Fireplace Insert

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JbWest

New Member
Sep 17, 2021
8
Canada
I am a newbie to the forum so please forgive me if I am not in right thread. Or maybe someone can steer me in the right direction. Just had a 28 foot chimney done and having fireplace insert installed. However, the contractor put the angle irons in backwards. The liner inside the chimney is to the back and our stove opening is in the front. We were told only option is to bust out the brick and cut out the angle iron but I don't want to compromise the strength and integrity of our 28' brick chimney. Is this fixable??
 
I am a newbie to the forum so please forgive me if I am not in right thread. Or maybe someone can steer me in the right direction. Just had a 28 foot chimney done and having fireplace insert installed. However, the contractor put the angle irons in backwards. The liner inside the chimney is to the back and our stove opening is in the front. We were told only option is to bust out the brick and cut out the angle iron but I don't want to compromise the strength and integrity of our 28' brick chimney. Is this fixable??
Can you post some pictures? I am not following your description at all. Also what insert are you having installed? I don't know of any that have the exit in the front.
 
Include some pictures that show the angle irons and another that shows the liner and the damper area.
 
Include some pictures that show the angle irons and another that shows the liner and the damper area.
First pic is my fireplace I asked for. Second pic is fireplace opening. Third pic is stove insert. Fourth pic is up inside chimney . As you can see the pipe liner is to the back wall of the chimney. If you can see on the pic 4, there is all the steel angle iron and I marked a line and half moon circle on the iron ( look closely) that is where my stove opening has to be placed is in the middle of the steel angle iron and brick. It was installed backwards. If you turn pic 4 around, the liner would fit in stove opening. The angle irons were supposed to be to the back and the stainless steel chimney liner to the front as per directions and diagrams in book for stove insert. See Pic 5. The contractor had to push the stove back into the fireplace so he could attach the liner. When liner is connected to the stove insert, it is INSIDE the tile work and faceplate. So we were told by our contractor that he would have to bust out bricks and cut and grind out angle irons.

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Can you post some pictures? I am not following your description at all. Also what insert are you having installed? I don't know of any that have the exit in the front.
First pic is my fireplace I asked for. Second pic is fireplace opening. Third pic is stove insert. Fourth pic is up inside chimney . As you can see the pipe liner is to the back wall of the chimney. If you can see on the pic 4, there is all the steel angle iron and I marked a line and half moon circle on the iron ( look closely) that is where my stove opening has to be placed is in the middle of the steel angle iron and brick. It was installed backwards. If you turn pic 4 around, the liner would fit in stove opening. The angle irons were supposed to be to the back and the stainless steel chimney liner to the front as per directions and diagrams in book for stove insert. See Pic 5. The contractor had to push the stove back into the fireplace so he could attach the liner. When liner is connected to the stove insert, it is INSIDE the tile work and faceplate. So we were told by our contractor that he would have to bust out bricks and cut and grind out angle irons.

20210630_143155.jpg

20210625_133435.jpg 20210702_150742.jpg 20210914_150129.jpg 20210918_184603.jpg
 
One option would be to not have the surround put on. Another would be to have a custom surround that fits inside the opening. Also, it looks like there might be room for a 30º elbow connected to the flex. Was that discussed?
 
I think an elbow would probably fix the issue
 
Are you able to make the connection to the stove right now?
I think I looks good set back in flush. Looks really nice with the flat tile. What you are seeing the diagram is the smoke shelf. Normally there is no iron there. You need the angle iron in the front to support the masonry across the opening. It’s called the lintel

Not a great option but they make an offset appliance connector. Makes cleaning really difficult and can result in poor draft. I’m not recommending it but just sharing products that are made to solve this issue. 30 degree adapter would by far be my first choice.

 
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One option would be to not have the surround put on. Another would be to have a custom surround that fits inside the opening. Also, it looks like there might be room for a 30º elbow connected to the flex. Was that discussed?
The 4 inch angle iron on the front won't allow the stove to be pulled ahead with liner attached. No room for elbow or adapter. Only 1 1/2" clearance on top of stove to angle iron.
 
Are you able to make the connection to the stove right now?
I think I looks good set back in flush. Looks really nice with the flat tile. What you are seeing the diagram is the smoke shelf. Normally there is no iron there. You need the angle iron in the front to support the masonry across the opening. It’s called the lintel

Not a great option but they make an offset appliance connector. Makes cleaning really difficult and can result in poor draft. I’m not recommending it but just sharing products that are made to solve this issue. 30 degree adapter would by far be my first choice.

Yes connection can be made to chimney if pushed inside the fireplace as far back to join to liner. But then it is way inside the tile. The faceplate is 1 3/8 and the stove insert is supposed to be 3 5/8 inches outside the faceplate. So the calculations are off by 5 inches. There was not enough clearance for adapter and was not recommended for 28' chimney.
 
Are you able to make the connection to the stove right now?
I think I looks good set back in flush. Looks really nice with the flat tile. What you are seeing the diagram is the smoke shelf. Normally there is no iron there. You need the angle iron in the front to support the masonry across the opening. It’s called the lintel

Not a great option but they make an offset appliance connector. Makes cleaning really difficult and can result in poor draft. I’m not recommending it but just sharing products that are made to solve this issue. 30 degree adapter would by far be my first choice.

Looked into using an adapter, but there was not enough clearance in the front (only 1 1/2") to install it, also it was not recommended for a chimney over 20 ft. Mine is 28 ft.
 
Yes connection can be made to chimney if pushed inside the fireplace as far back to join to liner. But then it is way inside the tile. The faceplate is 1 3/8 and the stove insert is supposed to be 3 5/8 inches outside the faceplate. So the calculations are off by 5 inches. There was not enough clearance for adapter and was not recommended for 28' chimney.
I just installed my insert yesterday. I purposely pushed it all the way back. If I do a surround I will make a custom one that fits inside the fireplace opening. I might even try cutting the surround that came with it with my metal cutting blade for my circular saw.

If you used an angled appliance connector how far forward can you pull it. Looking at the pics 3-4” forward seems possible.

Evan
 
I just installed my insert yesterday. I purposely pushed it all the way back. If I do a surround I will make a custom one that fits inside the fireplace opening. I might even try cutting the surround that came with it with my metal cutting blade for my circular saw.

If you used an angled appliance connector how far forward can you pull it. Looking at the pics 3-4” forward seems possible.

Evan
The angled connecter as you suggested can be put directly on steel angle iron but if you enlarge pic 1 attached you will see the half circle I made to where the actual stove insert opening goes so even if the angled adapter could have been used, the stove would be further away from the front. It is supposed to be 5 " outside my tiles as in pic 2, faceplate is 1 3/8 and the stove insert is 3 5/8 outside faceplate. As you can see in pic 3 stove is inside the tiles on wall. I guess the only option is to bust out the bricks and cut and grind the steel out to make liner and stove connection, but this is newly built chimney and contractor doesn't feel it's a big deal because I can still use the stove as is. Thanks for the feedback though.

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I am assuming the 2x4 is temporary holding the liner in place?