Anxiously expecting. Been lurking for awhile, so decided to jump into the flames. This year the Mrs and I decided to do something with the old unused fireplace with an external brick chimney. Due to the arrived cooler temps, now excited about the install of a PE Neo 1.6 insert…awaiting the EPA testing, approval and release. Install parts of liner, insulation and roof anchor are here, installation and everything is set to go once the insert arrives. Two chords of seasoned birch and maple are stacked, chimney has been re-pointed, outside air intake done. Btw burned wook as a kid back in the 70's. Much thanks to Tom at the ChimneySweep here in Bellingham.
Our home is a 1100 sq ft single level 1918 economy style craftsman with 9' ceilings and a full basement; currently has central natural gas. The house is rather poorly insulated and has 22 windows (single pane with storms). However, to my way of thinking and due to several factors, am not planning to do anymore than insulate the attic. This is due to the number of windows; the house needs some wicking/air flow ability to avoid mold issues. It sits on hard pan clay and therefore the unfinished basement is a boat...few years ago put in drain tiles in the basement which resulted in a dry (as in no longer seasonal rivers/streams) during the rainy season, but there is a wee bit of dampness. The other factor is that for 20 years, the weather is generally mild in our neighborhood. Throughout the winters we turn off the gas heat during the night (except for a very few nights) and crawl under the pile of blankets; the house only drops to about 55 degrees. Most days we heat for 1-2 hours in the morning before work and 3-4 hours in the evening just to bring the temp up to about 66 degrees. We often use an infrared ceramic heater for sitting on the couch in the evenings; which is darn toasty and is often enough to prevent the central gas from clicking on.
Anticipating when our bones get creaky and stiff, we want some quality zonal heat in the living, dinning rooms and kitchen (about 680 sq ft with 9 ft ceilings). I'm thinking for the most part we can switch to the Neo 1.6 as the primary and use the gas as a back up and not worry about any power outages (which very rarely happens on the downtown grid).
Thanks for the indulgence of a newbs' rambling first post. But I do have a question. So the fireplace's face bricks are painted, is there any thing to be concerned about or will the paint need to be removed or it won't matter due to the insert's surround? Thanks!
Tim
Our home is a 1100 sq ft single level 1918 economy style craftsman with 9' ceilings and a full basement; currently has central natural gas. The house is rather poorly insulated and has 22 windows (single pane with storms). However, to my way of thinking and due to several factors, am not planning to do anymore than insulate the attic. This is due to the number of windows; the house needs some wicking/air flow ability to avoid mold issues. It sits on hard pan clay and therefore the unfinished basement is a boat...few years ago put in drain tiles in the basement which resulted in a dry (as in no longer seasonal rivers/streams) during the rainy season, but there is a wee bit of dampness. The other factor is that for 20 years, the weather is generally mild in our neighborhood. Throughout the winters we turn off the gas heat during the night (except for a very few nights) and crawl under the pile of blankets; the house only drops to about 55 degrees. Most days we heat for 1-2 hours in the morning before work and 3-4 hours in the evening just to bring the temp up to about 66 degrees. We often use an infrared ceramic heater for sitting on the couch in the evenings; which is darn toasty and is often enough to prevent the central gas from clicking on.
Anticipating when our bones get creaky and stiff, we want some quality zonal heat in the living, dinning rooms and kitchen (about 680 sq ft with 9 ft ceilings). I'm thinking for the most part we can switch to the Neo 1.6 as the primary and use the gas as a back up and not worry about any power outages (which very rarely happens on the downtown grid).
Thanks for the indulgence of a newbs' rambling first post. But I do have a question. So the fireplace's face bricks are painted, is there any thing to be concerned about or will the paint need to be removed or it won't matter due to the insert's surround? Thanks!
Tim
