Can I get this fireplace going?

[PromptCritical]

Rather hilarious to me that this thread has activity just yesterday. We just had a huge ice storm that knocked out power for several days and I had no heat source except a Heatilator fireplace I'm afraid to use, so it was quite cold. I'm afraid to use it because it completely lacks the door assembly, some of the parts are taken apart, the side vent louvers have dead wasp nests in them, the damper chain is broken and won't stay closed, and I have no idea if it's safe up in the chimney. The short story is it looks like the previous owner was in the process of doing something, then died, then the family threw everything out.

I really don't want to replace the whole thing as it will be a hugely expensive demo project that will absolutely ruin the nice rock veneer around the whole thing.

Good news is the blower works...



Yeah, I found a lighted fake log thing and a screen to put in front so it doesn't look so terrible, but I want to get it restored to working condition.

Any help?

 

[begreen]

This needed a separate thread. Moved to a new one.

The fireplace should be inspected by a good sweep. Do you know the make and model of the fireplace?

 

[Stinkpickle]

Definitely have a chimney sweep check everything. They should be able to tell what all is possible.

 

[PromptCritical]

This needed a separate thread. Moved to a new one.

The fireplace should be inspected by a good sweep. Do you know the make and model of the fireplace?

The Fireplace is a Heatilator Mark 123 Model 3138EP. My best guess on vintage is around 1980.

 

[begreen]

OK, that was a popular unit in the 1970s. This thread just talked about it.

Replacing doors in a Heatilator 3138?

Apologies if this is the wrong forum, but we bought a 30 year old house that has a Heatilator 3138 fireplace that works fine, but the doors won't stay in the track anymore, the mounting pins are plumb worn out. I was able to get the fireplace installation manual from Heatilator (Thanks to...

www.hearth.com

The damper chain assembly is still sold here:

Heatilator 3138EP Wood Fireplace Parts - Free shipping on orders over $49

Replacement Parts for Heatilator 3138EP Wood Fireplaces. We stock most popular parts for the 3138EP, and the ones we do not stock we can order in.

www.stove-parts-unlimited.com

 

[PromptCritical]

OK, that was a popular unit in the 1970s. This thread just talked about it.

Replacing doors in a Heatilator 3138?

Apologies if this is the wrong forum, but we bought a 30 year old house that has a Heatilator 3138 fireplace that works fine, but the doors won't stay in the track anymore, the mounting pins are plumb worn out. I was able to get the fireplace installation manual from Heatilator (Thanks to...

www.hearth.com

I'm thinking the previous owner had the same problem as the OP of that thread. Probably tried to fix or replace the doors and ended up getting stuck.

I'll get ahold of Stoll and see what they can do. In the meantime looking for chimney sweeps.

I've actually got two problems with the flue chain: It's missing the pull handle and maybe the bottom six inches of chain, and the flue is spring-loaded and I can't find any place to secure the chain to keep it closed. I don't feel like it's worth $68 for a chain I can get for a buck a foot. The trick is I guess I need something like this and to know where to put it. Looks like it's supposed to be at the top of the front of the fire box.

(broken image removed)