I: Fireplace Inserts for 1940's Colonial

[DocToxyn]

We just recently moved into a 1940's Colonial that is centered around the fireplace/chimney. Right now, it's way too inefficient to heat the house with the fireplace as it is, so I've looked into inserts. The problem I'm having is that it is apparently a small fireplace (front opening ~24" square and it tapers to even smaller in the back) and most of the advertized inserts won't fit. Does anyone know if the hole could be cut out to make a larger opening, are there smaller inserts I haven't found yet? Any advice or directions to resources would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

DT

 

[Bystander]

Hit the appliance stores. If you can find a "mom and pop" that ain't been run out by the big boxes, they'll have sources and catalogues from those sources to fit just about anything.

 

[Evo]

We just recently moved into a 1940's Colonial that is centered around the fireplace/chimney. Right now, it's way too inefficient to heat the house with the fireplace as it is, so I've looked into inserts. The problem I'm having is that it is apparently a small fireplace (front opening ~24" square and it tapers to even smaller in the back) and most of the advertized inserts won't fit. Does anyone know if the hole could be cut out to make a larger opening, are there smaller inserts I haven't found yet? Any advice or directions to resources would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
DT

You may need to get custom doors. I recommend Thermo-Rite.

This link has the heater grates in 22" & 20"

40,000 BTU's of heat per hour -
100 CFM blower (variable speed) -
Rheostat and Thermostat controlled -
Turns on automatically at 110° and of at 90° Motor on right and black riser is standard.
Steel tubing warranted for 3 years
Electrical components are UL approved and 1 year warranty. Shipping weight 52 lbs.

Available Sizes:
TR-22 = 24" W x 22" D
TR-20 = 22" W x 20" D
TR-17 = 20" W x 17" D

http://www.thermo-rite.com/

 

[Danger]

Couldn't you just marinate your logs in napalm?

 

[DocToxyn]

Couldn't you just marinate your logs in napalm?

While I do 'love the smell of napalm in the morning', it gets a little cloying around 2:00 pm.

 

[Danger]

Right... I can see the dilemma there. Hmmm... let me think on it for a while and I'll get back to you.

 

[Moonbear]

With a house that age, I'd recommend you have a masonry expert come out and check your fireplace and chimney to make sure it's in good working condition. Tiny cracks in the chimney can lead to big house fires or carbon monoxide exposure (your home inspector may or may not have given that attention during the pre-purchase inspection). They can also look at the construction and let you know if it's possible to widen the fireplace without compromising it's structural integrity...there would be no way for us to know without being able to look at it, though my guess is that it probably can't be done without making it unstable.

 

[tribdog]

build your own inserts, how hard could it be?
I happen to know that 2L bottles of pop hold onto their heat pretty well if you want to integrate them into your plan
On a serious note, you are talking a major job if you want to make the fireplace bigger than it is. When I was growing up we heated our basement with a wood stove and never used our fireplace at all. I always thought fireplaces were a lot more decorative and coziness makers than house heaters. Isn't just about any other choice you could make cheaper and more efficient?

 

[Moonbear]

build your own inserts, how hard could it be?
I happen to know that 2L bottles of pop hold onto their heat pretty well if you want to integrate them into your plan

Yes, yes, tribdog definitely speaks from experience there!

 

[tribdog]

If you really want to heat your house with the fireplace be prepared to spend a fortune on those little portable heaters you plug into the wall. because that's the only way you are heating the entire house. YOu'll end up roasting in the living room and freezing in all the others. And splitting wood sucks, and carrying wood in from outside sucks and waiting for some heat first thing in the morning sucks.

 

[Moonbear]

If you really want to heat your house with the fireplace be prepared to spend a fortune on those little portable heaters you plug into the wall. because that's the only way you are heating the entire house. YOu'll end up roasting in the living room and freezing in all the others. And splitting wood sucks, and carrying wood in from outside sucks and waiting for some heat first thing in the morning sucks.

My parents used to heat the house in the winter with a wood stove. The only minor problem was that MY bedroom was the furthest from the stove. And of course, out of everyone in the house, I was the one who liked it warmest. I started dragging my pillow and blanket out to sleep in front of the stove on the living room floor because I was too frozen to sleep in my room. But my parents still said they loved me.

 

[Evo]

My parents used to heat the house in the winter with a wood stove. The only minor problem was that MY bedroom was the furthest from the stove. And of course, out of everyone in the house, I was the one who liked it warmest. I started dragging my pillow and blanket out to sleep in front of the stove on the living room floor because I was too frozen to sleep in my room. But my parents still said they loved me.

awww poor Moonbear.

You can't heat a house with a single fireplace unless your house is one small room. I remember trying to sleep at a friend's lake house one winter and there was only a wood stove in the living room, it was probably 30 F degrees in the bedroom and it was only a bit colder outside.

 

[tribdog]

Or your name is Charles Ingalls. I'm pretty sure he heated the entire little house pretty well, but Pa could do anything.