gas fireplace co-linear roof terminal?

[shannon.ohalloran]

Hi,
I have a napoleon IR3-N gas fireplace insert. I does not work well when its windy! is has burnt out 2 pilot light assemblies this year the last one after 1 use. I think the roof terminal may have been installed incorrectly? Can anyone help me out here? I would think that the exhaust should be higher than the intake?
Thanks in advance!

 

[bholler]

Hi,
I have a napoleon IR3-N gas fireplace insert. I does not work well when its windy! is has burnt out 2 pilot light assemblies this year the last one after 1 use. I think the roof terminal may have been installed incorrectly? Can anyone help me out here? I would think that the exhaust should be higher than the intake?
Thanks in advance!

View attachment 270201

Yes the intake should be lower than the exhaust

 

[shannon.ohalloran]

ok thanks! so it looks like the contractor installed it incorrectly.

 

[bholler]

ok thanks! so it looks like the contractor installed it incorrectly.

How do you know it is hooked up backwards? I am just curious

 

[shannon.ohalloran]

I lit it up and then got up on the roof, the terminal has 2, 3" lines that run up the old masonry chimney to the roof terminal. the exhaust gasses are coming out of the lower pipe indicated in the photograph by the red line. the lower line has a centred vertical baffle and has a horizontal divider from the other line. The other line is approximately 6" higher and and is pretty much open to atmosphere on all sides from the perforations and is indicated by the blue line in the photo.

 

[bholler]

I lit it up and then got up on the roof, the terminal has 2, 3" lines that run up the old masonry chimney to the roof terminal. the exhaust gasses are coming out of the lower pipe indicated in the photograph by the red line. the lower line has a centred vertical baffle and has a horizontal divider from the other line. The other line is approximately 6" higher and and is pretty much open to atmosphere on all sides from the perforations and is indicated by the blue line in the photo.

Ok that was a simple effective way to find out. And yes that certainly could be the problem

 

[shannon.ohalloran]

Thank you very much bholler! does anyone else have an opinion? I don't want to have a go at the contractor half cocked!

 

[Millbilly]

If they are the same diameter it is easier to swap them at the insert end of it. I've seen this a couple of times but never "burnt out a pilot" can you elaborate on that?

 

[Millbilly]

You can disconnect them and try to drop a marble or something down one to verify.

 

[shannon.ohalloran]

If they are the same diameter it is easier to swap them at the insert end of it. I've seen this a couple of times but never "burnt out a pilot" can you elaborate on that?

When it’s very windy the flame appears to be pulled backwards into the bottom of the fire place which has melted the wire that goes to the igniter therefore there is no spark. It can be lit manually and operates fine when it’s not windy. We had a repair technician come and look at it he said the pilot light assembly needed replacing which we got him to do and the first time we used it the wind came up and it behaved in the same manor and now the new igniter doesn’t work, we got the same guy back and he said that the wire has melted again, which made me think about the intake and exhaust being installed incorrectly. So far it’s cost us round $700 in parts and labour for no result. I just need to confirm that the roof cap is installed incorrectly then I will go after the contractor that installed it.

 

[Millbilly]

Is this a new install? Did you have one out fit do the entire install?

 

[shannon.ohalloran]

Is this a new install? Did you have one out fit do the entire install?

yes it was one company that did the fireplace insert, the furnace and the tankless hot water. I'm guessing they sent the apprentice up to do the roof cap.

 

[Highbeam]

He guessed wrong. 50/50 chance.

 

[bholler]

He guessed wrong. 50/50 chance.

It is pretty easy to screw up actually. That's why we always label them well before we drop them

 

[shannon.ohalloran]

It is pretty easy to screw up actually. That's why we always label them well before we drop them

Thats what is says to do in the manual!

 

[Millbilly]

If the liners are mixed up it's a mistake, they happen. It's them charging you $700 on a new install repair I can't get over.