After adding this new return, how many will you have? Will you have the ability to close off any of the others? The reason I'm asking is that we have 3 returns in our home, one is in the room with the insert, but not in the ceiling. I tried running our system on fan only during one winter to help circulate the warm air. It really didn't work that well with all returns open. I couldn't close off the other two.

I think that the improvement in circulation would not justify the expense of adding the extra return and duct work. I achieve much better distribution of warm air by placing a small fan on the floor pointed into the room with the insert. (I'd tried blowing the air from the insert room out but this way works much better.) This costs less than $100 for a reliable, quiet fan.

Hm, thanks. None of the returns in our home can be closed off. We do have a fan in the hall going upstairs which can be turned on. I have just started to look into fireplaces so my knowledge is bare bones. I am wondering if it is even worth the expense to put in a new fireplace. Granted a cleaner burning fireplace would really mean a lot to me. I have to say the salesperson didn't really emphasize cleaner burning when I was in the shop.

Some wood burning stoves and inserts come with the option to add additional vents from the fireplace to different rooms in the house. I am not sure what models or brands of inserts that you have looked at. Most European style newer fireplace inserts are EPA certified and have smoke clearing functionality. Wittus is an example of this capability. They are not the only one. I am not sure I under the issue about cold are returns. Many of these fireplace inserts have the options for fans too.

Good luck!

I'm confused. (It doesn't take much)

What is a "clean burning fireplace"? I know stoves and the like are built today so they burn efficiently because of either CATs or secondary burn chambers, but they're airtight appliances.

We have a model that isn't airtight or have a secondary burn chamber. This is what I am unsure of. Right now we have an open fireplace (a double folding glass door with a screen we slide back and forth to stoke/start fire) that just opens a flue to the chimney and releases smoke, and it seems like sparks, as I have seen coming from other homes' chimneys who have the same fireplace while go for night time walks and no fan. This is the one I am looking at

http://napoleonfireplaces.com/products/high-country-3000-wood-fireplace/.

I honestly don't even know if this has a secondary burn chamber in, if we can even have a secondary burn chamber due to the previous construction of chimney/fireplace? Ha ha, I guess I have been putting it on the backburner, but they are having a sale for $500 off for the next two weeks so I better get on it. The salesman said it releases a lot less smoke from the chimney although he didn't say why or how. I guess I will dig in and start my research.