Bushmans
Smoke Dragon Herder
We've been discussing wood usage for fireplace vs woodstove on a diffrent thread but I have some questions on my fireplace that maybe could help me use it more efficiently.
For example:
How hot can the glass doors get? When I close the doors and limit the air the doors get wicked hot. I don't want to damage them.
Is the fireplace insert designed to let most of the heat escape up the chimney?
Is it wise to close the fire box up as much as possible replicating a wood stove?
The damper is controlled by a push rod sticking out of the fireplace. It is either open or shut. No in between settings. This morning while tinkering around with a nice hot fire I closed the doors, shut the louvers and held the damper half shut. The fire simmered down and the heatilator tubes were kicking out some good hot air via the fan undereath the whole contraption and no smoke was rolling out between the doors. The glass got pretty hot and in order to hold the damper I would have to Dremmel an extra slot in the push rod that controls the damper.
There are rubber like seals on the inside of each door that press up against framework and create a seal. The only air intake is the louvers at the bottom that slide open and shut or between the glass doors if I close them. I thought about creating a seal in between the doors as well.
As far as the metal that surrounds the fire box;
The lower metal portion always stays cool but the top gets too hot to touch. Even the brick surrounding the fireplace can get pretty warm (above) when I fire it up hot for a few hours.
The fireplace chimney is triple wall and I clean it myself twice a year with an 8 inch brush with a weight tied to it on a rope. When I first moved in I scrubbed and had enough soot to fill half a five gallon bucket.
When I scrubbed back in October I had enough to fill a coffee cup.
The outside chimney is stick built with 2x4s, plywood and drywall with aluminum siding on the exterior where it juts through the garage roof. I live in a bi-level with the fireplace on the lower level. So it is around 25ish feet in total height.
This is my 2nd winter in the house using this fireplace.
I am working on getting a wood stove insert but want to get the most out of this one in the meantime.
I have a few pics of the fireplace.
View attachment 269927
IMG_20121226_062958.jpg
View attachment 269928
IMG_20121226_062937.jpg
My current burn configuration is doors wide open and screens wide open. I seem to get the best heat but I sure burn a lot of wood to do it!
ps. Did AS change the pic format? I used to have to preview the post, copy/paste and such. Now the pic pops up in the preview window. Hopefully you can see them without clicking on them.
Thanks in advance for any help.
For example:
How hot can the glass doors get? When I close the doors and limit the air the doors get wicked hot. I don't want to damage them.
Is the fireplace insert designed to let most of the heat escape up the chimney?
Is it wise to close the fire box up as much as possible replicating a wood stove?
The damper is controlled by a push rod sticking out of the fireplace. It is either open or shut. No in between settings. This morning while tinkering around with a nice hot fire I closed the doors, shut the louvers and held the damper half shut. The fire simmered down and the heatilator tubes were kicking out some good hot air via the fan undereath the whole contraption and no smoke was rolling out between the doors. The glass got pretty hot and in order to hold the damper I would have to Dremmel an extra slot in the push rod that controls the damper.
There are rubber like seals on the inside of each door that press up against framework and create a seal. The only air intake is the louvers at the bottom that slide open and shut or between the glass doors if I close them. I thought about creating a seal in between the doors as well.
As far as the metal that surrounds the fire box;
The lower metal portion always stays cool but the top gets too hot to touch. Even the brick surrounding the fireplace can get pretty warm (above) when I fire it up hot for a few hours.
The fireplace chimney is triple wall and I clean it myself twice a year with an 8 inch brush with a weight tied to it on a rope. When I first moved in I scrubbed and had enough soot to fill half a five gallon bucket.
When I scrubbed back in October I had enough to fill a coffee cup.
The outside chimney is stick built with 2x4s, plywood and drywall with aluminum siding on the exterior where it juts through the garage roof. I live in a bi-level with the fireplace on the lower level. So it is around 25ish feet in total height.
This is my 2nd winter in the house using this fireplace.
I am working on getting a wood stove insert but want to get the most out of this one in the meantime.
I have a few pics of the fireplace.
View attachment 269927
IMG_20121226_062958.jpg
View attachment 269928
IMG_20121226_062937.jpg
My current burn configuration is doors wide open and screens wide open. I seem to get the best heat but I sure burn a lot of wood to do it!
ps. Did AS change the pic format? I used to have to preview the post, copy/paste and such. Now the pic pops up in the preview window. Hopefully you can see them without clicking on them.
Thanks in advance for any help.