Our house has a fireplace, but its functionality leaves much to be desired in terms of cooking, etc. So, it looks as if a wood stove with a bracket insert covering the fireplace is next on our list. Did some shopping, and there were a wide variety of options. Some stoves stick out from the edge of the mantle, but don't have much surface on top to place kettles or pans. A standalone stove (i.e. the "potbellies") is not an option, for I've found that ordinances in most cases prohibit you from sticking the pipe into the fireplace and up the flume; instead, a new chimney is required. Suggestions, anyone? Also, an observation when I was shopping for stoves:
I asked vendors if they were busy, and most of them said that business was normal for this time of year. However, a couple mentioned that they were experiencing backlogs in ordering merchandise and supplies. Glad I'm acting now...might not be able to get something if I wait much longer.

-- Tim (pixmo@pixelquest.com), October 08, 1998

Answers

Triple wall chimney pipe is legal most places if you don't mind cutting a hole in your roof. Works well for years, just be sure to clean it and check it every year, and make sure the chimney cap is fastened tightly with good screens - otherwise you get birds and bats.

-- Paul Davis (davisp1953@yahoo.com), October 08, 1998.

My father in law heats with the same type of insert we have in our house (DH just vaccumed out the old ashes today for our first fire this Sunday). It's a Lopi, and has a surface about 9 inches by the width of the stove, which is about 24 inches, more or less...I would feel very comfortable putting a large coffee percolator pot on top of the stove to heat water or a Dutch oven (as has been suggested by the kind folks here) for baking or heating food up.

I think you need to talk 'insert' when you talk to the stove folks. A stove implies a free standing object, while an insert will narrow it down to the ones that inside the fireplace. You might also consider talking to your local county extension office to see if they have any information. They may not have information on specific brands, but may be able to give you general tips on picking a good insert.

-- Karen Cook (browsercat@hotmail.com), October 09, 1998.

My husband and I just purchased two Avalon 990 wood stoves. These "convection" stoves can be used as inserts or freestanding stoves (just put the legs or pedestal base on it). Because they are convection versus radiant, they are supposed to be one of the most efficient choices for an insert. We will be using them as inserts with our two fireplaces. They are not installed yet, but one will have the enclosure for the built in look, and the other will be used without the enclosure. By not using the enclosure, I will have enough room for a pot or dutch oven.

Before we bought them, I found some info on the Web but don't remember where. Try searching on Avalon and woodstove.

Marie

-- Marie (a7656@hotmail.com), October 09, 1998.

Marie - Many thanks for the Avalon info. My sister lives in Eastern Oregon and my brother-in-law installed a woodstove way back when. Talk about an enhancement to the house: warmth, efficient fuke use, and lovely firelight. Looking forward to making this improvement to our wimpy little SoCal-decorative fireplace. Thanks again!

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), October 09, 1998.

Here is a good URL for info and links to several companies who make fireplace inserts, wood stoves etc. My husband and I spent all afternoon looking into them, and we were amazed at the choices, there's something for everyone in there :)

Chris

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), October 10, 1998.

Oops...forgot to type in the URL's in my previous post (blush).

http://www.hearth.com/ (answers a lot of questions)

http://www.vermontcastings.com/vtcastings/html/f_inserts.htm (good company too)

Try using Lycos search and type in "high efficiency" and "wood stoves", you'll get a huge list of vendors.

Chris

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), October 11, 1998.

Has anybody tried burning wood pellets in a wood stove (rather than a pellet stove)? I bought a few bags assuming I could burn them but the pellets are too small, and there isn't enough space for air circulation. Pellet stoves, I discovered, use forced air to create the draft. Not an option if one is worried about no electricity.

Seems to me one could crumple up some chicken wire and dump in the pellets. The wire should create enough space for air circulation. Or maybe there's a device available for this purpose?

-- Ned (entaylor@cloudnet.com), October 12, 1998.