Insert owners, how do you maximize your heat output

Did the insert come with a fan?

EJL923 said:

Ok, I admit, i obsess over everything until i am happy with the results. I have been customizing my insert to suit my needs over the past two winters. (house size, burn times, etc.)

I have adjust the air intake so it can be brought down further ( i have really good draft)
I am going to add an adjustment to the zipper (doghouse) air

But here is my biggest question, how do you take the heat being sucked up by your masonry fireplace and put it back into the room. Its like a giant heat sponge. I have the block off plates, and im looking for more ideas. I was thinking some stone on top of the stove to add more mass.

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All these products go through testing, that being said if you were to add a large stone to the top of it you are entering no mans land. Sure maybe it will work, maybe it wont, or maybe something like an over fire will occur because of the heat being kept in the insert. I would strongly recommend not doing the stone idea. I have always thought that once you are burning the unit for some time the masonry acts as extra heat.
Also the change you have made to the air inlet, have you noticed any change in the glass or the secondary air? I know when that R and D these units its a delicate balance of air needed to operate correctly.

Try taking the surround off the insert, this may increase heat out and not allowing it to be tapped behind it.

Some of us have wrapped rockwool around the insert to hold the heat in better. This could void your warranty and cause damage to your insert so take that with a grain of salt.

I have pondered, if power goes out i wont be cold, but I also wont be warm without that blower. Mine sits a tad bit outform the surround to begin with, I'm thinking of trying to find a piece of soapstove or something cermic on top with a desgin that can collect and dissapte heat. Anyone done that? Lucky soapstone stove owners need not gloat

Before starting some large modification, I would replace the rope gasket on the door. It's part of regular maintenance and may be part of the reason you have excessive draft. I would think most manufacturers would design their product so that it can be "choked down" even in installations that have a lot of draft. The faceplate removal should help too. To be honest, I can see more of a difference heat-wise with really well seasoned wood than trying to max out a few more btu's with a dangerous/expensive modification.

I would think that the stone on top of the stove would be counter productive, and add to the stone mass currently around your insert.

If I were a tinkerer - and i am not, I would experiment with higher volume (and hopefully ones that would be less noisey) fans and if really was a tinkerer the ducting of air around the insert, but this most likely would require moving the unit. I do not know how the fans and ducts are designed on the 550's. But is it in anyway possible that the fans and/or ducts couuld be partially blocked or misaligned/disconnected as to reduce the heat exchange efficiency?

Another idea, ducting the masonry fireplace - a really big job. A friend of mine with a quad insert in a old stone fireplace which has ducts on both sides of the fireplace (now with insert) openng, I was surprised at the gentle breeze of warm air out the top opening of these ducts. His were passive and not augmented with a fan.

Another idea, trade the insert for a stove.

And as mentioned above, make sure the wood is optimum and the stove door tight.

EJL923 said:

I have seen someone add sheet metal and insulation to the walls of the existing fireplace. I bet that would help keep the bricks from absorbing too much. My fireplace doesnt do a good job putting back into the room.

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I did that, got the idea from another thread. I used rockwool batts held in place by bare sheet metal Tap-Con'd at a few mortar joints. I also covered the FP bottom and an exposed bit btwn the sheet metal wall & block-off plate with heavy duty AL foil to reflect radiant back.
I was affraid to wrap insulation right on the insert box in-case it trapped too much heat & warped or caused thermo-nuclear meltdown...
I can't say how much it helps as I did it prior to install. My masonry still warms up, mainly above the insert. After several hours burning I can feel warmth on the back (outdoor) side of the masonry.

I agree that removing the shrouding should help some, but personally I won't sacrifice the aesthetics. I toyed with the idea of cutting some discreet vent holes or slots in the shroud, say on each side near the bottom (intake) and at top center (exhaust). They'd have to be fairly big to move any real heat & you'd be changing the mantel clearance conditions.

Since we're throwing-out wacky options, you could also insulate the whole exterior of your masonry & cover with siding. That'd keep the masonry radiating more to the inside & less to outside. I don't think the Fire Marshall would approve.

Re-reading the OP I'd like to offer this: Just because the masonry is soaking-up heat doesn't mean you're loosing it. A good bit will radiate back into the room from the hot masonry (just like that chunk of soapstone). If you're luck enough to have an interior chimney then almost all that heat is still going into your home.