Heat & Glo in a rental questions

[Pearl Sutton]

We just moved into a rental, and it has a Heat&Glo 6000GDVFL insert in it, plumbed for LP, vented. Seems to work (I may be back with wire questions if it does not) but the fiber log set is broken badly, and the technician claims they are necessary for it to function correctly. Dealer price for the "correct" fiber log set is 354.00. Ouch. That's not real doable. Landlord is not willing to pay that, as the house furnace system is new (I have my own issues with THAT too, who designs these things?) so considers the fireplace just aesthetic, and not worth putting money into. The dealer I spoke to said the log set was important because it would soot up if it was not there. As far as I can see, the logs introduce turbulence to the airflow, which would possibly stop soot.

So, question: Can I put generic ceramic logs in this, and arrange them so they cause good turbulence? Would that be enough to make it work close enough to correctly?

It also has two little squirrel cage type fans deep inside for room circulation. They were plugged into the outlet labeled REM (remote, I assume) that is wired to a wall switch (not sure if the other plug inside is wired to the same switch, didn't check that) Is that where it belongs?

The fans pull room air in through the area where the wires and such are, and that whole compartment was just COVERED in dust and dog hair and crud in there, took me a lot of work to clean it. Not sure what someone was thinking designing the air flow channel to be with all of the wires and electrical components....

Question: Can I put a filter on it to keep it from circulating dirt around? I'm thinking the filters that are cut to fit and look kind of like a green scrubber pad (can't find a link right off)

And one more question: Any more advice on this? I have never dealt with one of these, anything I should read or learn to make myself not be a problem in the system? Anything I need to know? Your wisdom would be appreciated!! :D

Thank you SO much for any help you can offer!!

 

[DAKSY]

The log set IS necessary for correct burning & NO they cannot be replaced with generic ceramic logs.
The OEM set is a ceramic FIBER log set & each log has a specific location on the burner.
I have been able to use RTV silicone & long drywall screws to successfully repair broken logs, & then
touched them up with Stove Bright hi-heat stove paint. You have to let the paint dry completely or the fumes
will ignite (don't ask)...
Ask far as a blower filter, I would use something like screen door aluminum & attach it to the lower louver
that swings open to access the valve cavity. Anything TOO tight will inhibit air flow.
The blowers should be powered by which ever outlet is hot, but there should also be a rheostat to control
fan speed & a snap disk in the system to actuate the blowers automatically when the firebox reaches temperature.
Maybe your unit is too old for that type set up,

 

[Pearl Sutton]

DAKSY: Thank you SO much for replying
"The log set IS necessary for correct burning & NO they cannot be replaced with generic ceramic logs. The OEM set is a ceramic FIBER log set & each log has a specific location on the burner."

Crud. How "correctly" does it have to burn? I CAN fix them, I guess we can ignore how it looks, I would like something prettier than those, but if push comes to shove, I think it comes down to I'm not willing to put too much cash into it...

I think my question there is: MUST it burn 100% perfectly? What happens if it's 95%? What's "adequate" vs what's "correctly" ?

"The blowers should be powered by which ever outlet is hot, but there should also be a rheostat to control fan speed & a snap disk in the system to actuate the blowers automatically when the firebox reaches temperature. Maybe your unit is too old for that type set up"

There is some kind of thermostat or rheostat in it, it hasn't been run more than 60 sec yet, since it has no logs in it, so I'm not positive what it does....

 

[DAKSY]

DAKSY: Thank you SO much for replying
"The log set IS necessary for correct burning & NO they cannot be replaced with generic ceramic logs. The OEM set is a ceramic FIBER log set & each log has a specific location on the burner."

Crud. How "correctly" does it have to burn? I CAN fix them, I guess we can ignore how it looks, I would like something prettier than those, but if push comes to shove, I think it comes down to I'm not willing to put too much cash into it...

I think my question there is: MUST it burn 100% perfectly? What happens if it's 95%? What's "adequate" vs what's "correctly" ?

"The blowers should be powered by which ever outlet is hot, but there should also be a rheostat to control fan speed & a snap disk in the system to actuate the blowers automatically when the firebox reaches temperature. Maybe your unit is too old for that type set up"

There is some kind of thermostat or rheostat in it, it hasn't been run more than 60 sec yet, since it has no logs in it, so I'm not positive what it does....

"Correctly" is refers to the flame pattern around & between the logs, yielding the best flame "presentation," or realistic looking burn. The ceramic fiber logs will actually GLOW like burning cordwood does. The logs can prevent the flames from shooting straight to the top of the firebox where there is a potential for peeling the paint & potentially overheating the unit.

The rheostat controls the blower speed. If there is a snap disk in the system, the blower will not actuate until the box reaches a certain temperature. This prevents the movement of air until it can be heated.

 

[Pearl Sutton]

Interesting. Thank you SO much!! :D
The rheostat in this is, I think, a thermostat that turns the burner on when told to. I may be wrong. The blower I believe is manual off the wall switch. I'll experiment when I have it running properly

Thanks SO much!!

 

[DAKSY]

The rheostat is normally located in the right corner of the valve cavity.
There is a knob ON THE GAS VALVE for flame adjustment.

 

[DAKSY]

Ya know, the more I think about your situation, the more I'm remembering about different
scenarios I have faced in servicing & installing these units. I think you could give it a shot
WITHOUT any logs positioned on the burner, if the OEM set is shot & irreparable.
I recall having a customer REFUSE to have logs & didn't want yellow flames.
He had a couple of rocks he wanted on the burner & wanted the air shutter completely
open for his NG fueled unit, so that the flames were blue... We recommended against it,
but he said he would just change it after we left, so we accommodated him.

 

[Pearl Sutton]

I think I'm going first for "safe" and "heats the room" and somewhere way after that "looks neat." Having it look like a real fire is nice, not priority. Not burning down the house, that's priority I will try fixing the logs, I think I can run a piece of rebar or sturdy metal rod through the center core and make it stable. Not concerned with bits of white showing etc.

The rheostat I see is front right side, and I appreciate knowing here to adjust the flames on the valve, that helps

And since I'm going for heat, one more weird question: can I add thermal mass to this? A few good dry bricks inside it? This thing has zero mass to it, that's not real good for heating... I'm more a rocket stove/masonry heater type, this fireplace insert is NOT what I would have chosen to install, I'm trying to make it as effective as possible. The room it's in is the one we hang out in most, it was an addition, the house furnace theoretically comes in here, but not very well, so I want the fireplace to add heat to this space, as effectively as possible.

 

[DAKSY]

No, nothing should be added to the box. Once it heats up & you have the blower on it should at least warm (not HEAT) the room its in. Unfortunately, it's NOT a heater rated appliance & is more like a campfire than a wood stove. The side of your body facing the unit will get warmed, but the side away from it won't. You can try to use a floor fan to move air towards it so that air can pick up heat, but I don't know how successful you will be.

 

[Pearl Sutton]

Ok, I'm good at airflow and should be able to work with it then
Thank you SO much for being SO helpful!!
I curtsy nicely at you :D

 

[DAKSY]

Ok, I'm good at airflow and should be able to work with it then
Thank you SO much for being SO helpful!!
I curtsy nicely at you :D

I wish I had better info on getting heat outta that unit, but, alas, it can't be done.
I bow in acknowledgement of thy curtsy, fair maiden!

 

[Pearl Sutton]

DAKSY:
Update: I wired the logs back together, they were in too bad of shape for screws to hold at all. Works nicely now! the rheostat does turn on the fan, when the fan is plugged into the other (not REM) socket. So switch works the REM, rheostat works the other. Not impressed with what the rheostat does, we put it back so it's just manual off the switch.

One more question on this thing: The only way I see to turn it on is I leave the valve set so the pilot is on, and to turn it on we have to reach in and turn that knob (the one that works the pilot) to ON. Is this it? Is that how it's made to work? Seems kind of odd to have a fairly useless rheostat easy to reach and the way you have to turn it on and off difficult to reach. Doesn't bother me, I have a "eh, I'll just clamp vice grips to it" type style (you oughta see my washing machine! I modified it for my own purposes), so this isn't odd to me, but it seems strange to ask most people to do that....

So it works fine now, thank you SO much for the help!

 

[DAKSY]

You should be able to put a wall switch, thermostat or remote t-stat on this unit.
Look at page 28 of the manual:

http://downloads.hearthnhome.com/installManuals/446_982.pdf

If you have any questions, reply & ask or PM me

 

[Pearl Sutton]

You should be able to put a wall switch, thermostat or remote t-stat on this unit.
Look at page 28 of the manual:

http://downloads.hearthnhome.com/installManuals/446_982.pdf

If you have any questions, reply & ask or PM me

Oh interesting... there IS a switch in this room we have never been able to account for, AND some wires in the heater I didn't bother to account for (that look a lot like that diagram) When I have time I'll get a tester and see if all the wires are intact. Bet it goes to that switch.... What it takes to make a rental property work correctly, ugh. Add it to my plumbing and electrical repair list, for when I have time....
Incidentally, I also removed the air flow baffle at the top, so it blows straight out into the room, really helps the output.
Thank you! You are awesome!!