adding a fireplace / woodstove

[Dleg]

Ours has a remote that controls the fan as well as the flame -  three settings for each plus on and off.

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

The one we had back in CO didn't have a fan. Several neighbors put in aftermarket fans on theirs to boost the output and they said it made a big difference.

 

[Ble_PE]

Our gas fireplace evidently has a fan that automatically turns on once the fireplace has been lit for a period of time and it will stay on after you turn it off for a little while. I assume it's a thermostat controlled fan, but I really don't know. We had no idea it had a fan and my wife called me at work freaking out because the fireplace started making noise after it had been on for about 5 minutes. She was about to call 911 until I got her calmed down.

 

[kevo_55]

^^ Mine does the same thing. I think that it is a thermostat controlled.

 

[snickerd3]

Two big no-nos in my book...a fireplace of any kind, then a gas one if absolutely unavoidable.  I can't stand the smell of the gas fireplaces, fire pits, etc...

 

[jeb6294]

Because I said “fireplace”, not indoor gas grill.  Like a real live hole in the wall where you burn wood.  Apparently there are plenty of gas grills fireplaces that don’t have fans built in because almost all the DIY stuff I’ve found is putting together some old computer fans to add a blower to an existing fireplace.

There’s one guy trying to sell plans for $8 that is just some duct with a ‘puter fan on one end.  1) I’m not sure how much heat hvac duct can stand up to. 2)Since it’s routed through the fireplace, it’d have to be sealed up tight so it isn’t blowing CO and smoke into the room.

 

[Dleg]

We had one of those blower tube fire rack things back in the 80s for a while. My Dad used it for maybe a year and then bought a real wood stove after that, and used me as labor to haul and split wood. After I was gone he switched over to a gas fireplace  

 

[jeb6294]

When I was a kid, we had a Buck Stove fireplace insert.  That thing would crank out some serious heat.  The only problem is that the family room was only connected to the rest of the house by one 36" door.  Walk around in flannel in the whole house until you get to the family room and then strip down to shorts and a tee shirt.  I've seen a few of them for sale locally on CL or FB sites for a few hundred $$$.  Wonder how much someplace would charge to install one?

Fuel is no problem.  There are always plenty of trees down in the woods behind the house and the lawn tractor/wagon make hauling split wood up to rack pretty easy.  At mom's house, she got rid of the insert several years ago and put in gas logs.  I don't like it...stinks like gas in the family room all winter long now...but she can turn the fire on with a button so I guess I can't blame her since it's just her now.

 

[Dleg]

^That's right!  It was a Buck Stove insert that we had. I forgot the name. 

Splitting firewood is awesome exercise and a manual skills builder for older kids.  Perhaps a little hazardous.

 

[Road Guy]

If there was an actual supply of trees here I would totally get a wood stove (& a log splitter) - gas is around .25/ hr and pellets is $1/HR. You can get wood here but it's pretty pricey and most of it's pine.

If I ever make it to the mountains then we'll do the wood stove...

Install is on the 23rd- just in time for turkey day and am looking forward to it!

Some days I think my wife is doing this just so she can put the little cast iron kettle on the stove with water to add smelly "things" and add moisture in the house during winter when it's 09% humidity (we have the gizmo on our HVAC that adds humidity also)

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

 You can get wood here but it's pretty pricey and most of it's pine.

If I ever make it to the mountains then we'll do the wood stove...

With some planning, the wood is dirt cheap. If you have access to a truck & trailer, a short drive up to a national park forest and you can get a chord of wood for $5-20 (varies by national park forest).

https://www.fs.fed.us/visit/know-before-you-go/tree-cutting

https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/psicc/passes-permits/forestproducts  (Pike National Forest is the one my parents use for firewood) 

Some areas allow you to take the beetlekill wood for free. 

You're correct in that it's all pine or aspen. Once dry the stuff burns like paper, so a traditional open-faced fireplace isn't very effective for heat. You'll burn through a chord in 24 hrs. You have to go with a woodstove that is almost fully-enclosed where you're effectively burning charcoal (fast initial flame burn, but then let the embers slow roast).

 

[Dleg]

it's illegal to get firewood from a National Park, so I assume you mean a National Forest?  

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

Yep, meant forest. At least my links were correct. lol

post edited accordingly

 

[Road Guy]

yeah pine burns so fast you almost need twice as much compared to oak. Plus then you have to clean out the chimney several times a year. Ill just pay the .25/ HR for now

I used to be able to get a cord of oak split and delivered for around 100 bucks in Atlanta, but we have too many trees...

 

[Road Guy]

I have just now spent $4G's to ensure we will have global warming this winter-

Now onto the wood floors!

 

[Dleg]

Nice!

 

[knight1fox3]

Like it!!

 

[Bot-Man]

I love my wood stove. Here in Syracuse wood is relatively cheap around $180 a cord for hardwood. Cut, split and delivered. I'm sure Colorado it would cost a small fortune. 

Don't forget the CO detector. Read a story about a guy that bought a CO detector, took it out of the box and started reading the instructions. He ended up just sticking the battery in it and leaving it on the kitchen table. He figured he would put it up in the morning. That night it went off and saved him and his family. Tragedy avoided. 

 

[MA_PE]

Very nice.  Looks toasty

 

[Road Guy]

This is going to be worth its weight in gold- heats up almost all the downstairs and roasts the upstairs -we had to run it for10hours once it was turned on and had to open every window.....