I have just purchased a VC Montpelier Fireplace Insert and was really looking forward to feeling warm in my cold house but the new stove seems to send out very little heat. I have adjusted and re-adjusted the top lever; the fan speed and the amount of wood, yet no matter what I try the air only feels mildly warm in front of the stove up to 9" (I feel more heat from my hairdryer) ... so, it was an expensive investment for something that looks really pretty but I am still freezing. I have had up to 3 good sized logs in the stove and the coals are nice and orange... in the morning there are still some hot embers left, enough for me to get another fire going fairly quickly. I must be missing something very basic and would really appreciate any tips and tricks that folks could provide! Thanks!
My new VC Insert doesn't heat up
- Thread starter Lynn0101
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The request will go out for more information.... how big is your house, where is the stove, do you have a liner installed, is the chimney external, is your wood seasoned..etc..
Did they put a block off plate behind the insert to prevent valuable heat from going up the chimney?
The fact that you still have hot coals over night is a good sign...so hang in there someone with your stove will be along. One thing I can tell you for sure is that smaller splits will throw off more heat. Also that stove comes with a fan, now we hardly use ours except for on the very coldest days so if your using the blower...I dunno. Blowers add something to the burning process that I haven't figured out yet and we are content to rely on the ceiling fan only.
The fact that you still have hot coals over night is a good sign...so hang in there someone with your stove will be along. One thing I can tell you for sure is that smaller splits will throw off more heat. Also that stove comes with a fan, now we hardly use ours except for on the very coldest days so if your using the blower...I dunno. Blowers add something to the burning process that I haven't figured out yet and we are content to rely on the ceiling fan only.
Here's more info on the stove, it is on an exterior wall, stone chimney. The house is approx. 1700 sq. feet, 2 floors, it is an old craftsman bungalow with old windows but at least there is insulation in the walls... I do have a ceiling fan in the room with the insert, so tonight I will try using that and keep the stove's fan off...I'm not sure if there was a block off plate installed, I will check into that. There is non-flammable insulation around the stove (in the fireplace cavity).
I'd keep the stove's fan on at least low... try this test: with the stove hot, turn the fan off, and see if you can feel anything coming out of the outlets. Now turn the fan on low. Big difference.
I think the real trick to getting this stove to perform is being able to fill the small firebox with wood. You didn't mention if your wood was purchased or split at home. I bought 2 cords to supplement what I already had. Much of the wood I purchased is too bulky for the stove. I wind up re-splitting into halves and sometimes thirds. Now instead of 3 large splits, and can get 5 or 6.. big heat difference...
I think the real trick to getting this stove to perform is being able to fill the small firebox with wood. You didn't mention if your wood was purchased or split at home. I bought 2 cords to supplement what I already had. Much of the wood I purchased is too bulky for the stove. I wind up re-splitting into halves and sometimes thirds. Now instead of 3 large splits, and can get 5 or 6.. big heat difference...
ok well my story is exactly the same we have tried everything they have told us to do and are still freezing. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Could be your splits are too large? Try raking all the coals forward, lay a large split in the back, and fill in with smaller 2-3" diameter splits in front, burn on high for 10-20 minutes, then turn it down slowely to about half air or low enough to maintain those nice looking secondary flames. It takes some trial and error burning a new stove.
ok so far we did the initial burns and that seemed ok. then we tried it for real. first when it was not getting hot we called and they said make sure to move the valve to the right so that it would run hot not fast. we tried that and thought ok the wood does seem to be getting hotter. but the weather was also alot warmer. still was never great. talked to dealer again and he said it must be your wood. so we tried other wood ( we have alot , we tried older, newer, large and small) nothing changed. this week it was cold and we ran it 24 hours still with no results. we tried the ceiling fan on, off. blower on /off. we even put a themometer up on the celing fan to see if it was warmer up there. no different 68o both on top and on ground. when you open the door the box is really hot. when you look at the wood it is bright red. when you feel near the glass it is hot. so why is my room so cold. you do not feel anything until you are like a foot away. which is no different than when i just burned wood in my fireplace. we truly hope that we are just doing something wrong and that it is not the unit. had a friend look at it who has a wood stove built in also VC and he could not see anything we were doing wrong and his stove different model works great. funny thing is we thought we were going to be too warm.
also when we put the knob to the right the fire still seems to burn fast. and the wood is definately not wet. thanks for any help
Well that's sad to hear that same stove isn't working out for the both of you...can't feel the heat until you're at least a foot away. Something is radically wrong there and john seems to have tried everything correctly the way I'd go about it.
If that was us and I know our wood is seasoned I'd go back to the dealer and trade up for another stove or get our money back. Heck the way you both describe it those inserts are no better than the fireplaces and it shouldn't be that way.
If that was us and I know our wood is seasoned I'd go back to the dealer and trade up for another stove or get our money back. Heck the way you both describe it those inserts are no better than the fireplaces and it shouldn't be that way.
I am so appreciative of having received so many great suggestions as to how I may possibly get my new insert to heat up my living room (forget the house... I would be happy if even the room was warm!)... I have not yet tried putting in smaller pieces of wood yet since I am waiting for my son to stop by to cut up some wood for me. I have tomorrow off from work so may run to the hardware store and buy my own ax and give wood splitting a try myself. I do intend to try out every suggestion and I will not give up hope... I did just run upstairs to plug in my electric blanket though, and to think that I had thought I was going to be too warm when I had a wood stove going. 
I think your installation might be drawing a lot of room air in around the surround/skirt (or under the stove) and sending a lot of heat up the exterior chimney.
Quick check: when you've got it burning well...hold a stick of burning incense (or similar smoke source) near the surround and underside of the stove to see if its drawing air where is shouldn't be.
Quick check: when you've got it burning well...hold a stick of burning incense (or similar smoke source) near the surround and underside of the stove to see if its drawing air where is shouldn't be.
I have the same unit, and it puts out a good amount of heat. It was in the 20s last weekend, and I have a ~2000 sqft house, with the unit in the living room. All the open, connecting space near the unit was easily kept in the low 70's, and the entire second floor as well.
If you're not sure you have good wood, as recommended in some other threads, as a test, get a couple of bundles of the "kiln dried" firewood you can find at the box stores. That stuff is usually very dry, (and expensive), but seems like a good test.
If you're not sure you have good wood, as recommended in some other threads, as a test, get a couple of bundles of the "kiln dried" firewood you can find at the box stores. That stuff is usually very dry, (and expensive), but seems like a good test.
Lynn,
I noticed in your post you said "I am waiting for my son to stop by to cut up some wood for me"
Is he cutting and splitting wood for you now? If so, the general rule of thumb here is wood needs to be split and stacked for a year (some species even more.)
WoodButcher
I noticed in your post you said "I am waiting for my son to stop by to cut up some wood for me"
Is he cutting and splitting wood for you now? If so, the general rule of thumb here is wood needs to be split and stacked for a year (some species even more.)
WoodButcher
Make sure that you are also not using wood that is to old. I was having problems seeing temperatures over 370 degrees. I was using firewood that was cut and split like 6 years ago and has been covered the last year. I called Woodstock up and asked them what was up, and described my set up and chimney. They said it was the wood, to mix in some of the wood that I split this March. I was doubting what they said, but tried it, and the stove ran up at 550 degrees. So your would could be not seasoned enough, to wet, or if you are burning really old wood, that could be it also.
Good point. The wood is good though. I got it from someone who sells seasoned & split firewood on a regular basis. The problem is that the size of most of the chunks are larger than what the various posted replies have been suggesting. I have a nice pile on my enclosed back porch and the rest of the cord underneath a tarp on my driveway (that is until I have the chance to stack it up neatly somewhere else).
I did buy a stove thermometer this morning, here's a new question, on the directions on the package it says to adhere the magnetic thermometer on either a verticle single wall pipe or on the cook top surface... I have neither since I have an insert... where is the safest place to place it?
I did buy a stove thermometer this morning, here's a new question, on the directions on the package it says to adhere the magnetic thermometer on either a verticle single wall pipe or on the cook top surface... I have neither since I have an insert... where is the safest place to place it?
There have been a BUNCH of posts related to this same problem pertaining especially to a variety of newly installed inserts. Kflorence just had great success by having the installer come back out and re-do the liner from a partial-run to a full-run up the chimney. That and some slight mods to the actual fire-setting-up practices were all it took to jump 200F, it seems!
If you're not sure what you have back behind / above your insert for a liner/blockoff plate setup, you need to find out exactly what's in there and make sure you're not sending all your hard-earned heat up the chimney and away from the space you're trying to heat.
If you're not sure what you have back behind / above your insert for a liner/blockoff plate setup, you need to find out exactly what's in there and make sure you're not sending all your hard-earned heat up the chimney and away from the space you're trying to heat.
thanks for all the input. have service coming tomorrow to check it out. I think they just think we are idiots. but we will see what happens. if nothing i am ready to give it back.
Based on everything you're saying, esp. your experienced woodburning friend being unable to do things "his way" to any success, then you almost certainly have a problem with the installation itself. others have had success by demanding the installer run it themselves and "easily" get up to desired temps. If you have no thermometer on the face of the insert, it might be questionable as to "how hot" you're getting. good luck!
I'm not an expert here, just started burning this season with an insert. But still, here are my $0.02 cents
1. Seasoned Wood: Make sure the wood is seasoned enough. I don't want to emphasize this enough, as you must be knowing this by now. Does your glass door of the insert gather any soot? or the firebricks?
2. Blower: Insert need blowers to get the heat out of the stove. But, you should NOT switch on the blower unless the stove is HOT enough. If an "automatic" setting exists in your insert, leave it in automatic setting. When the blower starts blowing - feel the air that is coming out of the blower vent - it should be real HOT.
3. Chimney: Is your chimney lined? Lining the chimney with SS liners helps establish good drafts. Does smoke come into your room when you open the insert door (after shutting off the fan)?. If so, you are not having enough draft. Rarely, you might also be having too much draft resulting in the heat escaping away into the chimney.
4. Block-off plate: Block-off plates help keep the heat (from around the insert) within the structure rather than escaping out through the chimney.
5. Thermometer: Some find good use for a thermometer and some do now. If you use a thermometer, you can establish a pattern of good/efficient burn and try to replicate it.
1. Seasoned Wood: Make sure the wood is seasoned enough. I don't want to emphasize this enough, as you must be knowing this by now. Does your glass door of the insert gather any soot? or the firebricks?
2. Blower: Insert need blowers to get the heat out of the stove. But, you should NOT switch on the blower unless the stove is HOT enough. If an "automatic" setting exists in your insert, leave it in automatic setting. When the blower starts blowing - feel the air that is coming out of the blower vent - it should be real HOT.
3. Chimney: Is your chimney lined? Lining the chimney with SS liners helps establish good drafts. Does smoke come into your room when you open the insert door (after shutting off the fan)?. If so, you are not having enough draft. Rarely, you might also be having too much draft resulting in the heat escaping away into the chimney.
4. Block-off plate: Block-off plates help keep the heat (from around the insert) within the structure rather than escaping out through the chimney.
5. Thermometer: Some find good use for a thermometer and some do now. If you use a thermometer, you can establish a pattern of good/efficient burn and try to replicate it.
I really think, although I haven't tried it, that I could cook a hot dog in front of the blower outlet on the old VC 0046 sitting in the fireplace in my living room. The guy I bought the house from bought it for 150 bucks in the mid nineties.
The snap disks on the stoves today will usually come on at 200 degrees automatically. They're only to shut the motor down when the stove goes out. Keep the blower off until the insert gets up to burning temperatures... 500 degrees is when I turn mine on.
Starting a fire is a process that usually takes about 45 minutes from match to final loading and turning the blower on. Small kindling splits on a few newspaper rolls... a couple smallish splits on top of that. Burn the heck out of it, when it is still burning but more coals than fire, put a few larger splits on, but not BIG. Once that is still burning, but more coals, add a few larger splits and a bigger one.
Let 'er rip until it's all burning, then close the air supply gradually so you don't blow the thing up, and turn your blower on. Sit in the recliner and go to sleep...
The snap disks on the stoves today will usually come on at 200 degrees automatically. They're only to shut the motor down when the stove goes out. Keep the blower off until the insert gets up to burning temperatures... 500 degrees is when I turn mine on.
Starting a fire is a process that usually takes about 45 minutes from match to final loading and turning the blower on. Small kindling splits on a few newspaper rolls... a couple smallish splits on top of that. Burn the heck out of it, when it is still burning but more coals than fire, put a few larger splits on, but not BIG. Once that is still burning, but more coals, add a few larger splits and a bigger one.
Let 'er rip until it's all burning, then close the air supply gradually so you don't blow the thing up, and turn your blower on. Sit in the recliner and go to sleep...
Same problem. New Montpelier insert, full chimney liner, blocking plate, dry wood. When I start it, it takes 1-1/2 to 2 hours for the thermoswitch to turn the fan on, and it still kicks off occasionally even with a big fire going.
Had some other problems from new, and dealer was VERY unhelpful - they don't get paid much for service. I finally got them in to fix other issues (like a broken air slider control), and they replaced the thermoswitch. Same result.
I've measured the blower air. It's never much above 140F no matter how hot the fire. House is about 1500 sq.ft., and in stove can only raise the temperature by about 30 degrees. That clearly isn't going to work when it gets well below freezing. 1978 stove I had before could easily turn the house into a sauna in a couple of hours; I replaced it to get an overnight burn and more efficiency.
Dealer and installer no help, factory won't talk to owners. This is my primary heat source, and I'm in a bit of a panic. I'm wondering if it's possible to mis-assemble the stove (say, firebrick in wrong, or a plate out of place) so that heat can't get through to the air ducts? There is clearly something seriously wrong. The only way I get useful heat is with the door open - inefficient and not very safe! And almost no heat with the blower off.
If anyone has an idea, I will be VERY grateful.
Thanks-
Theo
Had some other problems from new, and dealer was VERY unhelpful - they don't get paid much for service. I finally got them in to fix other issues (like a broken air slider control), and they replaced the thermoswitch. Same result.
I've measured the blower air. It's never much above 140F no matter how hot the fire. House is about 1500 sq.ft., and in stove can only raise the temperature by about 30 degrees. That clearly isn't going to work when it gets well below freezing. 1978 stove I had before could easily turn the house into a sauna in a couple of hours; I replaced it to get an overnight burn and more efficiency.
Dealer and installer no help, factory won't talk to owners. This is my primary heat source, and I'm in a bit of a panic. I'm wondering if it's possible to mis-assemble the stove (say, firebrick in wrong, or a plate out of place) so that heat can't get through to the air ducts? There is clearly something seriously wrong. The only way I get useful heat is with the door open - inefficient and not very safe! And almost no heat with the blower off.
If anyone has an idea, I will be VERY grateful.
Thanks-
Theo
I had partial success yesterday with my insert! Using much smaller splits (suggested by Fod01, Todd & LeonMSPT) I was able to get the stove up to 400 degrees (I put the thermometer on the door, centered just above the glass), I could feel nice warm air blowing out and this morning the coals were hot enough that I had a good fire going in a few minutes. I played around with the fan and had it turned off until the fire was really established. I also had the ceiling fan in the room going the entire time. The stove kept my downstairs at 69 degrees and the upstairs at 61, which is great! I am the methodical type (blame my background in computers), so did not want to try too many changes at once since I wouldn't be able to know which was most effective. Tonight I will try Woodgeek's suggestion of placing a piece of incense or small candle on the floor at the stove base to see if there is air being pulled in underneath the unit. I am feeling a lot more positive about the stove and am so appreciative of every one's suggestions!
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