I think my (least) favorite part about it are the screws that are wedged in to try and realign the pipes/keep it from falling out
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I think my (least) favorite part about it are the screws that are wedged in to try and realign the pipes/keep it from falling out
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
I try to do my very best at not being too much of a cheerleader for any one product or company . . . but I will say . . . I have always had a good working relationship with Evergreen . . . very nice folks there.
Welcome to the forum, you are indeed correct there is a lot of great information here. I am still learning as well.
That chimney connection would scare me into an immediate "do not operate" mode.
Good luck with your decision.
That chimney connection would scare me into an immediate "do not operate" mode.
Good luck with your decision.
brad wilton
Feeling the Heat
you must have an excellent draft to not have smoke billowing into the basement ? welcome and good luck
Sons924
Burning Hunk
- Mar 7, 2013
- 243
welcome. yeah those connections are scary. please stop burning. You could install a large new epa insert in the upstairs fireplace. There are tons good choices on the market. Everyone here is very helpful in making good choices. A new insert installed properly will have a 6 (or sometimes 8) inch liner ran down your chimney and connected directly to the insert.
That we must! Ran it for a night or two to see how it would work, and there wasn't an ounce of smoke to be heard (smelled) from.
After we get this HWHP installed I believe our next research project will be the upstairs fireplace conversion. I figure we'll probably have a bit of trouble with the upcoming snow (and weather) coming, but I'll start making some calls and getting some estimates anyway.
jatoxico
Minister of Fire
When the fire is rolling and with that straight shot from the box into the flue, I can see the draft keeping the smoke in the flue. But...the leaky connection is pulling cool air into the flue cooling the gases and creating conditions favoring the formation of creosote. When the fire dies down the gases would be less likely to go straight up the flue I could see flue gases getting into the basement at times. The staining around the fireplace may be indicative that it was happening sometimes.
If it was me, what my biggest concern would be is, if what you can see looks that bad what does the rest of the system look like. Hopefully you have a nice intact clay liner (doubt it's fully lined) and you can redo the connection and be on your way but an inspection is in order. Have you had it swept?
Sons924
Burning Hunk
- Mar 7, 2013
- 243
thats a great looking fireplace. Now you just have to get something efficent in there! If you do some measurements the experts on here can give you some direction. If you have a local dealer, they could want to push you into something they like selling best. Be aware there are a ton of options. You could always order something direct and have a certified installer do the install. there are inserts that will stick out into the room and onto the existing hearth, which are designed to give more radiant heat. Most inserts have blowers to help push the heat forward. Then there are flush inserts that rely on the blower to move the heat because they sit behind the surround. I still think you should stop burning though. that connection could be leaking gasses into your house when the draft slows down. If you need to keep using that setup get some heat tape at least to seal the gaps.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Just throwing this out there . . . if you elect to go with a new insert or stove . . . there are chimney sweeps in the area that can do installs and do good work if you see something you like, but the cost of the install, date of install, etc. doesn't work or you see something that you want to order and not get locally.
Haven't had it swept or inspected yet, merely an inpatient experiment. Learned from it already though and in addition to the safety concerns it doesn't do much to heat the upstairs (not to mention it eats logs like it's cool).
The wife and I like the idea of a stove over an insert, but that may just be naïveté speaking. Power outages aside, we're again looking for efficiency and bang for our buck.
We've nothing against ordering in and having it installed. I'm all about supporting local businesses, just not if it requires paying a substantial premium each time to keep them around.
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