Fireplace Help!!!

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usner21

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Oct 16, 2009
122
Eastern PA
Can anyone tell me for sure what type of fireplace i have? It is masonry built and the chimney is on the outside of the house. The firebox has brick as you can see below but I do have vents on each corner of the fireplace with a switch to turn on a blower or fan. Would this be a heatform type fireplace or is it possible when the fireplace was built they just added a blower around the firebox behind the brick?
 

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It's some type of heatform fireplace. There should be a dead air space around the fire box that those vents are hooked up to. The cool air comes in the bottom and warm air is pushed out the top ones. They can put out a lot of heat once the fire box warms up but also burns a ton of wood. You should have a good set of doors and keep them closed for best efficiency.
 
Not sure I can help you much here - why is it that the distinction matters? I'd imagine that from the picture you posted it won't be possible to answer the question.

Either way if you burn that fireplace you are likely going to suck more heat out of your home than you gain from any heat it produces.
 
I am currently looking for a wood insert and have no idea what will fit or what will be most efficient. I do have doors for the fireplace I took them off for the pics. Do all heatform fireplaces have the tubes at the top?
 
I have something very close. It's nothing more than air passages outside of the brick. Kind of like having an insulating air-gap that has a low volume/pressure air blowing through it. I may be wrong but would think it could compliment your insert by utilizing the warm hearth. I can't see it being any type of hazard. Although I just do small "mood" burns I use it every now then, we got tired of waking up in the morning with the fan still blowing and added a timer switch.

My intakes at the bottom have fans mounted to them and the top is nothing more that an open vent.
 

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Mandoo said:
I have something very close. It's nothing more than air passages outside of the brick. Kind of like having an insulating air-gap that has a low volume/pressure air blowing through it. I may be wrong but would think it could compliment your insert by utilizing the warm hearth. I can't see it being any type of hazard. Although I just do small "mood" burns I use it every now then, we got tired of waking up in the morning with the fan still blowing and added a timer switch.

My intakes at the bottom have fans mounted to them and the top is nothing more that an open vent.

This is what I believe I have. There is no tubes that I can see when looking up into the fireplace and mine only has fans on the bottom as well. Does this mean that i shouldn't be very limited when it comes to picking an insert? Also what about my hearth being that it is only 12". What are my options for an extension?
 
The only thing I can answer is the air flow response I gave, Like I said consider it an air-gap with built in cooling meaning it should be safe for an insert. My picture is nothing more than a fireplace door and screen combo.

But you will soon have posts from other guys covering safe Hearth distance and insert and install suggestions.
 
Mandoo said:
The only thing I can answer is the air flow response I gave, Like I said consider it an air-gap with built in cooling meaning it should be safe for an insert. My picture is nothing more than a fireplace door and screen combo.

But you will soon have posts from other guys covering safe Hearth distance and insert and install suggestions.

Thanks a lot! You have been very helpful. I am really leaning towards a flush insert like the Quadrafire 2100
 
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