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Napoleon Arlington Black Natural Gas Direct Vent Stove - GDS20
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Questions on Napoleon Arlington Black Natural Gas Direct Vent Stove - GDS20
- From Ann at 10/20/12 6:56 PM
- I am researching gas stove and fireplace inserts in anticipation of getting a gas line to my home.
My experience with wood burning inserts is they are not as effective as free-standing wood stoves. To me, it appears that inserts do not produce sufficient heat unless the insert fan is used to get the heat into the room. And, even with the electric fan, the insert does not seem as effective as a free standing stove.
I want an direct vent gas insert or free standing gas stove that uses the masonary chimney for venting. (Note: I understand that I will need the chimney lined with a direct vent chimney for the gas heating unit.) My desire is that the gas heating unit be effective even if the electric is not available. The electric often goes out here with ice storms, therefore I need something that works without electric.
What do you recommend? - Ann,
The reason a freestanding stove is more efficient than an insert is due more of the stove being in the room. Most radiant stoves do seem to heat better than one that relies on a blower since radiant heat warms everything around it whereas a blower type stove (usually double wall construction) relies on heating the air. There are advantages & disadvantages to both designs.
Radiant heat is great in that it heats objects like the walls, floor, furniture, hearth, etc., which then in turn radiates some heat as well. It is quiet since there is no need for a fan. The downside to radiant heat is that the wood stove or gas stove is not specifically designed to heat the air so getting heat to other rooms is not easy since the stove is not heating much air which can be moved to other parts of the home fairly easy. A radiant type stove or insert will generally heat you out of one room to heat the others that are more distant.
A stove or fireplace insert with a blower is generally built with an inner wall and an outer wall. The fan moves air between these walls picking up the heat and then forcing it out into the room. The advantage is that the warmed air circulates easier to other parts of the home. The downside is that it needs electricity to run the fan and there is some noise to the fan.
Some inserts are made to sit further out on the hearth and are radiant heaters. These require a large hearth to accommodate the size and are not very common these days. Basically these types of inserts were freestanding stoves with no legs and vented out the back and into the fireplace chimney. The downside to this type or radiant insert was that the hearth needed to be extended taking up space in the room or the insert was set back in the fireplace with no facing which wasn't very popular due to the look. Also this type of insert gets hotter on the sides and top and can damage or be dangerous to a wooden mantle or surround.
The bottom line is that the freestanding type stoves are more efficient due to more of the stove or insert being in the room and not behind a face plate. However, for many the space in the room is a consideration as is the aesthetic look of the fireplace. Also a combination radiant heat and blower (double wall) offers the best of both technologies. Some double wall stoves are only double wall on the sides or top. Some wood stoves or gas stoves or inserts are double wall on the sides and the top.
This particular gas stove is well suited for a fireplace hearth in that it will not take up much room on the hearth and will radiate a good amount of heat. Bear in mind though; this unit is rated at 20,000 BTUs compared to an average wood burning fireplace insert producing somewhere like 80,000 BTUs or more. So the heat from this unit is much less and generally designed for a room heater. In many situations this is fine but depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you're looking to heat you whole home then look at something bigger. If you are after zone heating (heating one room or area of the home) then this gas stove is a good choice. ...Robert
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- I am researching gas stove and fireplace inserts in anticipation of getting a gas line to my home.