insert stove or stand alone stove

bertsmom wrote: »

Hi just a normal semi detached house built in around 2005. I have an open fireplace and I'm thinking of switching to a stove. I see most people with an open fireplace purchase an insert stove but I'm not too gone on the actual look of them. Is there a reason the insert stoves are more popular? Is it very expensive to put in a normal stand alone stove instead. Fireplace isn't connected to back boiler or anything. Any opinions on stoves vs insert stoves very welcome thank you.

I was given a small stove which i planned on putting in front of my open fireplace in the sitting room. A friend who is in the stove/chimney install business came by to advise me on what i needed to do. Bottom line, clearances required meant extending hearth, replacing mantle and stove position would have taken space in already small sitting room. I elected to purchase a small (5 kW) insert. Now i keep my hearth the same, keep my mantle and do not lose space in the room.

bertsmom wrote: »

Papabill thanks for the reply and yes all that makes perfect sense to me now. An insert is definitely a much more economical option and yes I can see bow space in the sitting room would be impacted. I don't dislike the inserts I think I just love the look of a stove but for those reasons alone an insert is a much better idea for me too. Thanks for the insight

An update, just finished installing my Henley "Arklow" 5kW insert stove. I am extremely pleased and i think it looks much like a free standing stove set in the fireplace. Pic attached

misc2013 wrote: »

Your fireplace is near identical to ours. Do you mind me asking how much it cost including fitting?

Sorry, but my costs wouldn't really be relevant to anyone else. Here is the materials list and work scope. materials required were:
1x arklow 5 kw stove
1x anti bird and rain cowl
1x 6mtr coil 6 " flexi flue liner
1x flexi adaptor 6 to 5"
1x 5" 500mm stainless steel straight
1x rotating elbow 5"
1x vermicilite
2x carbon monoxide alarms
1x fire cement
And the scope of work was:
temporary removal of existing fireplace, cleaning and lining chimney with flexible steel liner 150mm and stainless steel pipework insulated with vermiculite, fitting new hearth and replacing fireplace, void around stove insulated with rockwool, stove fixed down on new concrete base, Debris removed ,carbon monoxide alarms fitted, room vent checked and cleared.
Certificate of compliance was issued on completion.

micks_address wrote: »

See how you go with the wooden fire surround but we had to replace ours with a marble surround. Stove was warping it. Insert cara stove

What clearance did you have from stove to fire surround??

Sorry for opening a really old thread but this answers a question for me. Wanted to get a freestanding stove, was worried about size, so see here too much work, then second choice an inset stove but was wondering if I needed to replace wooden Fireplace, looks like the answer is yes!