I have moved into a house that has a fireplace insert. Don't know what kind it is. The doors are solid cast iron and one of them says Harrington Mfg. There is a slide damper at the top of the unit and each door has a big nut you can unscrew to allow air in. I am looking for some basic instructions on how to use this fireplace most efficiently. Thanks in advance for any help given!
How to use fireplace insert
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claydogg84
Minister of Fire
Please post a picture if possible, someone may recognize the stove better that way. I would speculate that the slide damper is going to be you're main air control and the "bolts" will be more along the lines of helper air to initially get the fire going. Have you had the chimney inspected? I would suggest you do that first and also give the stove a good check for any major cracks or warping. You never really know how the previous owner ran the thing. Good Luck!
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Is there a metal (stainless steel) "liner" pipe that connects to the stove and feeds up through the chimney? (They are typically 6" in diameter, sometimes 8", or 4-5" for pellet, coal, or other specialty stoves.) That's the first thing I'd look for.
It's a Dare IV. I bought a house last year and was in your shoes. I had no idea what it was. Haven't seen much about them on this site. They were made not too far from me here in NC. Mine has a rectangular outlet on top but is flat. There is no connection to the chimney and no way to attach a pipe. It simply exits out the rectangular slot and into the brick chimney.
I start by opening the damper(top) and the vents(on doors) all the way. I put a couple of medium sized splits on the bottom then alternate smaller splits of kindling 4-5 times and start her up. The kindling will fall on top of the larger splits and get them going later. Once I get the kindling going I leave the doors open about 1" until I hear the heater start to heat up(you will hear the metal start to slowly tick). Then I close the doors and let it come up to running temperature. I have a thermometer on the door because there is no way to read the top. I try to run in the 350-450°F range. Once I get it where I want it I will turn the vents in 3-4 turns. This should leave them 1-2 turns out and I push the damper in until there is about 4.5" of the handle sticking out. When I need to reload, I open the damper all the way, turn the fans way down and slowly open the doors. I spread the hot coals out pulling most to the front. I then stack my wood by putting one split close to the door then one at the back then one between those 2 followed by another in the back. Most of the time I end up with 4 pieces but it can vary because all my splits are not equal. As long as your coals are still glowing and the door temp was above 300°F you it should fire right up again. Then you can close the door and push the damper back in.
Now, all this works fine for me but may not be perfect for you. There will be trial and error and I am no expert. What I have given you is hopefully a starting point. My settings are for small splits that are well seasoned. Picture a 10-12" log that has been split into 4 pieces. Although I do throw in 1 or 2 larger pieces overnight to get more time out of it.
I have attached a pic of mine. Just to warn you, if you decide to take this thing out have at least one other person to help you. And if you want to remove from the house, disassemble it first. Do not underestimate how heavy it is. Even after disassembly the box feels like it weighs 300lbs.
I start by opening the damper(top) and the vents(on doors) all the way. I put a couple of medium sized splits on the bottom then alternate smaller splits of kindling 4-5 times and start her up. The kindling will fall on top of the larger splits and get them going later. Once I get the kindling going I leave the doors open about 1" until I hear the heater start to heat up(you will hear the metal start to slowly tick). Then I close the doors and let it come up to running temperature. I have a thermometer on the door because there is no way to read the top. I try to run in the 350-450°F range. Once I get it where I want it I will turn the vents in 3-4 turns. This should leave them 1-2 turns out and I push the damper in until there is about 4.5" of the handle sticking out. When I need to reload, I open the damper all the way, turn the fans way down and slowly open the doors. I spread the hot coals out pulling most to the front. I then stack my wood by putting one split close to the door then one at the back then one between those 2 followed by another in the back. Most of the time I end up with 4 pieces but it can vary because all my splits are not equal. As long as your coals are still glowing and the door temp was above 300°F you it should fire right up again. Then you can close the door and push the damper back in.
Now, all this works fine for me but may not be perfect for you. There will be trial and error and I am no expert. What I have given you is hopefully a starting point. My settings are for small splits that are well seasoned. Picture a 10-12" log that has been split into 4 pieces. Although I do throw in 1 or 2 larger pieces overnight to get more time out of it.
I have attached a pic of mine. Just to warn you, if you decide to take this thing out have at least one other person to help you. And if you want to remove from the house, disassemble it first. Do not underestimate how heavy it is. Even after disassembly the box feels like it weighs 300lbs.
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Thanks so much for the information. Will use this to try and figure it out some this winter. We don't use it too much as we only have a few really cold days down here in Mid Georgia.
What's the temp there tonight? About 19 here with 20mph winds. Got mine pumping out the heat right now. House is at 68° right now and will probably be at 70° between now and morning. Does a decent job at heating an 1800sq/ft ranch style home. My bulldog is appreciating it right about now since he is in for the night. He's cuddled up in the laundry room glad to be out of that wind.
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