Help Identify ZC Fireplace

[zeb]

Hi,

I have an unusual 70's era (non-Photovoltaic) "Solar" house. It integrates a whole bunch of out dated energy saving features, including what I suppose was billed as an energy efficient fireplace. Unfortunately I haven't been able to identify the manufacturer or model. I'm wondering if anyone here is familiar with it.

The most notable aspect of the fireplace are two fresh air intakes. They are to the right and left of the firebox and are just about as tall as the firebox. They route to outside vents. Here's a photo of what they look like inside the fireplace (note that this vent is closed in this photo):


Besides that it seems like a generic ZC fireplace. The front is about 36" wide by about 26" high.

One more thing worth mentioning is that there are vents near the bottom and top of the wall to the left and right of the fireplace. By peeking inside I can see that they are connected to ducts. I suspect that the duct work is looped from the top to the bottom and somehow pass the firebox on the way. I'm guessing they use convection to warm up room air (and maybe cool the fireplace). As far as I know there is no blower.

This is my first post so please forgive me if I violated any rules or traditions of the forum.

And thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[moresnow]

Sounds like a interesting joint! Welcome to the forum. Post a few more pics of the entire unit for the guys to check out.

 

[zeb]

Yeah, the house is definitely interesting. As I explore its infrastructure I feel like I'm having a conversation with the deceased original owner. He was definitely creative -- and he was starting from an official "off the shelf" solar tech house to start with. For one thing there's an incredible amount of firebrick in stacks (in a dedicated room) that were formerly used to store heat from the sun. All of those systems were offline when we purchased the place. Anyone from Long Island want a ton of fire brick?

See the attached files for more photos. Sorry that they're so horrible. I really thought I had done a better job with them. And please don't criticize me for the way the wood is in the fireplace. Despite that stuff laying in there, we're really not using the fireplace. The photos show the flue, the wall vents, the glass doors and more.

And again, thanks for any help you can provide in identifying this fireplace.

 

[begreen]

Does this unit have a metal chimney or a tile-lined masonry chimney?

 

[zeb]

Metal -- definitely not masonry.

 

[begreen]

Look on the inside of the door frame for a small metal ID tag.

 

[zeb]

I looked before and didn't see anything. But I'll empty out the fireplace and clean it up and do another more thorough check. Thanks.