pls answer some questions about a wood stove insert

[elijahboy]

I am moving into the MOBILE HOME in June right and it currently has a fireplace (IN A MOBILE HOME) i know they put them in mobile homes now but this one was built in like 85. I am pretty sure that it was suppose to be like gas or propane or something that doesnt burn wood (IN A MOBILE HOME). Before i purchsed it my unlce rented it to some tenants that completely tore of the back porch (a 30ft by 10ft brand newly built just stupid people) and used it and the entire SET OF KITCHEN CABINETS in the fireplace (IN A MOBILE HOME). after saying that I am wondering could this firsplace be tranformed into an insert with piping and so forth. You know done the correct way.

With the way the climate is nowadays i would like something to burn wood in just incase power went out. Where I live now is about 10 degrees warmer then where I am moving. Also where I am living now is city so the power is never out more than an hour but there is KKKKKKUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNTTTTTTTRRRRRRRRYYYYYYY and it might take like a day to get electricity back on.

So after saying that would it be possible to insert a wood stove insert into the fireplace (that was suppose to be propane or something but has been used to burn wood) but the mh has a metal roof now

Any info would be helpful.

 

[elijahboy]

i know xpc can answer this

 

[big brown horse]

Yup he knows everything!!

Sorry, I'm new to fire places myself...I just moved here from TX.

 

[dacjohns]

Patience Lijah. (BYC post you made)

My inclination is yes but I would not tackle it myself, I would have it professionally done.

I think there are different requirements for air intake since it is a mobile home.

I lived in a mobile home with a wood burning stove so I don't see why a fireplace insert couldn't be installed.

 

[freemotion]

If you are primarily worried about heating your home when the power is out, make certain that what you get does not rely on electricity to run a fan to distribute the heat. My insert does. We could heat the living room and cook a little on it with no power, but we would have to hang blankets over doorways and such in order to stay warm enough in a winter power outage.

Fortunately (and unfortunately) for us, we live right on the edge of the part of town with the biggest shopping plaza in town and a major traffic light, on a state highway, so we rarely lose power for more than a few minutes, at worst, a couple hours.

 

[big brown horse]

As far as fans go, I have one of these. I love it!!
http://www.green-logic.net/ecainowostfa.html

 

[freemotion]

Oh, I forgot these exist! I will definitely look into getting one. Thanks, BBH!!!! Smooches!!!!

We have two fans on full-time to distribute heat, and the fan that is part of the stove needs replacing at a price of around $200 + !!!! I think the ecofan will be a better buy, over fixing the stove fan.

 

[big brown horse]

Oh, I forgot these exist! I will definitely look into getting one. Thanks, BBH!!!! Smooches!!!!

We have two fans on full-time to distribute heat, and the fan that is part of the stove needs replacing at a price of around $200 + !!!! I think the ecofan will be a better buy, over fixing the stove fan.

Hold the phone free, I'm not sure it will be able to handle your climate. You may need something stronger...I'm just guessing. We have pretty mild winters up here.

How strong are your current fireplace fans? This one is about as strong as an occilating house fan set on low. Would that be strong enough for you?

As I said before, I am new to fireplaces, so maybe a subtle blowing fan is all they need, but I don't know.

I do know it works great for my house. I have vents that connect all of the rooms in the house to the living room, where my wood burning stove is located. The closer the room the warmer it is. My room is the farthest and the coldest, but I love it that way.

 

[xpc]

.

 

[elijahboy]

Im guessing it probably would not be able to have an insert after you explained it. The depth of the fireplace is maybe 2ft and the guts of it seem to be maybe veneer or something even less inferior.

Do you think the other option could be removed the entire wall because the fireplace imo serves no purpose at all. Tile the new wall up to 3ft in height and tile the floor and put in a freestanding wood stove. Maybe like a fatboy or potbelly type. The pipe will be naked within the living room but then use the existing exit for the "fireplace" that is there now. That way it would only be maybe 18" from the ceiling to the roof.

I wish i had a pic but the property is a lil over an hour from where i currently live. This is the closest pic i can find of what mine is like

http://listings.listhub.net/pages/SIRMLSIL/2904213/?channel=oodle

I knew you would know it all.

Its a thought in my head and until I know i absolutely cant do what I want I will ponder the idea forever.

I am moving into the MOBILE HOME in June right and it currently has a fireplace (IN A MOBILE HOME) i know they put them in mobile homes now but this one was built in like 85. I am pretty sure that it was suppose to be like gas or propane or something that doesnt burn wood

Any info would be helpful.

Is this a true fireplace built into a wall? do you have pictures?

If it was only designed for gas it may be very difficult if not impossible to convert to wood safely without tearing the walls apart. Wood stoves can easily reach the combustion point (about 500F) of the surrounding wood if you don't have the correct pipe and clearances. Even if it is below that but still in the 200F range over time it will start converting the nearby internal wood frame into charcoal which will then easily catch fire at some point.

In the past I have done some conversions and turned others down as being too unsafe requiring the entire two story chimney chase to be opened and relined. I believe the code is around 150F max for any wood near the fireplace or vent stack.

I also had a mobile home with a wood burner but installed it with the correct clearances and safeties in place. And as dacjohns said it could gobble up all the air if not aspirated correctly for a small house, mine was a 1970s vintage and leaky enough to supply fresh air but not necessarily to today's code.

If you plan on having any home or property insurance the agent may require its removal if used for wood, if you ignore him and the place burns the policy will be negated and all the paid premiums will be for not.

Find out and post more info

Let me also add for the sake of others reading - a wood fireplace insert was mentioned, a typical gas insert or existing gas fireplace is not designed with thick enough metal or fire bricks to withstand the consistent high heat of a wood fire and will develop cracks and pin holes resulting in carbon monoxide leaks.