you out) before distributing it evenly throughout the house. I leave the ducts to little-used rooms at least partially closed, and heat those rooms by opening their doors before I need to use them.
 
Read all around the web about proper operation of your stove, troubleshooting, etc. Most importantly, you just bought the stove. You will learn so much about wood types, operating the stove, working with your house to put heat where and when you want it.
 
I'm heating 3600 SqFt in Michigan with an old Carolina bat cave insert. At 20F, I'm using a little bit of propane too but at 30F I'm all wood all the time. The stove is probably 50% efficient on its (and my) best days so putting out only 2/3 the heat of a modern EPA stove. And my stove didn't do much heating the first year either. There is a lot to know before you'll get the advertised numbers.
 
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