Is there anything i can do with my fireplace to make it more efficient?

[jcims]

Hi folks,

I have a Majestic/CFM BR26 fireplace ('R' is for radiant) that does little more than blast hot air up the chimney while sucking cold air into every nook and cranny of the house.

(broken image removed)

Is there _anything_ i can do to get a positive BTU rating out of this thing besides tear it out and replace it? Majestic makes a 'BC26' that has a circulating fan in it, which is kind of what i suspect i would need. But if i'm going to be busting up that stone i might as well go for something good.

I don't suppose there is any kind of 'retrofit' circulating kit, is there? I'm half tempted to try building a heat exchanger for it, but am not sure what kind of disaster that would lead to (aside from a smoldering pile where my house used to be).

Thoughts?

 

[Hanko]

unfortunatly what you dont want to do is what you ll end up doing. Sorry to say that, but I would not waste any time or money on your fireplace unless you are OK with the looks of a fire. If you want to heat your home the insert or free standing stove is the way to go

 

[jcims]

unfortunatly what you dont want to do is what you ll end up doing. Sorry to say that, but I would not waste any time or money on your fireplace unless you are OK with the looks of a fire. If you want to heat your home the insert or free standing stove is the way to go

That's the sort of 'ugh' realization that i'm coming to. The thing is brand new, but the builder's company was in a death spiral so we wanted him to actually finish the house rather than quabble over this kind of thing (which we agreed we would have an opportunity to select beforehand). Now we're left to fix it, but at least we have a roof over our heads (vs. some of the folks he was just starting with at the time).

Many many lessons learned. As it stands i'm thinking i'm just going to go with something effective for the basement (stove or furnace) and leave this as the ornament it is.

 

[Hanko]

that sounds good, at least your not pitching a brand new fireplace. The stove idea in the basement is a good idea. Good luck. Wait for all the regular clowns on this site get out of bed, maybe somebody else will have some ideas. Lot of opinions here

 

[humpin iron]

the "B" in BR stands for builder model, which spelled backwards means bottom of the line, cheap unit.

 

[enigma]

Hi folks,

I have a Majestic/CFM BR26 fireplace ('R' is for radiant) that does little more than blast hot air up the chimney while sucking cold air into every nook and cranny of the house.

(broken image removed)

Is there _anything_ i can do to get a positive BTU rating out of this thing besides tear it out and replace it? Majestic makes a 'BC26' that has a circulating fan in it, which is kind of what i suspect i would need. But if i'm going to be busting up that stone i might as well go for something good.

I don't suppose there is any kind of 'retrofit' circulating kit, is there? I'm half tempted to try building a heat exchanger for it, but am not sure what kind of disaster that would lead to (aside from a smoldering pile where my house used to be).

Thoughts?

Our situation is similar: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/27394/

We opted for the tearout. The expense is obviously more significant but, like you said, if you're going to rip it out might as well make sure you get what you want. Our decision basically came down to the fact that we wouldn't have been able to generate the heat we wanted with an insert, we didn't want a free-standing stove, and we didn't want a hearth-mounted unit to make the space look more cluttered.

 

[Hanko]

you know, looking at your picture, you have alot of hearth area there, I would assume there is a class a chimney in there. I nice insert would probably be a fairly easy install. The mantel would have to go, but maybe you should look into that

 

[jcims]

you know, looking at your picture, you have alot of hearth area there, I would assume there is a class a chimney in there. I nice insert would probably be a fairly easy install. The mantel would have to go, but maybe you should look into that

The mantle can't go, it's got other duties. I built in an internal cantilevered mount so i could do this (mocked up here for another thread on avforums.com):

(broken image removed)

Should be arriving today... *rubs hands together* GO BUCKS

What about those fireplace heaters that they sell at places like woodland direct? (e.g. http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Fireplace-Accessories/Fireplace-Heaters-Blowers)

No good?

 

[jcims]

the "B" in BR stands for builder model, which spelled backwards means bottom of the line, cheap unit.

From a bottom of the line builder no less.

Actually, we took a lot of time finding the right guy that would do a good job. For the most part he did, but in the end he just ran out of money and started slamming junk in. He's working two jobs right now and trying to get his wife's business going...i kind of feel bad for the guy, but at the same time he lies like a rug.

 

[glacialhills]

Actually, we took a lot of time finding the right guy that would do a good job. For the most part he did, but in the end he just ran out of money and started slamming junk in. He’s working two jobs right now and trying to get his wife’s business going...i kind of feel bad for the guy, but at the same time he lies like a rug.

How can you feel sorry for someone "slamming junk in" when building peoples homes and lying like a rug to them? Does he do this for charity or did you pay him? It amazes me that people can get ripped off, lied to and still feel bad for the scumbags of the world. This is why there is no pride in ones work anymore. People are out to make as much money as cheaply as they can and dont care about who they screw in the process. If he does not have the money to build more than one house at a time, or has to many other jobs...guess what....BUILD ONLY ONE AT A TIME! or quit those other jobs till you finish what you started for gods sake. You are being an enabler and if you accept his crappy work and shoddy business practices you are going to doom his next victim to your fate or worse and he will just continue to screw people over. I'd be on him like white on rice if he agreed to let you choose your fireplace and then changed the deal "cause he ran out of money". and slammed that POS in on you. OK rant over. sorry bout that(can ya tell this struck a nerve). I hate it when shyster's take advantage of nice, honest people.

 

[Todd]

I can't really tell from the picture but does the fireplace have glass doors? Kind a looks like just a screen? Doors will help along with outside combustion air. But not as efficient as a wood stove or pellet insert.

 

[jcims]

I can't really tell from the picture but does the fireplace have glass doors? Kind a looks like just a screen? Doors will help along with outside combustion air. But not as efficient as a wood stove or pellet insert.

Just a screen. I'm looking at glass doors but the ones i've found so far are ~$500...probably not much less than was paid for the fireplace.

 

[jcims]

How can you feel sorry for someone "slamming junk in" when building peoples homes and lying like a rug to them? Does he do this for charity or did you pay him?

I think it's just my nature and the fact that i went through a somewhat harrowing time with my own business recently as well. The guy did a great job on most of it and had some really good subs, it just fell apart at the end. That said, he won't notice that i have any sympathy for him.

 

[begreen]

you know, looking at your picture, you have alot of hearth area there, I would assume there is a class a chimney in there. I nice insert would probably be a fairly easy install. The mantel would have to go, but maybe you should look into that

The mantle can't go, it's got other duties. I built in an internal cantilevered mount so i could do this (mocked up here for another thread on avforums.com):


Should be arriving today... *rubs hands together* GO BUCKS

What about those fireplace heaters that they sell at places like woodland direct? (e.g. http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Fireplace-Accessories/Fireplace-Heaters-Blowers)

No good?

If you do decide to put in an insert, replace the tacked on wood mantel with a stone mantel. Done right it will look great and will offer good, non-combustible protection for the tv.

 

[jcims]

If you do decide to put in an insert, replace the tacked on wood mantel with a stone mantel. Done right it will look great and will offer good, non-combustible protection for the tv.

Thanks for the tip. Currently no heat makes it up that far, but as you say, with something that actually pushes heat INTO the home, that would be a good thing.

Are they typically solid stone or a facia around something else? My guess is if it's the former, you'd have to mount it with some stone behind (e.g.' 16" deep for a 10" projection from the wall or whatever). There are enough jack studs in there now to hold up the whole house.

Just browsing, the Jotul 550 is looking like a nice option.

 

[gpcollen1]

I'll tell you one way to get more heat right away - get rid of that log cradle/grate in the fireplace! All that does is burn wood faster, depletes your coal bed and reduces the heat going into all that stone and cement.

 

[northwinds]

unfortunatly what you dont want to do is what you ll end up doing. Sorry to say that, but I would not waste any time or money on your fireplace unless you are OK with the looks of a fire. If you want to heat your home the insert or free standing stove is the way to go

That's the sort of 'ugh' realization that i'm coming to. The thing is brand new, but the builder's company was in a death spiral so we wanted him to actually finish the house rather than quabble over this kind of thing (which we agreed we would have an opportunity to select beforehand). Now we're left to fix it, but at least we have a roof over our heads (vs. some of the folks he was just starting with at the time).

Many many lessons learned. As it stands i'm thinking i'm just going to go with something effective for the basement (stove or furnace) and leave this as the ornament it is.

We've got a Majestic fireplace with the glass doors and the circulating fan. Huge firebox. Beautiful hickory mantle.
Eats a lot of wood but will put out some heat in the great room and kitchen. When we figured out that what we had was
not an efficient heater, we opted for the new woodstove in the walkout finished lower level.

 

[jcims]

We've got a Majestic fireplace with the glass doors and the circulating fan. Huge firebox. Beautiful hickory mantle.
Eats a lot of wood but will put out some heat in the great room and kitchen. When we figured out that what we had was
not an efficient heater, we opted for the new woodstove in the walkout finished lower level.

Does any of that heat make it upstairs? That's precisely what we're planning (walkout lower level and all)...I'm just having a hard time deciding if we're going to get any benefit from that upstairs...esp with the basement ceiling finished. Do you have a fan/blower/etc to move the air.

 

[begreen]

If you do decide to put in an insert, replace the tacked on wood mantel with a stone mantel. Done right it will look great and will offer good, non-combustible protection for the tv.

Thanks for the tip. Currently no heat makes it up that far, but as you say, with something that actually pushes heat INTO the home, that would be a good thing.

Are they typically solid stone or a facia around something else? My guess is if it's the former, you'd have to mount it with some stone behind (e.g.' 16" deep for a 10" projection from the wall or whatever). There are enough jack studs in there now to hold up the whole house.

Just browsing, the Jotul 550 is looking like a nice option.

Sorry, not an option. I suspect only the smallest inserts would fit in there. What are the dimensions?

 

[northwinds]

We've got a Majestic fireplace with the glass doors and the circulating fan. Huge firebox. Beautiful hickory mantle.
Eats a lot of wood but will put out some heat in the great room and kitchen. When we figured out that what we had was
not an efficient heater, we opted for the new woodstove in the walkout finished lower level.

Does any of that heat make it upstairs? That's precisely what we're planning (walkout lower level and all)...I'm just having a hard time deciding if we're going to get any benefit from that upstairs...esp with the basement ceiling finished. Do you have a fan/blower/etc to move the air.

Yes, it works with our layout. The stove is installed at the bottom of an open staircase to the great room, so the heat travels
up and gets a push from the ceiling fan at the top of the stairs. I don't have a blower with the stove. The stove has
burned to warm from this morning's fire, and the upstairs is a comfortable 70 degrees. We get an assist from passive solar
on a day like today--20's but sunny.

 

[karri0n]

Nice IR!

Jcims,

You are probably going to have to decommission that fireplace and either build a space for an insert, or put in a freestanding stove. What are the dimensions of the space in the stonework?

 

[jcims]

Yes, it works with our layout. The stove is installed at the bottom of an open staircase to the great room, so the heat travels up and gets a push from the ceiling fan at the top of the stairs. I don't have a blower with the stove. The stove has
burned to warm from this morning's fire, and the upstairs is a comfortable 70 degrees. We get an assist from passive solar
on a day like today--20's but sunny.

Very nice setup!

As far as dimensions, I don't know exactly, but this is what the manual states:

(broken image removed)

There was a little bit of blocking on the sides and top if memory serves, but not much. I do believe there was at least 6" of clearance behind it.

 

[spot]

There are a few things you could try before replacing it with an insert...

Stainless steel fireback
http://www.google.com/products?hl=e...a=X&oi=product_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title
Lower cost, but looks like a cookie sheet in there.

Cast iron fireback
http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Firep...le_firebacks&gclid=CJOt0-aGh5cCFQITswodrh4C9w
Higher cost, but more decorative.

A unique grate
http://www.gratewalloffire.com/

Air circulating grate
http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Fireplace-Accessories/Fireplace-Heaters-Blowers

If your fireplace is similar to mine, you have vents at the bottom and top of the firebox and an access panel under the firebox floor.
You can install a fan in there to circulate air around the firebox and get a few more BTU's from the fire.
http://www.homeannex.com/prodView.a...oogleBase&Eng=CA&a64=GoogleBase&mn9=Majestic%

Glass doors are a great option to get, however, the doors available for your firebox are nothing more than tempered-glass panels that cannot be closed while a fire is burning. This does nothing to help with heat-output, but will help stop air-conditioning loss when you are not burning in the summer.

 

[karri0n]

Actually, with 40 3/4" x 40" x 20 1/2", you might have decent space for an insert there without destroying the stonework. Like Hanko said, if you have a class A chimney in there, you are golden. I wouldn't go so far as to assume that you do, however.

Something will need to be done about that mantle, either replace with a non combustible and make it stick out a few inches farther, or I would have some serious concerns about ruining my beautiful flatscreen.(good choice on the red/black, btw, looks sweet)

 

[drdoct]

I used to have one of those fireplace grate blower thingies. It was hard to get a fire really hot because it cooled it so much. You could probably do it with good dry wood, but if it's green or wet it does not work too good. Defiantly not worth the money they want for a new one.