Newbie with some questions on Installing 550

[holyoilbillbatman]

Hello All,
Let me first start off by saying I have been browsing this forum daily for the last year and am amazed at the wealth of knowledge from this very diverse group, equally impressive is the speed of response to ones questions. I thank you for all the helpful information gathered in the past and look forward to learning in the future.

Now some background info and a few questions...

I (until this winter) heat my 20 year old 1500 SQ foot two story colonial with oil. We surprisingly only used about 350 gallons of oil last year; however that doesn't mean I didn't cringe after every oil delivery, and those were at $3 a gallon prices. Fortunately the house seems to be fairly well insulated and the windows are in good shape; even better is the layout... although the fireplace is on an exterior wall, the the floor plan is pretty open and the staircase is 20 feet away with an open ceiling. Since my wife and I love a fire and I hate the inefficiency of an open fireplace, I decided to go all out and and exclusively heat with wood for the next few years (my wife grew up exclusively on wood heat). Fortunately we have a couple of acres of heavily wooded land with 4 or 5 standing dead and a few other trees screaming to be used to warm my family ( I currently have about 6 face cord for this winter, drying since early June - hope they will be good to go by November!)

To make a long story longer, we decided to purchase a Rockland 550, we both love the flush look and I like the large firebox (maybe a little overkill) for the cold upstate NY winter nights and the overnight burns. The beast was delivered today and is sitting in my garage... begging to be installed (next weekend after the chimney sweep)

So, on with the installation. The exterior chimney is about 20 foot straight shot. Completely relined about three years ago (before we bought the house) with what seems to be a very heavy duty SS 7 inch by 11 inch liner. Does anyone know how I can tell if they insulted that liner? I plan to install the six inch full liner (to the top) without insulation, hoping the dead air will act as decent insulation.

At the top of the chimney, should I completely seal the top cap with hi temp silicone?

I was picking the brain of the delivery guy / slash install guy (of the very reputable and one of the largest fireplace shops in town - also the cheapest, always a good combination) and he mentioned that they NEVER use a block off plate because they cut a minimal hole in the damper (just enough for the liner) and then stuff insulation around the liner and damper to seal it. Is this acceptable and if so, what insulation should I get that will stand up to abuse?

Also, my fireplace has an ash pit in the back and what looks to be a cold air draft plate that can open in the front... I know this is minimal but, should I seal these off completely or are they ok just closed with the unit over it?

Also on a side note, I have a plasma TV about two feet to the right of the insert (3.5 feet from centerline) and about 1.5 feet above the insert... with your insert experience, does this area get above 110 degrees... with the blowers on? Just asking to see if I should start thinking about a new room layout. Thanks in advance

 

[begreen]

Yes, you want to silicone the top cap with generous amount under the cap. Most installers don't put in block off plates because they are either a) bad with sheet metal tools or b) in a hurry to get the job done. They don't pay the bills for heating outdoors, the homeowner does. And rarely do the use kaowool, most often they use fiberglass which is not hi-temp rated. I haven't seen a job where the closed damper has a flue liner sized hole cut in it. Is this what they are proposing? If not, the damper is wide open. Who cares about the notch for the liner?

 

[coreystaf]

you should be able to pull up the cap that is there enough to see if the 7x11 is insulated. If its not, you should seriously consider insulating yours, it may even be required by local code (1" of insulation if your liner is in an exterior chimney). Some use blockoff plates and some don't. Again, make sure your local code doesn't require one. Definately plug the ash dump or seal the outside door, but dont seal it with combustible insulation. There is a thread here concerning flat panel tv's in close proximity to the wood stoves, and I think the best answer was given by a person who installs and services the tv's. He said that its not a good idea if there is any heat around the tv, they make enough without any help.

 

[holyoilbillbatman]

Thanks Guys, I was just reading the "how to make a block off plate" article and I think I will tackle that this weekend. The liner doesnt have a chimny cap installed and the new concrete surrounds it at the top... I will have to look for insulation elsewhere. The local code guy seems to go from a the specs in the manual (the Jotul 550 manual) however you bring up a good point, better clarify with him before I install! Thanks again...

 

[coreystaf]

I think I now understand, when you said 7x11 you were talking about the flue tiles? If you're putting a 6" down the flue tiles, I'd say most definately insulate that liner, you'll be glad you did, believe me. You can get an ovalized liner that will go down the 7" hole with 1" of insulation on it pretty easily.

 

[holyoilbillbatman]

well actually, I think they removed the old flue tiles and replaced them with a heavy duty ss liner (no flue tiles in sight), the only reason I think it may be insulated is because I think I can see something around the of the liner about 6 inches above the damper. I will have to investigate further... Thanks!