Anybody know about gas fireplace inserts?

[James Spillman]

We are going to install a gas insert in our masonry fireplace. Since the hearth is so small there is a limited number of products available. The Regency gas insert would be the size we need. I'm wondering if anyone is familiar with gas fireplace inserts and better yet Regency gas fireplace inserts.

[Jim Matthews]

Is the fireplace for heat, or purely ambiance?

[James Spillman]

The fireplace is used primarily to heat a small family room.

[Jim Koepke]

My brother used to sell fireplace inserts. He would hire me to help him deliver and install them. Most of these were for burning wood. In California a licensed pipe fitter was required to connect a gas stove.

For the best result and efficiency the insert should include a fan to circulate room air through the insert and return it heated back to the room. Otherwise the insert can send warm air up the flue and draw air from the room without warming the room.

Other than that my advice is to have someone who knows what they are doing instal and connect your insert.

jtk

[John Goodin]

They make gas log sets now that provide more heat into the room than the traditional ones. I think the logs are ceramic instead of concrete. We bought a set and it makes a big difference. They are a bit pricey but for us worth the money.

[James Spillman]

Thank you for the replies. We are going to have professionals install the gas insert. We were told the Regency gas insert is very efficient in returning heat to the room (over 90%). Of course ,we were told this by the fireplace store that sells Regency products.

[Paul F Franklin]

I'm not sure what brand we have, but some general things to think about.

Most of these have circulation blowers to draw air around the firebox and then blow it into the room. A lot of them are really noisy, especially at other than the slowest speed. So see if you can hear one with the blower operating. You don't have to use the blower, but it really helps heat a room faster.

When they installed our insert, they basically just set it into the opening with the surround pushed up against the brick. This just made it noisier as the unit vibrated against the brick when the blower was operating. So I drilled several holes through the surround , glued some high temp gasket material to the back of the surround, and screwed it tight against the brick. That eliminated the noise from the unit vibrating against the brick. You might inquire as to how the unit will be installed.

Our unit has the option of a standing pilot or an intermittent pilot (Just a switch setting). The intermittent pilot saves gas. The standing pilot generates enough heat to keep the air in the chimney warm so you don't have a cold draft from around the insert when it isn't operating. I switch it to standing pilot for the coldest part of winter, and then leave it on intermittent for the rest of the year. I imagine there are areas of the country where standing pilots are not allowed.

The blower of course won't operate when there is a power failure. And neither will the intermittent pilot, making it impossible to use the insert during a power failure. Our unit offered an optional battery pack to power the pilot during power outages. It's a good thing to have. Even though you can't run the blower, the unit will throw off a fair amount of heat.

We really like having the insert...we can keep the entire house cooler and just use the insert to warm the family room where my wife spends most evenings.

[Bill Dufour]

My wood stove the blower was way to loud even at the lowest setting. I threw it away and repalced it with four computer case fans. I bought the stealth fans which are less then 1/2 as loud. They run off a doorbell transformer through a diode and resistor to charge a capacitor then into a thermostat switch that switches them off when the firebox cools. I run them at about 10 volts and they are very quiet. They will not start spinning at 10 volts so the capacitor charges before then thermostat turns them on giving them about 15 volts to start. It takes 30 minutes of fire to heat enough to turn on the fans. The thermostat just sits outside on the back of the firebox wall so the firebrick have to heat up enough for the heat to reach the outside of the box.
Bil lD

[Thomas McCurnin]

I have a Regency Insert and love it! It is nearly 20 years old and the company located in the Pacific NW still carries parts for it and was super helpful on how to install the parts. Combined with electric fans as part of the unit, it heats up a 1,000 square foot cabin nicely in about two hours, from zero to 68 degrees. I would recommend installing a dedicated outlet near or on the hearth for the fans, or you'll have a long cord or may need an extension cord, both of which look pretty stupid.

[Bill Dufour]

You may want to think about how generator power will make it to that one outlet if needed. Maybe make it a homerun cable from the panel just in case or tap it off from the furnace power and home run that.
Bil lD

[Ronald Blue]

Some things to ponder. Gas fireplaces from many years ago are not like the ones today. Get "high efficiency" glass. This allows the most radiant heat. We had two different gas fire places in our last home. One had a blower and one didn't. The blower wasn't terribly annoying. The nice thing about both though is they would function without power. Battery ignition. One had a wall thermostat and would cycle on and off as needed to maintain the preset temperature. As with tools buy quality and you won't regret it. I don't know where you're located but check for places that carry several models. If you can't look at several in the showroom look for a place that you can. This isn't something to order from a catalog. The actual insert can have multiple different fronts on it. They mostly vary by size and options. The better units will have high efficiency glass standard. the place we dealt with only carried the higher quality units. Good luck.

[Thomas McCurnin]

I re-read your post. Mine is wood burning. So my experience is useless, except the company is great.

[Bill Dufour]

I would never buy white. My wife insisted on any color except black. I bought a used one and repainted it in dark green, almost black. She likes the color. I used high temp stove paint which is flat not gloss. Some engine paint is more glossy.
Bil lD

[dennis thompson]

In our previous house we had a Mendota which provided a great deal of heat. We were pretty happy with it.

[BOB OLINGER]

James,

We replaced our wood burning fireplace with a Regency gas insert about 3-4 years ago. We LOVE it. We use it to supply supplemental heat to the room (26' x 26'). Be sure to get the remote.

We also replaced a free standing wood burner with a free standing gas (not Regency) and love it, also.