Wood fireplace insert maximum output comparison chart

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WOOD FIREPLACE INSERT COMPARISON PAGE

Sorted By: MAXIMUM OUTPUT

To get a maximum output rating, test labs cram the firebox chock-full and crank the draft control wide open. This raging, short-duration fire is just the opposite of how people burn their inserts, and can be misleading: if all you look at is the maximum output rating, a little bitty model with a really big air intake can seem just as powerful as a big area heater. For a real world picture, see the 8 hour burn column.

To sort the table, click the column header (ie; Fireplace Size, Shipping Weight, etc.)

Model	Minimum Fireplace Size	Shipping Weight	Firebox Size	Hardwood Capacity	Max. Log Length	Heating Efficiency	EPA Emissions	Max Output Wide Open	Output 8 hour burn	Heating Capacity
Pacific Summit Plate Steel	25" T 35" W 18" D	475 lbs	3 cubic ft	60 lbs	20"	80.3%	3.56 grams/hr	97,000 btu	43,691 btu/hr	2000 - 3000 sq ft
Pacific Super Plate Steel	21" T 24" W 18" D	410 lbs	1.97 cubic ft	39.4 lbs	18"	82.6%	3.4 grams/hr	72,000 btu	27,424 btu/hr	1000 - 2000 sq ft
Hearthstone Clydesdale Cast Iron	23" T 33" W 15" D	585 lbs	2.4 cubic ft	48 lbs	22"	79%	3.2 grams/hr	60,000 btu	35,195 btu/hr	1200 - 2000 sq ft
Pacific Vista Plate Steel	22" T 25" W 15" D	300 lbs	1.41 cubic ft	28.2 lbs	18"	80.7%	2.9 grams/hr	56,000 btu	20,110 btu/hr	600 - 1400 sq ft
Hearthstone Homestead Soapstone	21-1/2" T 6" W 6" D	440 lbs	2 cubic ft	40 lbs	21"	83.5%	1.9 grams/hr	50,000 btu	29,730 btu/hr	1200 - 1800 sq ft
Hearthstone Morgan Cast Iron	23" T 26" W 15" D	425 lbs	1.7 cubic ft	34 lbs	18"	79%	4.3 grams/hr	40,000 btu	24,244 btu/hr	700 - 1500 sq ft

To visit (or return to) any insert's page, click its name in the chart above.

Note: Wood fireplace insert maximum output ratings don't tell the whole story.

In fact, maximum output ratings can be very confusing. For example, the manufacturer's brochure for one nationally marketed wood insert with a little 1.3 cubic foot firebox boasts a maximum output rating of 64,200 BTU/hr, which is enough output to heat a 4000 sq. ft. home, yet in the same brochure they rate the same stove to heat just 1200 sq. ft. The reason for this apparent discrepancy is twofold: first, that insert's 1.3 cubic foot firebox will only hold enough fuel to burn for about 2 hours at maximum output level, and nobody wants to refuel that often; second, sustained operation with the draft control wide open like that would soon burn the firebox to a crisp.

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