I did it! I'm finally an [indoor] woodburner!

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Mt Ski Bum

Minister of Fire
Feb 23, 2011
535
Dillon, Mt
Pics. of my new condo- the fireplace is pre-EPA & eats through a lot more wood than an EPA unit, but right now, I'm just happy to have any sort of wood stove/fireplace.
 

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Congrats, Mt. Ski Bum! Nice looking place, especially the hearth.
 
Not to bust your bubble but thats a helluva lot of soot/creo between the lintel and mantle dont you think Bum? On a second look theres alot in the box itself too. That doesnt seem right in such a newer looking home.
 
Loco Gringo said:
Not to bust your bubble but thats a helluva lot of soot/creo between the lintel and mantle dont you think Bum? On a second look theres alot in the box itself too. That doesnt seem right in such a newer looking home.

There does seem to be alot of soot there. Is your wood dry enough? Do you hear any hissing when it's burning?
 
Looks almost like my Fireplace in my home. Except the Soot. I have the same Cheap "Brick Walls" too.. But No fear.. Only $200 and that thing will be a MONSTER.... . I Put a "Tighter" sealing door set on.. Along with a couple other things. An "adjustable" damper (Factory is Wide Open or Shut), and bigger CFM fans in the bottom (2X), for better convection heat. I get a Hotter, Longer fire, with the Doors Closed tight and Fans on High. A 4 hour burn isn't bad out of a "Full Load" on a Fireplace... At least I don't think. About an Hour longer burn with my Mods and the Soot is cut down also.. The Soot was always there on mine (before) with the driest wood. Don't know why.. The white face brick helps show a lot of it. I bet if you take your finger to the Soot, the "Black" will wipe right off.

Anyways... Congrats... Nice Fireplace. Even without any "Mods" that fireplace will SCORCH you out. Keep the fans clean of dust in the bottom...... I had mine fired up the last 2 nights. This is the pic I posted from a Thread in The "Pellet Mill and Multi-Fuel Stoves" Thread.. "May 15th and I;m still burning"??

TV.. Looks close. Depth is decieveing. But with the Doors closed and the fans running. It does not even get Hot..
 

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Loco Gringo said:
Not to bust your bubble but thats a helluva lot of soot/creo between the lintel and mantle dont you think Bum? On a second look theres alot in the box itself too. That doesnt seem right in such a newer looking home.

Those pics (except for the one with the fire going) were taken before I had my 1st fire, so it was there before we moved in. The condo isn't really that new- it is in one of the original groups of condos built in Big Sky back in the mid-70's. I went into Bozeman today & bought some stove cleaner from one of the stove/fireplace stores- the gal at the desk said it works great on the glass, as well as the stone surround, the sides of a stove, & pretty much any other part of a stove/fireplace that needs cleaning- it supposedly is a good bbq-grill cleaner as well. As soon as I get a chance I'll wipe that area down.


Olso- yep, my wood is very dry- it's deadfall lodgepole [pine] that's been split for probably over a year now. No hissing when it burns.

Dexter- I might have to check out those upgrades you mentioned- the doors on it def. don't seal. Might contact my landlord sometime & see if he'll let me do those upgrades. As for the fans, I don't believe this fireplace has any sort of fans- that I know of. The damper on this one is the same way- I think it's ment more to block downdrafts through the chimney than to control the way the fire burns- especially since 1. the lever that controls it is located inside the firebox (i.e. not something you're going to try to adjust when burning), & 2. it's one solid plate w/o any holes- unlike most of the dampers ment to control the fire that I've seen- did your original damper rotate open/close (the damper plate is vertical in the open position) also, or did it slide in/out? The TV is off to the side- out of the "direct line of heat" coming from the fireplace, & it's about 5 ft. away also.

With those upgrades, I might actually be able to get it to heat some of the living area better. Right now it mainly heats the chimney & the air above the roof. lol
 
I am happy for ya Ski Bum. It will still warm your back side and give good ambiance for the wife while your drinking wine. ;-)
Cheers
 
Fire looks good!!!!!!

If you're working on it over the Summer, it might be worth checking to see the viability of putting a small baffle in.

Mind you, even sealing the air leaks will reduce fuel consumption a bit.

Just trying to help make your log pile last longer ;-)
 
Fire looks great!
Enjoy!

Ray
 
Now you are really going to have to cut the wood! Congratulations. Looks nice.
 
Is there any "Open" vents Underneath and on top of the fireplace?? May be a "Mod" in your future. From your pics... It does look like mine. Not sure of the Manf. of my fireplace. Never seen a name. My home is only about 15 yrs old. I bought it about 10 yrs ago. A Good set of Doors for the front and if your Damper can be closed any. (Even if its closed by you) Having that "Flap" at anything other than a 90 degree angle will help slow the air on its way out.. Slowing the burn. My "Burn" and burn-time increased by an Hour (Again, not much. But its a fireplace). The "Burn" of the Wood slowed. There are 2 fans in the bottom of my fireplace, with a switch on the lower right side to turn on/off. These fans did nothing but make noise before I replaced them with much bigger units. A fan for a computer is all that was there from the factory. They did work a little. But not much. Now when you kick on the fans, (can still hear) there is a Good amount of air coming from the top. Fans blow air through the bottom of fireplace. (Directly under fire), the air goes up and around the back of fireplace (still hot) and exits out the top vents around where the flue starts (Really hot air by now). It is no Woodstove, but it is not the Hot Air sucking Monster it once was. Used to have the doors open for any heat at all. Now I close them to contain the heat inside the walls and slow the burn. While letting the fans push most of the heat out. Took me a few years and some "Tinkering". But its a much more efficient fireplace than what it once was. It gets done what we need. One day I would like to take down that fireplace (entire structure) and put a Freestanding Stove (wood or pellet) in its place. I have enough stoves and a honey-doo list long enough to avoid that for a few more years..

Congrats again...
 
Cool. There is nothing like watching a fire that is keeping you warm. I love the glass door on your fire place and on my Pacific Energy Super 27. Have fun and be safe with it. Keep that chimney clean!
 
Congrats. And it's not like you have to worry about running out of wood anytime soon... might as well use what's handy; enjoy!
 
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