Exterior Masonry wood stove insert dilema

[Wood recycler]

Hi...... I'm new to the forum. And would like to discover some more possibilities for getting the most from my insert. Here are a couple of things I have already done. And since I did these updates I now am concerned that I may have to much heat built up in the masonry chimney. My concern is that the masonry brick inside the room above the wood stove gets hot to the touch.

1. I insulated the brick inside the fire place around the insert.

2. I insulated above the wood stove (top of the fireplace where the throat damper used to be.

3. From the top of the chimney I poured insulation around my 8" stainless steel liner filling the flue solid from the top of the smoke chamber all the way to the top of the chimney.

The only heat that goes up my chimney is through the 8" stainless liner. My concern is that the masonry brick inside the house above the wood stove gets hot to the touch.

I need some advice to figure out a way to get the hot air out of the smoke chamber into the room.

I've considered making a couple of openings near the ceiling and making some openings in the surround. This would allow some heat to escape. Any thoughts?

 

[dafattkidd]

Hey Wood recycler, welcome to the forum. Glad to hear you've made some improvements in your set up. I wish I could say mine was as bullet proof as yours. If you're looking to decrease the amount of heat that comes out of your insert the simple solution is add less fuel. Making openings in the surround will bring more heat into the room, as it will allow any heat trapped in the existing fireplace to pour into the room. The general consensus and often local fire code on vents in the ceiling above the fireplace is that is not a safe avenue for heat to rise into the upper level of your house. Although it will be a conduit of heat, it will also allow any toxic fumes and God forbid there is a house fire these vents create a very fast channel for the fire to travel to upper level bedrooms.

My advice would be to wait and see. Burn a bit on some cold days and see what happens. My guess is it won't get too much hotter, but will stay warmer longer. I hope that's helpful.

 

[dafattkidd]

Also, just for sake of reference, what insert do you have, where are you located, and how many square feet are you heating with your insert? It would be helpful if your location was in your member info, and insert in your signature. Thanks.

PS
Love that avatar! Looks like you've got a decent wood pile and are ready for the cold.

 

[Woody Stover]

Some here run their inserts with no surround, and some have painted the brick inside the fireplace black so it can't be seen from the room.

 

[Oregon aloha]

Some here run their inserts with no surround, and some have painted the brick inside the fireplace black so it can't be seen from the room.

I am one that has done just that. Seal up a block off plate above the insert just below the damper and remove the surround. (With what you have already done, you may not need to add the block off plate.) Do any cosmetic things to make the firebox look better and you have trapped that heat back into the room.

If you need too, you can blow room air from the floor back at the firebox. You will be surprised how much of a heat boost that is.

 

[mellow]

If it is masonry and not getting hot near combustibles I wouldn't worry about it, think of it as stored heat for later when the fire burns down. Sounds like you have a non-epa insert that throws a ton of heat but has issues with getting it out via the built in fans, I would remove the surrounds if this is the case.