More insert burning related questions

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Viper0023

Viper0023

New Member
Dec 4, 2011
12
Long Island, NY
Even though I was still unsuccessful in IDing the make and model of my fireplace insert I decided to start a fire today. The fire once again sucked.

This I used wood that was seasoned for 1.5 years (Oak & Cherry) and to start it up I kept the door cracked about 6" and the damper open fully. The newspaper and kindling lit and the fire started to catch and become intense. At that point I closed the door (but kept the damper fully open) and the fire immediately became oxygen starved (intense coals, no flames). I played around with the damper a bit and I was getting no response from the fire in whatever position I put it in. The coals remained hot ( and are still burning actually) and the blower is blowing out hot air but still no flames. I am wondering if the damper is broken or what the issue is. Probably tomorrow or Saturday I'll take a video to show exactly what is going on.

I also heard that burning newspaper in a fireplace is bad and can make the surrounding walls turn black. Is this true or is it a myth?

Thanks,

Ken
 
Hmmm, if you're getting an intense fire with the door and damper fully open, your draft up the chimney sounds fine. When you shut the door and it's starved for air, this sounds like the primary air lines are clogged. I have no idea where the primary air intakes are on this stove. Look at the base of the stove (outside) and see if you can areas where air can enter the stove. Look around inside the stove as well for holes that would allow air in. These may be clogged as well.
 
I don't have much experience with inserts other than mine..but is there a vent that supplies combustion air from outside the house? If so, that could be obstructed also. Is the person you bought the house from reachable?
 
Well I looked out side all around the chimney and there is no sign of any vents.

I took a flashlight and looked under that black shroud right above the door and I did find some holes that are used for ventilation [picture]. I took some compressed air and cleaned it out but there really wasn't that much dust or debris. I did however put my hand in the firebox when I was blowing the air and I did feel air coming through the other side so no I know where the fire gets its air from. I just guess those vents aren't supplying enough oxygen.


The person who previously owned the house is long gone and I wouldn't even take advice from them because they did everything half baked anyway.

Thank you
 
Viper0023 said:
Even though I was still unsuccessful in IDing the make and model of my fireplace insert I decided to start a fire today. The fire once again sucked.

This I used wood that was seasoned for 1.5 years (Oak & Cherry) and to start it up I kept the door cracked about 6" and the damper open fully. The newspaper and kindling lit and the fire started to catch and become intense. At that point I closed the door (but kept the damper fully open) and the fire immediately became oxygen starved (intense coals, no flames). I played around with the damper a bit and I was getting no response from the fire in whatever position I put it in. The coals remained hot ( and are still burning actually) and the blower is blowing out hot air but still no flames. I am wondering if the damper is broken or what the issue is. Probably tomorrow or Saturday I'll take a video to show exactly what is going on.

I also heard that burning newspaper in a fireplace is bad and can make the surrounding walls turn black. Is this true or is it a myth?

Thanks,

Ken
Click to expand...

Ken, can you tell us how that wood was "seasoned" please? For sure I highly doubt that oak is ready to burn.
 
Standard advice to rule out bad wood is to get a bundle of firewood from the quickie mart and see how you do with that.
 
With my insert I have to build up the fire nice and hot before I close the doors, even with the damper fully open. Try waiting a bit longer...get your kindling going, then put on some bigger pieces, make sure they're burning well. Maybe I have a draft issue, but it takes a good 30-45 min of building the fire up before I can close the doors, otherwise I have the same problem and my house fills with smoke...really pisses off the wife. Others I have spoken to with similar inserts have the same issue. My fireplace was installed last year, and I haven't gotten around to building a chase around the pipe yet (other unexpected projects came up)--the installers said it wasn't necessary, but I do plan on building one in the spring.
 
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