How to operate new insert

[lauras231279]

Hi. We moved to a house in France and it has a fireplace insert. I am trying to understand how it works as we have no manual. But I'm getting confused as to when to open our close valves. I'll upload a photo and send a link to a page like our stove below. When should I be closing, our not closing, the air valves for secondary combustion etc?

http://www.parkanex.com.pl/produkt/...elf-cleaning-glass-ref--775c101+.html?lang=en

Thanks from a beginner!

 

[prezes13]

I am thinking it's like the other inserts here in USA. Top will be a by pass. You keep it open on reloads and on a cold start, the bottom is air feed. The more it's open the hotter the stove will run. So on the start you would have both open. Once you got good fire going you would close the top one. Then adjust the air feed with the bottom one for longer burns. On a reload you would open bothe of them. Then close the top one and adjust the burn with the bottom one.

 

[tcassavaugh]

wow, that's a new one to me......but....I would think that the top right lever might control the flu damper/chimney draft. you would have it full open when starting the fireplace. the bottom one may be the combustion air controls, used when burning the fireplace and controlling the rate of burn.

to figure out if the upper one Is the chimney control, take a piece of newspaper, roll it up and light it and hold it near the top of the firebox.......change the position of the lever.....in one position, it should pull the smoke up the chimney....that should be open....move it the opposite way and that should close the flue, indicated by the smoke not continuing to travel up the chimney. depending on the draft, you can partially close the damper/flue to help control or slow down the burn rate.

lower lever....once you have a fire going, close the doors and open the vents on the bottom....these are used to control the burn or oxygen getting to the firebox. these too can be adjusted so you get a lot of air to the box and the fire burns hotter but shorter....closing them slows the fire and burns longer.

i'm not sure that i'm totally correct on this so proceed with caution as you run through the exploration.

 

[tcassavaugh]

.......after looking more at the picture and reading some of the material, I think this is more like a pre-fab fireplace with a glass door than an insert. it talks about a "deflector" that can be used to help control the burn....I think that's the flue/chimney damper.....I don't think there is a bypass therefore it would have to remain open or at least partially when burning. you can close it during the summer or when you aren't using the stove.....along with the bottom vents or it might sound like a freight train with the air going through it.


I know the link Is only an example of what you have but if its very similar, I think that's what you have vs. a standard insert. (jmho)

 

[bholler]

yeah we almost need more pictures to give you more definite answers take pics of inside that might help us give you better input. But it defiantly does not look like any insert I have seen looks more like a pre fab unit or even a really nice door for a more traditional fire place cant tell what the inside is from the pic.

 

[lauras231279]

Hmmm...all food for thought.

What kind of pictures would help? I'll happily take more.

I have a fire going now, with the top one closed, and it's going fine, although the glass has got very black. It's certainly not stalling, even when closed.

I had thought it was a bypass, as the lady we bought the house from said she spent a fortune on it!

It is called an insert by the french sites that sell similar ones.

 

[prezes13]

Black glass = wet wood and or a cold running stove.

 

[tcassavaugh]

I have a fire going now, with the top one closed, and it's going fine, although the glass has got very black. It's certainly not stalling, even when closed.

I had thought it was a bypass, as the lady we bought the house from said she spent a fortune on it!

It is called an insert by the french sites that sell similar ones.

interesting....does the burn rate speed up when you open the top lever? when its cold, I would be interested in a shot of the flue area in the top with the lever in both positions. just wondering, does it produce a less dirty glass when the top vent is in an open position or is it about the same?

 

[lauras231279]

interesting....does the burn rate speed up when you open the top lever? when its cold, I would be interested in a shot of the flue area in the top with the lever in both positions. just wondering, does it produce a less dirty glass when the top vent is in an open position or is it about the same?

From what I can tell, when the top vent is open, the glass is less dirty. Also, the top lever doesn't really influence the burn rate all that much. Certainly nothing like the bottom vents do. If it helps, we have a hot air distribution system coming from the chimney casing, not the flue, which is piped to other rooms in the house. Quite common here in France.

 

[begreen]

I would find a local shop that sells this unit and ask if they could make you a copy of the manual.