Hello, I got a new Mendota FV44i insert last year. It is now the primary source of heat in the house, as our gas furnace almost never runs.
I was surprised to see that the radiant heat from the stone chimney was enough to melt the frost/snow on the adjacent roofs, probably 10+ feet away from the chimney. I used a thermal camera on a 20F degree day and saw that the stone on the outside of the chimney was 45+F pretty much from right above the fireplace all the way to the cap.
Is this expected? I would have thought that the exhaust would go directly from the insert to the cap through the liner pipe, and any heating of the inside of the chimney would be minimal.
The space where the pipes go up to the chimney is filled with mineral wool insulation. Would a better seal here keep more of the heat in the room? Is there anything else that I should look at?
I was surprised to see that the radiant heat from the stone chimney was enough to melt the frost/snow on the adjacent roofs, probably 10+ feet away from the chimney. I used a thermal camera on a 20F degree day and saw that the stone on the outside of the chimney was 45+F pretty much from right above the fireplace all the way to the cap.
Is this expected? I would have thought that the exhaust would go directly from the insert to the cap through the liner pipe, and any heating of the inside of the chimney would be minimal.
The space where the pipes go up to the chimney is filled with mineral wool insulation. Would a better seal here keep more of the heat in the room? Is there anything else that I should look at?
