Transforming my Fireplace into a High-Efficiency Appliance

[@steveb6371]

Nice job. I did the same for my parents 40 years ago and they absolutely loved the insert. They ran it constantly in the winter. I’m 72 now and this video brought back memories.

[@jasonbroom7147]

Cool video and excellent work done by you and your dad. We have an insert very similar to this in our home, with one added advantage. Above the firebox is another box of roughly the same size. It is a plenum chamber with a filtered air intake just above the fireplace. At the top of the plenum chamber are two stand-pipes that are tied into the hot air return for our home. When we have a fire going, the air in the plenum is heated, causing it to rise and pull air through the intake. This forces the air to circulate through the hot air return and down into the ducting in our crawl space, heating the entire home without the need for propane or even electricity.

[@outrageous-alex]

Nothing beats wood fireplaces.

Outstanding tutorial. Would recommend using the ash cleanout as a fresh air supply to feed the stove. The stove using interior air is creating drafts. Learned this the hardway.

[@GrannyDryden]

Great video. As a side note, when we remodeled our home, we used the same insulation in our external and internal walls, as our house was built ‘balloon style’. Meaning fire could easily spread between floors due to the way it’s built. Our home is quiet, draft free and no longer a tinderbox

[@rosegold7975]

I love watching this video. Great job. Please make more

[@WhirligigEm]

Oh my gosh that wasn’t a fire place that was a fire hazard, good job making it usable again.

[@danielleroberts8964]

Nice job on your new insert. One thing I did with mine was to insulate the back and sides with mineral wool. The same stuff you used around the liner. The R value of brick is practically nothing. Helps keep more heat in the house whether or not you're running the insert.

[@kmbinkaty]

Like the insert y’all went with. It has a timeless look!

[@wazzup105]

My inlaws got one of those inserts like 30 years ago.. Very cozy. Especially if you want only some heat in the living room and not heat the entire house.

[@aldiminico6513]

I purchased an Xtrodinaire fireplace insert back in 2012. American made. Its operates great. We had to have it installed by a certified contractor and inspected by the Fire Department in order to meet Insurance requirements.

[@fridder.]

Wow, that looks amazing. Nice job, thanks for being so detailed. Maybe I'll attempt this one day

[@Acoz0r]

Flexible liner is a total pain in the ass when you clean it. You can punch holes in it super easy

[@SavageBits]

Flexible liner is a total budget job. Cannot be cleaned without damaging. The garbage Dap Dynaflex 230 caulk used to seal the top of the chimney will fail prematurely from excessive temperatures. Always use products properly rated for the job.

[@NordicDan]

Well done! I keep waffling back and forth between doing this or not for my upstairs fireplace. If I stick with the current setup I'm going to need new brick regardless, but if I go with an insert I can get more heat out of it....

[@Pymmusic]

Great Work!!!

[@InconsistentManner]

should have extended the outlet into the old fireplace... went to all the trouble of making everything look great but missed that last touch.

[@maryabshier5459]

Very interesting. Y'all are definitely ambitious.

[@DarinNederhoff]

The price of these inserts just boggles my mind though. 4 grand-ish? I just can't... Great video though!

[@TheArtOfHomeownership]

Yeah.. Installation is not cheap either, which is why we did the install. But depending on the efficiency of the unit, it may be eligable for a tax credit... Thanks Uncle Sam

[@johncrock1489]

Curious, you say the blower must be left running or the box could overheat. I run my fireplace 24-7 during power outages (5-7 days) typical and never worry about overheating. I wonder if they make one for customers that really need it to work on demand all the time.

[@MichaelLamerique]

back butter....lmao This is great, I've gotten a lot out of this video.

[@laborspy]

“My old man and I”

[@MrSquire10]

Nice detailed walkthrough and great result. I’m curious what make/model insert you selected. It looks like an Osburn maybe? Thanks for sharing!

[@TheArtOfHomeownership]

Lopi Flush Wood NexGen Hybrid

[@jameskirk2579]

You'd better have installed a big wood stove in front of your chimney ....In your case you mostly heat the chimney....The wood stove pipe would (T shape) have also heat your house......

[@robertm5969]

No, modern fireplaces are typically more efficient than wood stoves. Secondary burn converts most exhaust into heat. Blowers circulate heat into the conditioned space. You want Chimney exhaust to be at least 250F or creosote will build up

[@billy1673]

Definitely worth investing in chimney sweep tools and attachments.

[@bradyspage]

All that work and not taking a few minutes to hardwire the blower is a shame. The cord sticking out and running down the hearth is not a good look. ☹

[@TheArtOfHomeownership]

Would have to go through multiple layers of brick to get to some wires. Definitely would have taken more than a few minutes. Also if the power goes out. I want the ability to plug it into an external power source. We would love to add backup power to the home someday…

[@chrispy3866]

@@TheArtOfHomeownershipagreed. I have had my jotul insert in for 11 years, i stopped noticing the wire after a couple months.

[@Escotch77]

@@TheArtOfHomeownership yep an Ecoflow or other battery and solar panel would be great. Or two batteries and a solar panel so you can run one while charging the other. Maybe run a meter on the blower to see consumption to get a battery or two that could last a couple days. Lots of ways to slice it.

[@robertm5969]

​@@TheArtOfHomeownership I feel like you could trim it out with some kind of non combustible material, masonry bit and tile/thinset if needed. As long as you do it on both sides it will look symmetrical and nice

[@bobm2331]

I did something similar however I filled the space between new liner and existing flue with vermiculite. Cheap and keeps condensation low. Also kept new round flue centered is old flue. You mentioned several times, “kept cost low”. Doing a fireplace for me would not be the project that I would cut cost. Wish you all the best.

[@MAn-ti3ul]

Not really high effecient as it still pulls air from the living space creating drafts. Should have gotten a better insert that pulls air from the outside!

[@tombeck2792]

yup, dual tubing liners, one for inlet, one for exhaust

[@KlasKettilssonWullt]

I dont have a brick It's steel and stone and water jacket though the water jack is broken

[@legionofthedamned157]

that insulation in the vent was inserted the wrong way, cold will penetrated through it change to horizontal to make it more effective

[@johnlew5972]

Yeah that liner aint legal.

[@jasongreene303]

Click bait.You give the impression you are modifying the existing install, not doing a replacement.

[@xzibit8614]

Not sure why you didn’t wear gloves while doing this

[@NonNone-qm4zi]

Real man hands obviously.