Forge & Flame Classic Bay 1200 Insert

Plan on about 1,200–2,450 sq ft from your existing fireplace, depending on climate and layout. It's rated 64% efficient on the higher heating value scale, has an input of up to 48,500 BTU per hour, and is EPA certified at 0.8 grams per hour.

It needs an opening at least 29-3/4 inches wide at the front, 22-1/2 inches wide at the back and 12-5/8 inches deep. The hopper height adjusts, so the opening must be at least 19-3/4 inches tall with the hopper at its lowest setting, or 22-1/4 inches at its tallest. It fits masonry or listed factory-built fireplaces.

The glass is shaped like a bay window, with angled side panes that give you 168 sq in of viewing area, so you can see the flame from across the room. The 75 lb hopper means filling it a few times a week in cold months instead of every evening.

The included digital wall thermostat lights the insert automatically when the room needs heat and shuts it down when it's satisfied. A switch sets low, medium, or high, and each cycle starts on high for about 4 minutes. After a power failure, it restarts on its own if the thermostat is still calling for heat.

It uses 3-inch or 4-inch type L or PL pellet vent, connected directly or as a full reline of the chimney. The chimney must have at least a 6-inch inside diameter, and factory-built fireplaces that aren't HT-listed or were tested before 1998 need a full-height liner to the chimney top.

Yes, as long as it isn't in a sleeping room and an outside combustion air inlet is provided. The manual requires the outside air kit, part 811-0872, plus grounding to the home's frame, listed Class L or PL connector pipe, and keeping the floor, walls, and ceiling structurally intact.

A metal surround is required and sold separately: small (40 by 30 inches) or large (50 by 33 inches), in nickel black or satin nickel. In a masonry (non-zero-clearance) fireplace you also need an R-3.0 noncombustible floor protector reaching 6 inches in front and 8 inches to each side of the door opening. The ceramic log set and remote are extras.

Clean the fire pot every 3 bags of hardwood pellets or every 5 bags of softwood, and empty the ash pan about every 5 bags, using the ash dump handle to drop clinkers. Clean the heat exchanger, drop tube, and hopper about every ton of fuel.