John van Gurp wrote:
Hi all,

I bought an older cast iron franklin fireplace for my new cottage. It was
a bit of an impulse buy. I realize that for heating, an airtight is the
only way to go, but the snap crackle pop effect of a fireplace is hard to
beat.

The roof is 12/12 pitch with cathedral ceiling and I plan to put the
insulated chimney up above the peak to ensure good draft.

Keep in mind that heat rises and you absolutely must have a cieling
fan at the peak, maybe even thermostatically controlled.

Anyone have experience with a franklin? Do they work well?

Grew up with parlor stoves years ago. They work fine but need lots of
TLC. The chimney fire and creosote specter is always prsent, so plan
accordingly.

Any suggestings how to make a nice but reasonably easy to build hearth?

Find a store that sells granite countertops and negociate for sdome
cut-offs or rejects of sutable size. Don't pay the $ per square foot
that countertops go for...remember you're just buying some rock to put
under a stove. Standard tiling tchniques ought to do just fine. HTH

Joe