I'm very happy to finally have a functional fireplace. It was a lot of work for many reasons...it was in the contract of the purchase of the house that the fireplace and chimney would be in good repair - they were not. I sued the sellers and they wrote me a check just as covid was starting. It took me a while to find what I wanted because I didn't want to cover the front of my fireplace. At least one place told me that what I wanted wasn't possible....although I suspect they defined 'possible' by what was in their showroom. I didn't want something victorian looking. I spoke to multiple vendors to get the install that I wanted. I also put a good amount of effort into removing smoke stains - likely due to poor proportions when it was constructed....it still might get a round of TSP. I consulted an online forum where I was mostly mocked for wanting a particular style instead of going for pure BTUs.

Its here, it works, and I'm enjoying it.



before pic (obvious the light is a lot different) -

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Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/10/2020 11:10PM by mattkime.

did you try a magic eraser on the soot stains? thought I saw that on some DIY show.

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

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jdc
did you try a magic eraser on the soot stains? thought I saw that on some DIY show.

I might as well try it.

I primarily used scrubbing bubbles - worked GREAT on the inner cinderblock but didn't do much on the facing stone (sandstone?). I used paint n' peel on the exterior and did an excellent job _except_ where the soot was particularly pronounced.

One of the challenges is that I'm not certain regarding the type of stone. Limestone can deteriorate from cleaners. I obviously applied some without negative impact so its likely sandstone.

Interesting. Very old-school TV-like; I don’t recall seeing a wood stove with a viewing window size so close to the stove size before.

That's a fireplace and a stove? How do you cook with it? It doesn't seem like there's much room. Do you have a link to this model?

Re: smoke stains.
Instead of trying to clean it all down to the original stone and making it look brand new — which may be impossible. Maybe clean it as much as you can with one last round. And then intentionally, VERY lightly stain a few strategic blocks around the fireplace opening to make it look like the darkness was intentional. Think different.

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I didn’t mean stove in the modern sense, although wood burners that are or can be free-standing (not strictly inserts) are still referred to as stoves because of the box shape. Put a cast iron pan on the top and it’ll heat food, just maybe not as well as an actual wood stove with removable openings up top to expose direct heat to the pan.

Did they close it off around the flue pipe just above the stove?

Let me guess you consulted Hearth.com?

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Grateful11

Hearth.com is populated by guys who depend on these giant space heaters to heat their home in deepest winter. Their perspective on value is understandably going to reflect that value judgement.

I got some decent ideas for how to fix a gaping hole in my basement cinder block, for when I remove the wood stove there and switch to pellet.

>Did they close it off around the flue pipe just above the stove?

They did not. I just checked to see if it felt cold and it did not, but it did occur to me post install that it might be worth doing. The previous owners had placed insulation over the flue since they never used the fireplace. A set of Pine Mountain logs in the basement indicate that they enjoyed it a couple of times about 20 years ago but were aiming to minimize the work involved. I have to admit its an easy fire starter.

>Let me guess you consulted Hearth.com?

Yes....I was eventually able to get some helpful information but I had to filter out a lot of nonsense. I'm kind of surprised people were so concerned with home heating but I guess thats the crew that shows up to such a forum. I suspect I'm like most people - if I want efficiency, I'll just let my furnace run.

Wait...is that an old 1970's TV running a streaming image of a fireplace?



I like how big your view of the fire is relative to the size of the firebox. I have not seen that before.

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

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mattkime
>Did they close it off around the flue pipe just above the stove?

They did not. I just checked to see if it felt cold and it did not, but it did occur to me post install that it might be worth doing. The previous owners had placed insulation over the flue since they never used the fireplace. A set of Pine Mountain logs in the basement indicate that they enjoyed it a couple of times about 20 years ago but were aiming to minimize the work involved. I have to admit its an easy fire starter.

>Let me guess you consulted Hearth.com?

Yes....I was eventually able to get some helpful information but I had to filter out a lot of nonsense. I'm kind of surprised people were so concerned with home heating but I guess thats the crew that shows up to such a forum. I suspect I'm like most people - if I want efficiency, I'll just let my furnace run.

With the stove sitting completely back in the fireplace you're likely to lose a lot heat up the chimney. I'm surprised an installer didn't close it off either just above the stove around the flue pipe or just below the fireplace damper, if it has one, with sheetmetal.

My insert isn't closed off until it get to the chimney cap but sticks out several inches passes the metal surround. Ours has a room behind it with a wall of exposed chimney brick, an add on, and the brick get warm enough to help heat that room and the insert has a blower. It'll still nearly run us out of the Den if we're not careful how we fire it. It's Nov. the 11th and still haven't built a fire this season, kinda unusual, it 71 degrees outside right now, which is crazy, the AC came on last night here west central NC.

Does it have a blower, I don't see a power cord.

Hearth.com used to be a decent place I haven't posted there in about year.

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Grateful11

Looks very nice!

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

So that's what they do with all the old Sony Trinitron TVs! /joking

I do like the stonework though, is that real?

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mikebw
I do like the stonework though, is that real?

Yes, built in the late 20's.

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mattkime
>Did they close it off around the flue pipe just above the stove?

They did not. I just checked to see if it felt cold and it did not, but it did occur to me post install that it might be worth doing.

It's not going to feel cold because stack effect will cause warm air to be sucked up the chimney. It's not an issue of cold air intruding but of warm air exiting. Any heat appliance installed into a chimney should have a layer of fireproof insulation installed around the flue/air intake, and then (more importantly) below that should have an air barrier (usually sheetmetal) that stops advection of warm air up the chimney. Any contractor that installs a flue without at least the air barrier is screwing up big time.

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

Yep, you don’t close the unused chimney space (which in this case is the area surrounding the dedicated flue pipe) because cold air “falls,” so much as because heat rises (and gets pushed out, also.)