I purchased a grandpa bear and after researching and talking with y'all on here I realized the heater was way to much for my small home so I sold it before I ever even brought it in the house. Today I went and picked up a Fisher baby bear for 125 bucks. It's in decent shape and not rusty at all. But it has been over fired and has some white on both sides as well as some around the "intake" nob. For 125 I couldn't pass it up though. My question is did I do okay? How about the white on the stove? How bad is that? The guy I got it from was using it and decided to go with a bigger heater. Also it has chrome knobs for feet? Ive never seen that before. Did that come from Fisher or is this something he added? Thanks for the help.
Fisher baby bear questions.....
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White at the hot spots won't hurt anything but the paint. As long as the side sheets didn't warp it's fine. Bowed or warped sides are only looks. When they are repeatedly over fired and white around the flue outlet pipe, they can get cracks in the back around outlet. That isn't difficult to repair, but needs a welder.
Chrome ball feet were standard on the early models. Most will have a set screw near the top to adjust up and down. They are floor levelers for uneven brick, or stone hearth.
You did good if that's the stove you need. The chrome ball feet can sell for more than that a set on eBay.
These went for $110 back in December 2012 !
Chrome ball feet were standard on the early models. Most will have a set screw near the top to adjust up and down. They are floor levelers for uneven brick, or stone hearth.
You did good if that's the stove you need. The chrome ball feet can sell for more than that a set on eBay.
These went for $110 back in December 2012 !Thank you coaly. I sure do appreciate it. Do you happen to remember all the questions I was asking about installing a wood heater in my "pre fab" fireplace. I had that grandpa bear at that time and it was a no go. Now that have this smaller heater with a 6" outlet. And my chimney is 8, would I do okay to buy some real good insulated pipe and pipe it all the way through the chimney?
You want a 6" chimney. Either a liner up an existing chimney, or an insulated metal "class A" chimney.
6 inch diameter inside. The smaller the stove, the more critical it is to have the correct diameter.
A smaller load of wood and lower capacity to heat the chimney means you don't have a ton of heat to allow up the chimney to keep it above 250* to the top. The key is keeping the flue hot inside so the flue gasses stay above 250* f. to the top. Not only is that needed to make the stove work, it is needed to prevent creosote from forming. Expanding into a larger area allows rising gasses to cool, and a chimney built to stay cool that uses air circulation can't be used due to cooling the inner flue too much. (They were used for fireplaces where you had a ton of wasted heat that would be hot enough inside to the top) A more efficient stove won't have enough wasted heat to make a cold running chimney work.
Chimney sections are either "pack" type which is insulation densely packed between the inner and outer stainless wall (you can check them out a Lowe's) or triple wall which has a thin layer of insulation inch thick around the inner pipe, then a second pipe holding the insulation in place, with an inch air space between the second and outer exterior pipe. (check them out at Home Depot) They are both Class A "all fuel" (meaning solid fuel, wood or coal) and rated the same for safety. The pack type is superior since it stays hotter inside. 6 inch will have an 8 inch outside diameter compared to the triple wall 6 inch having 10 inch outside diameter.
Liners are stainless steel, not just black pipe which will rust through. They can be sections like connector pipe that screws together or one piece flexible.
A smaller load of wood and lower capacity to heat the chimney means you don't have a ton of heat to allow up the chimney to keep it above 250* to the top. The key is keeping the flue hot inside so the flue gasses stay above 250* f. to the top. Not only is that needed to make the stove work, it is needed to prevent creosote from forming. Expanding into a larger area allows rising gasses to cool, and a chimney built to stay cool that uses air circulation can't be used due to cooling the inner flue too much. (They were used for fireplaces where you had a ton of wasted heat that would be hot enough inside to the top) A more efficient stove won't have enough wasted heat to make a cold running chimney work.
Chimney sections are either "pack" type which is insulation densely packed between the inner and outer stainless wall (you can check them out a Lowe's) or triple wall which has a thin layer of insulation inch thick around the inner pipe, then a second pipe holding the insulation in place, with an inch air space between the second and outer exterior pipe. (check them out at Home Depot) They are both Class A "all fuel" (meaning solid fuel, wood or coal) and rated the same for safety. The pack type is superior since it stays hotter inside. 6 inch will have an 8 inch outside diameter compared to the triple wall 6 inch having 10 inch outside diameter.
Liners are stainless steel, not just black pipe which will rust through. They can be sections like connector pipe that screws together or one piece flexible.
You need to fully inspect your zc unit and chimney. Including pulling off the chase cover and getting down in there to check for proper clearances for the chimney asnd the unit itself. They may be referred to as zero clearance but they really are not. And dont forget that stove still needs 36" to combustibles the wall around your zc unit is combustible. That means your stove would need to be 36" away from the face of the fireplace. Or you need a ventilated heat sheild.
And of course a full insulated liner with a cap that still allows proper airflow through the air cooled chimney. And you also cant obstruct the cooling vents around your old fireplace either.
Also I have seen some heaters with what I'm guessing is nickel for a finish on the trees. After taking the wire wheel to it these trees are turning a silver color. Are they supposed to be silver and have just been painted over the years. Or did I just get at it a little to hard with the wire wheel. I'll try and load a picture showing what I'm talking about.
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The doors with flat tops like yours (before 1980) were painted black only. Many owners painted the trees to highlight them. To find out if it's paint, wipe with lacquer thinner or try paint remover if you have it.
The arched top doors called "Cathedral" were available in black or with optional brass or nickel plate
Stove Bright Satin Black is closest to original and is the best paint to retain the color. Paint cold, then fire for final cure.
The arched top doors called "Cathedral" were available in black or with optional brass or nickel plate
Stove Bright Satin Black is closest to original and is the best paint to retain the color. Paint cold, then fire for final cure.
Thank you coaly. How about the nickel intake cap? It's totally silver colored. Should I paint it black To?
Also I'm headed to ace hardware no. I'm going to replace the fire brick and like a dummy I didn't count them or measure before i left. So if you know that off the top of your head and can tell me before I get here I'll be in debt to ya. Otherwise I'll just wing it.
The draft cap is aluminum. Some are painted, some bare aluminum (4 fin). 5 fin can be painted or have brushed edges (Scotch Bright is good for this) and others are painted with polished edges. (for nickel trim doors) Yours doesn't look like it was ever painted.
If you're painting trees and don't care about the original look, paint cap and wipe edges with mineral spirits before firing. Buff edges with scrubbie for the brushed look;
That is not original, this would have been all black.
Use the search feature at top right for "draft cap" within this Forum and post by myself for pics and tips.
The brick count varies if you have upper course, ACE here sells them by the case, not individual. I'd get a case not knowing how many are broken.
If you're painting trees and don't care about the original look, paint cap and wipe edges with mineral spirits before firing. Buff edges with scrubbie for the brushed look;
That is not original, this would have been all black. Use the search feature at top right for "draft cap" within this Forum and post by myself for pics and tips.
The brick count varies if you have upper course, ACE here sells them by the case, not individual. I'd get a case not knowing how many are broken.
I will check in the morning when I tear out the fire brick. And I will also post whatever I find on here because I'm curious about it as well.... I'm just about hooked on these Fisher stoves. I guess it's because I grew up with one.
Mine wasn't white at all around the outlet. Looks like somebody ran that one wide open all the time.
The Baby Bear manual showing the brick pattern is posted here. You're gonna need a way to cut them.
His stove is a pre-UL that uses the first manual which doesn't have brick layout.
That model brick layout is only found on the original drawing shown in this thread;
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/baby-bear-firebricks.87254/
That model brick layout is only found on the original drawing shown in this thread;
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/baby-bear-firebricks.87254/
Thanks guys. Coaly i had already copied that picture to my phone so I could look at it. Bought 10 bricks yesterday. One more question.....I have been reading up on your "simple baffle solution" and want to do one in this baby bear. I'm going to post a picture or 2 of what I think is correct according to your description. Let me know if I've got this right please. Planning on getting a piece of 1/4" plate steel and sitting it in the back of the stove, using a piece of fire brick I will angle it upward at roughly a 45. I hope the picture shows enough of what I've got in my head. I'm from Georgia with not much skooling...but I did do the 3rd grade twice. That should count for something right?
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