Hello,
I need some help. I've got an Answer set up as a fire place insert. The fire place is all masonry. I'm running an appropriate SS liner through the masonry tile liner. The SS liner is 6" and the tile liner is rectangular 6"X10" so i had to ovalise the SS liner to get it to fit. I don't remember off hand but I know I have at least 15' of chimney. I've had the stove for 5 years or so. At the time I didn't know any better but I think it performance is sub standard.
I always burn seasoned wood. The current stuff has bean curing for 3 years. It wont get any dryer. I get ~10% on a Harbor Freight moisture meter so I know my problems aren't the wood. I also run the stove very hot at like 700* to 800* trying to keep it burning clean and heat the house. It is a bit undersized but is should still burn clean. It doesn't burn clean though. I have to clean the chimney once a month and even at that rate there are huge barnacles the grow from top to bottom. The whole length of the liner builds up. I have a suspicion but whats my problem? These stoves should not be finicky to run and mine is a monster. Unless everything is perfect the secondary combustion dies out an the thing just smokes and smolders. Or if I'm really lucky the thing gets hot enough to run away and the top will get 900* or more with the air control all the way off. This generally happens after a bout with trying to get it hot enough to keep the secondary combustion lit. The only time is is smoke free is when it runs away, any other time is smokes like a freight train. There is nothing I can do to change it. If I leave the air open so it smokes less it will rapidly over heat. Something is not rite.
I have a suspicion that my problem is the tile liner is mashed against my SS liner and it acts as a big heat sink keeping my flue cold and causing a poor draft. I forget to mention above that my chimney exits the house at the peak of the roof so there is no way the house is acting like a better chimney.
Am I on the rite track thinking that I have poor draft?
I talked to the stove place today to see what they though and they weren't terribly helpful. I got more of the "YAhhH
!" salesman pitch but I did ask them about removing my tile liner and insulating my SS liner. Their response was no can do. Per them my insert has to be installed in a code correct fire place. If I remove the tile liner the fire place is no linger to code and therefor the install is no longer to code. All this despite the fact that the tile liner lives inside of another brick structure that probably has a foot of clearance between it an the tile liner. Is there anything I can do to help situation with out completely tearing out the fire place or relocating the insert to a free standing stove? Let me know what you guys thing or would do. I'm kinda at a loss. Sorry for the long post. Thanks guys.
Bullittman
I need some help. I've got an Answer set up as a fire place insert. The fire place is all masonry. I'm running an appropriate SS liner through the masonry tile liner. The SS liner is 6" and the tile liner is rectangular 6"X10" so i had to ovalise the SS liner to get it to fit. I don't remember off hand but I know I have at least 15' of chimney. I've had the stove for 5 years or so. At the time I didn't know any better but I think it performance is sub standard.
I always burn seasoned wood. The current stuff has bean curing for 3 years. It wont get any dryer. I get ~10% on a Harbor Freight moisture meter so I know my problems aren't the wood. I also run the stove very hot at like 700* to 800* trying to keep it burning clean and heat the house. It is a bit undersized but is should still burn clean. It doesn't burn clean though. I have to clean the chimney once a month and even at that rate there are huge barnacles the grow from top to bottom. The whole length of the liner builds up. I have a suspicion but whats my problem? These stoves should not be finicky to run and mine is a monster. Unless everything is perfect the secondary combustion dies out an the thing just smokes and smolders. Or if I'm really lucky the thing gets hot enough to run away and the top will get 900* or more with the air control all the way off. This generally happens after a bout with trying to get it hot enough to keep the secondary combustion lit. The only time is is smoke free is when it runs away, any other time is smokes like a freight train. There is nothing I can do to change it. If I leave the air open so it smokes less it will rapidly over heat. Something is not rite.
I have a suspicion that my problem is the tile liner is mashed against my SS liner and it acts as a big heat sink keeping my flue cold and causing a poor draft. I forget to mention above that my chimney exits the house at the peak of the roof so there is no way the house is acting like a better chimney.
Am I on the rite track thinking that I have poor draft?
I talked to the stove place today to see what they though and they weren't terribly helpful. I got more of the "YAhhH
!" salesman pitch but I did ask them about removing my tile liner and insulating my SS liner. Their response was no can do. Per them my insert has to be installed in a code correct fire place. If I remove the tile liner the fire place is no linger to code and therefor the install is no longer to code. All this despite the fact that the tile liner lives inside of another brick structure that probably has a foot of clearance between it an the tile liner. Is there anything I can do to help situation with out completely tearing out the fire place or relocating the insert to a free standing stove? Let me know what you guys thing or would do. I'm kinda at a loss. Sorry for the long post. Thanks guys.Bullittman
