# Pro's and con's of Napoleon inserts



## Hickorynut (Oct 6, 2009)

We have a defiant woodstove in our family room which heats the back of our home and we wanted to replace our gas fireplace with a wood insert and are looking at a Napoleon. Any comments or suggestions?


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## torgo111 (Oct 6, 2009)

i installed a 1402 last fall. i am very happy with the insert. i used it for primary heat last winter and only used 1/2 tank of oil since November until now heating my finished basement and domestic hot water. the year before i used 2 1/2 tanks of oil. the insert installed easily and is quiet when fans are running.


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## HittinSteel (Oct 7, 2009)

Go for it, I have the freestanding model 1400P and like it a lot


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## GRAYSTONE (Oct 7, 2009)

*Napoleon Stoves Are Great*

Hi
I have Both the Napoleon 1400 pedestal stove and the 1400 insert both with glass doors. I prefer the 1400 insert as it has a thermostat controlled fan and a better blower arrangement. I highly recommend the Napoleon. The stoves burns clean and gives great heat. Heats up the entire Hearth which radiates heat back into the room long after the stove has burned down.
A few of pointers would be.
1) Check to be sure the damper/ air control is installed properly. I find mine can't be throttled back enough to get a really long burn. I have been told it may need some adjustment but for know I don't want to take the whole thing apart.
I get about 4 to 5 hours of burn time from 6 16" logs.
2) Be careful loading the stove as you don't want to damage the heat shield panels located in the top of the stove. I once broke one in half. Dealer replaced it free of charge.
3) Door gasket is replaced every 2 years.


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## kodiakattack (Oct 7, 2009)

I also have a 1400 pedastol and it is mint!!! You are right about the baffles on the top you just have to watch you don't hit them when loading them right up!! I find i can only get a true 5 hour burn out of mine with good wood also,but i thought it was becouse of my chimney ? It is a insolated stainless outside one but is about 30 ft from top to bottem! I find it might draw to much, some night when it is set on low i can here the air being sucked in!!
Just put in the 1900 pedastol at my parents and they have a bungalow with a real chimney though the centre of the house and it works very very well!!!!!! Only had a few fires so time will tell!!! See what burn time they get with the bigger box! Manual says 12hrs?????1400 says 9 hrs!
Very happy with the stoves and would say go for it!! Third winter for mine and only had the baffles go once door seal is fine!


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## GRAYSTONE (Oct 7, 2009)

*Picture of Napoleon 1400 Insert*

Here is a picture of my 1400 Insert. The Black area outside of the gold trim is a sheet of steel custom cut to drop over stove to cover edges of existing fireplace.

I have 3 thermometers on it to keep track of the temperature. I am very happy with the stove.


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## fixitguy75 (Oct 7, 2009)

Napoleon stoves are great in my opinion. I have had the 1400p free standing stove for about 4 years now. we love it!


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## flewism (Oct 7, 2009)

We have had a Napoleon 1401 insert for a few years now and it does its job fairly well. I can't really say how they compare because it is the only wood burning device I've ever owned other than an open fireplace. We only get 5 to 6 hour burns also. We have been using it since December '06. This summer I have replaced the baffles $50, the door rope gasket $20, and one of the two fans that was squealing at the end of last season $120, and it is running again.


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## howellhandmade (Oct 8, 2009)

GRAYSTONE said:


> Here is a picture of my 1400 Insert. The Black area outside of the gold trim is a sheet of steel custom cut to drop over stove to cover edges of existing fireplace.
> 
> I have 3 thermometers on it to keep track of the temperature. I am very happy with the stove.



Where are the thermometers and what kind? 

I just installed a Napoleon 1100 insert and have been burning for a week. Hasn't gotten very cold, but haven't used the furnace, either. I'm quite happy so far, especially for the price. I have a big old Buck Stove in a sun room off the back of the house and the Napoleon knocks it into a cocked hat. The Napoleon puts out lots of heat for little wood, the fan is quiet and the glass stays spotlessly clean. The whole family is enjoying it.

Jack


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## Kingsley (Oct 8, 2009)

Good luck with the insert, just make sure you have the right chimney for burning wood. You probably already knew that though, but I thought if someone was reading this that had a gas fireplace and thinking about replacing it with a wood insert should know. Gas chimney DOES NOT work for burning wood. The liner will melt. You will have a fire. Do not ask me how I know.


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## InTheFlow (Oct 8, 2009)

I love my Napoleons! They are excellent woodstoves. We have the 1400P model. Never used an insert before but if I was going to, I'd go with Napoleon based on the excellent performance of the 1400.


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## jkupcha (Oct 12, 2009)

InTheFlow said:


> I love my Napoleons! They are excellent woodstoves. We have the 1400P model. Never used an insert before but if I was going to, I'd go with Napoleon based on the excellent performance of the 1400.



Napoleon is a well made stove. However they save money on their customer service. If you ever have a problem you can only work thru your installer/rep. THats an OK arrangement as long as your installer is a good one and stays on top of Napoleon who is very slow at about sending parts answering emails or phone calls. Should your installer/dealer ever go out of buisness you are totally hosed. I do recommend Napoleon but there are problems to be aware of there.


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## HittinSteel (Oct 13, 2009)

HickoryNut, if you are still researching this stove, here is a recent thread over at the Hearth

http://www.**********/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/43030/


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## Hickorynut (Oct 13, 2009)

*The info has been great*

I am still completing a bit of research. I looked at a couple of Lopi's today but they were at least 1/3 more in price and I am not convinced they are worth it. I am still looking but so far the Napoleon sounds like a good value. Thanks for the info at **********. I found an older used Grizzly that I could purchase real cheap. Any comments?


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## HighPlaces (Jan 14, 2018)

We have a Napoleon Oakdale 1402 series console-type wood stove insert with thermostat controlled circulation, in a Rumsford fireplace (European design, tall/shallow). It was the ONLY insert model we could find in the wood insert marketplace, that we could fit in our shallow Rumsford fireplace. Generally pleased with the Oakdale. No flush-mount models would fit. For info on Rumsford design see http://www.rumford.com/articleWhat.html




Others posters have mentioned Lopis - we have owned/used them, we regard them HIGHLY and believe they are fully worth the price premium. For their size, Lopi's are very efficient. At another property, we relocated a Lopi replacing it with a larger "'other-brand stove" (name escapes me) to be able to use larger logs, with mixed results - the Lopi for its size, provided superior heating.


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