Ember Hearth questions

[AndrewD]

I recently moved into a home with two fireplaces that have Ember Hearth inserts. They both look brand new even though I do know they are quite old. My question is simple I am sure, but I have never used an insert before so I am pretty clueless LOL. There are 3 knobs on this insert. Two at the bottom and one small one on top. I do know these are to limit how much air gets inside the stove but I do not really know how much they should be open or if they should be closed all the way. My thought is, they should be open when I light the fire and close them down most of the way when the fire is burning, but that is just a wild guess. Any input?

Thanks so much!

Andrew Darrah

 

[BrotherBart]

Andrew you are going to get very few answers. Those stoves are the only things around that are dang near as old as me. If that is the stove I remember it has air inlet knobs beside each door and one in the center of the top between two little grills. The one on top probably pulls out and pushes in to control a slide damper in the flue collar. Don't know. I never actually burned in one of them. If you are going to burn in those antiques get a professional chimney sweep out there to examine those chimneys and the stoves. You have no way of knowing what is in those chimneys without that.

This whole site is about burning wood safely. And old stoves with unknown installations can give you serious problems.

 

[AndrewD]

Thanks for the input. The top knob screws in and out just like the lower knobs. There is a handle on the side that opens the flue. Gave the one on the main floor a test run tonight and it heats quite well. I will however have someone come out and inspect these as safety is of course important.

Thanks again!

Andrew

 

[BrotherBart]

OK. Then the knob on top is to let air in at the top of the fire by the baffle. Start the stove with all three wide open. When that stove top thermometer that I just know you are going to pick up at ACE Hardware and place in the center top of the stove gets to around 400 degrees close the two on the sides down half way. If the temp keeps climbing close them down another quarter of the way and the top one half way.

You will just have to learn how to control it. And if you don't have good dry wood, search the forum for "dry wood", you will have problems running the stoves and you will make a dangerous mess in those chimneys.

But get those chimneys inspected before you do this stuff. And with that vintage of a stove be ready to get them cleaned by a pro at the very least yearly. My old stoves used to crap up a chimney in a months time.