installation of our new heat n glo northstar fireplace - with pics

[iron]

first off, many thanks to the many helpful people on this site. what a tremendous resource this site is!

background: we're doing a complete facelift/remodel of our house we bought last year. in the living room, we currently have carpet, but are planning to install oak hardwood to tie into the rest of the oak in the kitchen. suddenly a light bulb flashed on that said: oh crap, we better make sure we like our existing fireplace or do something about it before we put in the new floors (scheduled for december).

well, we did really like the look of the old one, but research and reality set in that it was a very inefficient, polluting XC insert. it also had cracked firebrick and a leak in the chimney cap. so, the search began. insert? full fireplace? we went back and forth endlessly (and stressfully) and ultimately decided we didn't like the breadbox size of the inserts that would work for us (maybe 3 small logs of capacity).

ultimately, we decided on the northstar. it was similar enough the quadrafire 7100, but probably not as hot and certainly not as pricey. a strong selling point for me was the ability to use the heat zone kit to pump heat down to our basement. there was some concern going into this full on replacement that any new fireplace would be too much heat for our space (1400sf on main floor, 800sf in basement). but, if it gets too warm we'll open a window

we demo'd both the existing fireplaces upstairs/downstairs. serious pain in the butt. like with most remodeling projects, it took way longer than expected. the amount of material demo'd and sitting outside was quite impressive. maybe a 12'x12' area 4ft deep? ugh.... the brick removal was easy and fun.

once the chase was open, members on hearth suggested i insulate and sheet rock. i hesitated, but eventually gave in. i like to do things right whenever possible, so even though this would be the worst part of the process, i hope it pays dividends over time. i used r-13 batted insulation with some lightweight 1/2" sheetrock on top. we only have subarus, so i can't handle full 4x8 sheets. instead, i ripped them to 2'x8' strips at the store and took 'em home. it turned out to be beneficial in the end as trying to put up 4' wide sheets would've been very tough in such a narrow workspace.

 

[iron]

the fireplace installers (barron heating) showed up a few days after getting the sheetrock completed. i had to tear out a little bit of the completed sheetrock so they had access, but it was pretty minor.

it took 4 of us to haul the unit up the steps and into the room. reasonably heavy, but not bad for 4 people. we slid it into the opening in the wall. i had built a platform about 3.5" deep so that the finished hearth height would be of reasonable sitting height. we didn't want it too high as the installation requires 60" clear measured from the base of the fireplace to the underside of the combustible mantel and we have 8ft ceilings (with a slight cathedral) in the fireplace room.

once the installation got underway, it took maybe 5 hours from start to finish for two guys. i picked a stainless steel chimney cap so i didn't have to think about it ever again. and we installed the heat zone kit as well heading directly into the basement with only 2 turns off the fireplace for a total run of maybe 10ft. i'm optimistic with a hot fire, it will produce usable heat. if not, well, i guess it wasn't meant to be.

 

[iron]

the next weekend, my wife and i focused on getting the wood ready for the mantel. we reused the existing mantel, which i believe is fine piece of old growth (tight grained) doug fir with a rich, warm stain. the underside previously sat on top of brick corbels, and was glued down (PL adhesive) to the brick along its length. we scraped off the glue using chisels, then ran it through the planner for a few light passes on the underside of the mantel to even things out. we then used a crimped wire brush on the angle grinder to retexture the planed surface of the wood to hopefully match the existing texture (where you can feel all the grains). it worked really well.

next, the focus shifted to making some wood corbels. we had contemplated using stone for the corbel, but thought that wood would give us the look we hoped for. side note: we're replacing a load bearing wall that currently forms an entry hallway from our front door with a beam. i bought a 6x12 doug fir a couple months ago from a friend that runs a lumber yard. i had some leftover 6x12 so i took it, planed it down to 3.5" thick (so i could use the bandsaw and so that it would match the mantel), and traced out a pattern i drew up at work (i'm an engineer, so have access to CAD, though our pattern could be done by hand too). cut out the two corbels and then sanded at a neighbor's house using a spindle sander on the radial cut. put some bevels on the edges and were ready to stain to match. it was an ordeal to find a matching combo of stains to match the existing mantel, but i think we got pretty close. we worked with daly's paint store in seattle and they were very helpful.

to install the mantel, i opted to install lag screws into the wall studs. i got three 10"x1/2" and two 6"x1/2" lag bolts. the 10" bolts would support the mantel and the 6" ones would support the corbels. i predrilled holes, screwed in the bolts, and cut off the heads. then, i drilled holes in the mantel and corbels (which i had previosly pre-assembled using some hidden screws and PL adhesive). i sized the holes at 3/4" diameter and that worked pretty well. even though my level line on the wall was indeed level, somehow my screws weren't. fortunately, they bend easily enough! i put PL in the holes (aiming for about 1/2 full based on an area calculation), but it's hard to know what's 1/2 full since it doesn't just settle to the bottom. the last thing i wanted was PL oozing out of the mantel onto the wall. we slid the assembly on and i put up a temporary brace for the night. by morning, it was solid and ready for the mason.

 

[iron]

we were coordinating with our mason ((broken link removed) out of monroe, WA) over email for the previous month. they were very helpful in facilitating our choices and said they could build whatever we wanted. eventually we settled on the following (copy/pasted from an email i sent them):
stone: eldorado cambria cliffstone
hearthstone: sand - we'd like the 24" option so we have 3 pieces with one full one centered on the hearth, and the two end pieces cut and trimmed as necessary
trimstone: sepiatone - we plan only to do the arch - no trimstone along the sides of the fireplace. we would like the 6"x8" stone assuming they can be oriented vertically.
keystone: sepiatone - we'd like the 11.5" tall one, not the 15" one, assuming that works for our arch

the finished dimensions are fundamentally the same as our existing unit, so i think the following dimensions should be accurate within 5%:
overall width: 72"
overall height: 93" (ceiling slopes up and away from wall at an approximate 2:12 pitch)
hearth: 24" wide x 9" high with 45 degree returns on the ends
width of side edges (the things on either side of the fireplace that connect the hearth area to the mantel area): approximately 15"

my wife stayed home the first day the mason was there to make sure we were all on the same page. fortunately, we had recently acquired a generator as the power was out from the most recent heavy wind storm in the seattle area.

each day i returned from work, it was a little more complete and looking awesome. the masonry took about 2.5 days as far as i can tell. overall, we're very happy with the finished look and our stone selection. they did a good job with making our vision come true. the hearth stone is a bit pinker than we would like, but unfortunately there were limited choices for this component. i think over time, with some ash on it, the color will jive better with the other stones.

we had done our 3 break in fires during the week between installation and masonry work. so, as soon as the masonry was done, we were ready for a bigger fire. happily, the temps have finally dropped into the upper 20s and lower 30s. the fire we had today (from about 10am - midnight) wasn't huge. it definitely heated the main floor easily (held at 67* but felt way warmer). this was with a max of 3 logs in, generally using a single log for reloads. since we weren't planning on a new fireplace, we didn't start accumulating wood until late this summer. as such, we probably have 1/2 a cord to use this winter. oh well. more anticipation for next year i guess!

initial impressions are that the fireplace seems pretty easy to use, even for a newbie like me. top down fires work like a champ. the blower fan is a bit loud, so that's kind of annoying, but it is what it is. the heat zone kit was putting out luke warm air, but again, not burning super hot today. maybe we'll give it a better run tomorrow.

again, thanks for all the help thus far. i'm sure as we learn more about burning, we'll have plenty more questions for everyone.

 

[kennyp2339]

That looks really good, sure will pump some heat out,
The one thing that you may want to watch out for is that chimney cap, it looks a little restrictive and can clog up, if you start to notice smoke entering the house while loading the fireplace with wood, check that cap for build up first, other than that I'm jealous of how that came out, once the hardwood floors are in you will have an awesome room.
To keep wood debris down I got a big metal water / feed bucket from tractor supply, I'm able to stage the wood in the bucket and the debris stay in there.

 

[diesel59]

Very nice design idea and awesome work! A beautiful choice on the stones.

 

[MaintenanceMan]

Turned out gorgeous! Something to be proud of.

 

[jatoxico]

Really like those fireplaces and yours came out great! I'm sure you'll get usable heat, certainly much more than open fireplace could give. Post up how well it heats once you get the chance.

 

[iron]

That looks really good, sure will pump some heat out,
The one thing that you may want to watch out for is that chimney cap, it looks a little restrictive and can clog up, if you start to notice smoke entering the house while loading the fireplace with wood, check that cap for build up first, other than that I'm jealous.

no smoke yet. just open the doors slowly and it's been perfect.

the cap is sized per manufacturer's recommendations. the pic might be confusing since the chase originally housed 2 fireplaces and flues, but since we demo'd and no longer have the basement one, there's a ton of space on the chase cover. i will keep an eye on the build up, however. thanks for the tip.

 

[begreen]

Looks like a really nice job. The final product is beautiful. Sit back and enjoy the warmth and fruits of your labor now.

 

[mminor]

Mike - your fireplace is absolutely beautiful. You should be proud - congrats! Thanks for all the details of your Heat and Glo install and the pictures are super helpful.

I can't see from the pictures - what did you end up doing for the blower switch on the wall? What do you recommend for future Northstar owners?

Congrats again!
Matt

 

[HisTreeNut]

Very nicely done...looks great!
You will definitely enjoy it.

 

[iron]

I can't see from the pictures - what did you end up doing for the blower switch on the wall? What do you recommend for future Northstar owners?
Matt

i ended up installing the electrical switches that came with the unit. a switch for the on/off override, and the fan control speed adjuster. so far, i've been too impatient for the fan to kick in without using the override, so i cannot comment on how that works or when about it comes on. my search to use a single switch died after a few attempts and my friend contacting multiple electrical supply stores.

the heat zone kit seems workable. right now, i have a chunk of exposed concrete surface in our basement resulting from removal of the fireplace down there where the HZ kit ducts to. i had the HZ fan on tonight for about 90 minutes and it heated up the space fine enough. the fan is loud on high, so it's not something that would be super useful with people down there, but good enough for warming up a space a little.

the fireplace has been much more enjoyable to use with our temps dropping in the 20's and 30's finally. we've been using north idaho energy logs (NIELS) since we don't have a good stash of seasoned cord wood yet. put in a max of 2 at a time and we get maybe 3-4 hours of good heat before the coals are pretty low temperature. easy enough to get secondaries with those logs, though cord wood seems to be better for secondaries from our limited experience. the stone around the the fireplace, especially the keystone, get's pretty damned hot. the mantel is pretty hot too, and we have yet to really crank up the heat. max loading so far has been maybe 1/4 of the space. i can't possibly imagine a need for more. we have been letting the fire die down in the evenings. by morning, there are some warm coals, but i haven't tried to use them for restarting a fire. by 8am, the house is down to about 52 degrees. a few hours after heating with the fireplace only and we're in the mid 60s. we seem to top out at 68 during the middle of the day. we crack the window in the farthest bedroom to move the heat and it works pretty well.

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[mminor]

Thanks Mike!

Can I ask hw high your hearth is from the floor to the top of the sitting ledge? It looks like a great / perfect sitting height!

Thanks again!

 

[iron]

top of hearth is 9.5" from subfloor. i built a 3.5" platform for the box to sit on (ripped 2x4s to 3", then 1/2" piece of plywood on top). then, slid the fireplace in on top of it. be sure to secure the platform to the subfloor and to structural members if you're in a seismic region. then, make sure the fireplace is secured to the platform.

 

[iron]

just an update:

we've been burning more as of late with a typical pacific northwest winter now situated around us. the fireplace easily takes the main floor to 74 degrees once she gets all the stone up to temp.

i've been reading more about blockoff plates on this site and it seems 95% of you like them and recommend them. i still have a hole in my subfloor where the heatzone kit extends to the basement, so i have some access to the fireplace box. however, i don't have much room to use large, continuous strips of sheet metal. plus, getting in/out of that hole would be a serious PITA, so i question if it's worth it if i'm already mostly satisfied with the fireplace.

i am also curious how much a blockoff plate would do in my situation. if i were to install one, it seems i would be superheating the drywall, insulation, wood studs, and more drywall before it could even think of permeating into the stonework around the fireplace. that seems like a scary setup to me and i'm still not 100% sold on the idea of a blockoff plate. i need some convincing...

 

[bholler]

i've been reading more about blockoff plates on this site and it seems 95% of you like them and recommend them. i still have a hole in my subfloor where the heatzone kit extends to the basement, so i have some access to the fireplace box. however, i don't have much room to use large, continuous strips of sheet metal. plus, getting in/out of that hole would be a serious PITA, so i question if it's worth it if i'm already mostly satisfied with the fireplace.

Block off plates are for inserts in open fireplaces. Yours should already have a firestop in place that would stop the air flow in the chase. So no you do not need a block off plate at all

 

[iron]

ahh, thanks. i was wondering why i was only seeing insert installs!

 

[mminor]

Hi Iron.

The temps are finally dropping for us here in the Northeast. Are you still enjoying your Northstar?

I've looked at your pictures and posts countless times - super helpful! Silly question - what is the width of your stone between your Northstar and the wall? It really does look great, but unfort for me I don't think i'll have enough space (smaller room) to have such a wide hearth.

Thanks again.
Matt

 

[iron]

17"

northstar is performing well. we don't have seasoned wood, so that's not helping it. but, once it's burning for a few hours, the house really heats up, especially the stonework around the fireplace.

 

[Rickb]

Looks fantastic! Great install!

 

[djtomy]

Awesome Write up! I'm considering one myself! also looking at the Napoleon NZ3000. I plan on self installing it also. I have a lot to learn..

 

[troy-pit]

I see you dry walled all the way up the chase. Was this necessary for code requirements. If not they just curious why you did this.

 

[iron]

I see you dry walled all the way up the chase. Was this necessary for code requirements. If not they just curious why you did this.

a hearth.com member recommended i do this. i'm not fully sure of the benefit, but i figured it didn't hurt to add insulation and drywall to exterior/semi-exterior walls.

i do notice, however, that my roof melts out/defrosts a bit where the chimney chase hits the rest of the roof. makes me wonder how the warm air from the fireplace is making its way up the chase. slightly worried about ice formation as a result...

 

[mminor]

Thanks for your dimensions specifics Iron - much appreciated!

I am still blown away by how nice your Northstar looks - you should be proud!

Matt