Heatilator heat exchanger smoke slightly

[Cburke]

Hello everyone. Glad I found this forum it's very helpful. So I just moved into a new house with an older heatilator fireplace. House was built 30 years ago so I assume it's about that old, had a few fires in the fireplace all ok. Now I just started noticing this week that the heat exchanger vents on the top of the wall spew a small amount of smoke until the unit gets really hot,then smoking seems to go away. Anyone experience this before? And what are my options at this point. Thanks!

 

[begreen]

When the fireplace is cold, the inside walls should be carefully checked for rusting out metal. Use a screw driver to poke at the sides all the way up past the damper, especially if you see rusty location.

 

[robbydanilow]

We have one of those installed in 76. Opted for a hearth installed stove. Ours looked good but check the smoke shelf for creosote there was a ton behind the damper plate. It sounds like smoke is getting through a rusted spot. Used ours twice first winter never any smoke through the vents.

 

[Cburke]

So I took the vents off the walls tonight and looked around no signs of smoke damage either side. And from what I can see there are not heat exchanger tubes, just hollow space behind the fire box. I looked inside the firebox and found a lot of mortar joins by the front of the firebox need re pointing. May be the source of my problems. Will keep you guys posted thanks!

 

[bholler]

So it is a masonry box not a metal heatilator box?

 

[TradEddie]

It could be just dust burning off, not smoke from the fire, it's hard to imagine why fire smoke would squeeze through tiny cracks when it can go up the chimney. If that fireplace is in an exterior wall, I've found that the vents work very well in reverse when the fire is not lit, drawing warm air from the room through the top vents, cooling it against the masonry and sending it out the bottom vents. Any dust in the air might settle in that chamber and smoke when the metal of the firebox heats up. We've got an insert, so I've stuffed that space full of roxul and blocked the vents.

TE

 

[Cburke]

It is indeed a metal heatilator box. And the dust idea seems plausible. I am going to still fix the mortar joints around where the box meets the front of the fire place. either way can't be good.

 

[bholler]

ok sorry I misunderstood.