Replace gas insert or convert to woodburning?!

13 years ago

Hi folks- would really appreciate some feedback on handling our fireplace "remodel".

We purchased a house in the mountains that was built in the 70's & originally had a stone wood-burning fireplace in the living room. The opening is 30"h x 54"w approx. The previous owners at some point in the 80's converted this to a direct vent Majestic gas insert (RHEDV25)on liquid propane that is only 25"h x 31"w with a large, VERY unattractive brass & black metal surround/trim to cover the gaping sides & top of original fireplace opening.

The "viewing area" on this old insert is minuscule in comparison to the ugly hulking trim/vent & makes the fireplace a real eyesore but it IS somehow linked to our thermostat & is quite effective at heating the main level.

SO- how do we improve the appearance of this fireplace while keeping to our NOT generous budget? We would love the look of returning to wood burning with the large opening unencumbered by trim- esp since the entire wall is stone & w/o a mantle but are not sure if that is an easy conversion & are also weary of the mess & loss of the thermostat/insert function that heats the room so well. We have been unable to locate a replacement trim kit for this older stove at our local shop- are there online resources for this? While just swapping out trim/surround doesn't change the small viewing area & ugly insert, at least it would be more innocuous than the current brass/black trim. Finally, replacing the entire insert- though most costly I'd guess- is an option, but I can't seem to find propane inserts/fireplaces that are configured to maximize the size of our fireplace opening- very wide (54") but relatively short (30"). Am I looking in the wrong places?

Sorry to be so very wordy- this certainly isn't brain surgery, but it's been very frustrating trying to find a cost effective solution to improve the looks of this dated fireplace without losing the function. Would love ANY feedback!

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Comments (3)

wrighthouse
13 years ago
Right now is a good time to replace your old gas insert with wood since many wood stoves are eligible for a tax credit due to their use of a renewable resource. I love my Lopi Declaration. It heats up my whole 900 square foot great room, even with its long wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. My installer made a custom surround that really compliments the look of the stone wall surrounding my old fireplace.

I especially like having heat I can enjoy without feeling guilty about heating up the atmosphere by burning fossil fuel.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lopi stoves
davej_07
13 years ago
I second that opinion. There are so many good stove inserts on the markey that Im sure you could find one with the look and viewing area you want. And theres a certain satisfaction you get with woodburning. For me it was NOT paying the gas company last winter and having them contact me TWICE about replacing my meter. They were convinced that it must be faulty because I was using less than 30 dollars worth on Natural Gas per month..........It still makes me smile:)

Dave
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This is the setup in my house, but it isn't new construction. The house was built in 1950 with two wood burning fireplaces, one in the living room and one in the family room below it. I had the living room fireplace converted to a gas insert (Fireplace Xtrordinaire) a couple of years ago. The fireplaces (and gas furnace) share the same chimney, but each have separate flues. No one said there would be a problem with such an arrangement. Abbey
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Hello friends-- I own an old home (1947) that was flipped just before I purchased it. The remodel was extensive, and included covering up a perfectly functional wood-burning fireplace with drywall. I have never seen pictures, but I imagine they ripped out a mantle and any sort of surround material before covering up the opening with drywall, flush with the rest of the existing wall plane. FYI, the wall is uninsulated, plaster over brick/block. It's cold to the touch in winter months as I live in Denver. I can tap on the wall and hear where the solid plaster turns to drywall over the opening. I did hear from the contractor that the ONLY reason this was done was due to furniture layout. The room was converted from a living room to a master bedroom, and given the new door openings to the space the only sensical place for a bed/headboard was smack dab against what used to be the fireplace opening. This makes relative sense to me, but I want to uncover the thing and insert a gas-burning unit. I believe I can figure out the furniture layout dilemma, if you want to call it that. Any ideas what I may be in for or best ways to go about accomplishing this? I do have a gas line directly below the space. Getting the fuel to the unit seems to be the easy part. Thanks for any tips or suggestions!
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I think there are three factors: Is the chimney safe to use? Can you remove the surround and insert without compromising the integrity of the chimney? Will the new installation be fire safe and up to code? I would personally want the expert advice of someone who has seen the actual structure. If you plan on doing most of the work yourself, you might still get some guidance from a stove shop that carries a model you like. Now, as to whether this is a good idea, or will save you money in the long run: generally, 'insert' means essentially a small airtight stove made to sit inside an existing fireplace box. Far more effeicient than an open burn. If this is what you have, tearing it out and replaceing it with a stove isn't going to help much. But if what you have is a metal box inside the masonry structure without air tight doors, then yes: replacing that with something better will yeild considerable returns. You would not want to seal something up in the wall that isn't made for it: you could loose everything, including your lives. If that's the look you want, shop for an air tight insert and be very sure you undersand the clearances to combustible material, etc. As a general rule, freestanding stoves that allow the air to circulate all around them are going heat faster and more effectively than one that's sealed up in a wall. I've seen several installations where a large box was constructed with the look of a walk in fireplace, and a smaller woodstove placed inside, as though this massive fireplace had been reworked with a freestanding.
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We had wood burning, and while I very much enjoyed the sights, sounds, warmth of a wood burning fire, we converted to gas. I do not miss the dusting, vacuuming, cleaning the fireplace. While we had wood, we were able to cut our own firewood which was a satisfying project at our ages then. I suppose we could still do it now, but cutting, loading, hauling and splitting wood aren't very high on my list of satisfying chores these days - and ordering, buying firewood has become expensive. Truthfully, we don't use the gas fireplace that often. This sprawled out one story house (1955) isn't hard to heat with natural gas radiant in the ceilings. I have the fire going during storms, or for the ambiance occasionally and when expecting winter guests and wanting the house to feel welcoming.
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christopherh
13 years ago
Ditto! Wood!

I agree there are many attractive stoves and inserts out there today. And they're EPA compliant so they're not "dirty".

There are plenty of excellent manufacturers out there. Lopi, Regency, Jotul, Hearthstone, Avalon, etc. You can have the opening completely covered, or have an actual woodstove installed in the opening. That's what we did in our old home over 20 years ago. So when we built our current home here in VT, the FIRST thing we got was a woodstove! The fire viewing is excellent, and if you get the right size stove, it'll keep you warm without overheating you.

Even though our home is new, (7 years old now) I don't regret making the woodstove the primary heat source. I have an oil furnace, but I use less than one tank of oil a year.

And compare the price of gas today with the price of firewood. Wood wins every time!

Go to your local stove shop. As a matter of fact, visit at least three. Get opinions of different stoves and inserts by various manufacturers. You won't regret it.

Replace gas insert or convert to woodburning?!

Comments (3)

wrighthouse

davej_07

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christopherh

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