Need help figuring out if insert will fit.

[dkiger]

I am looking at purchasing an Country Flame Model BBF insert, my only concern is the taper i have in the rear of my fireplace. The fireplace is rather large, almost 38 inches wide 24 inches tall, the rear is 36 inches wide. The problem i see is in the rear it tappers inward. There is lots of room behind this tapper (then you have the rock masonry) and the tapper portion is 6 bricks high. Our mantle is huge and takes up most of the living room.

My question is IF needed is it ok to remove that 6 layer of brick in the taper to allow the insert to fit?

Here are some pictures to help.

 

[DAKSY]

Did you measure the depth from the face to the rear bricks at the 23" height of the insert?
That will tell you what you need to fit into.
Looks to me like you need about 17" of depth for the insert,
but the brochure on-line doesn't show EXACTLY where the faceplate sits,
or what the actual depth of the faceplate is.

 

[begreen]

6" is a lot of brick. You only need 23.5" depth. How deep is the fireplace at top and bottom?

The big issue may be the height. There is only 1/2" clearance which I suspect may be too tight.



Also, this will require an 8" liner. How much clearance is there in the damper throat?

 

[DAKSY]

6" is a lot of brick. You only need 23.5" depth. How deep is the fireplace at top and bottom?

The big issue may be the height. There is only 1/2" clearance which I suspect may be too tight.

View attachment 137806

Agreed, BG, getting the liner in is gonna be a challenge. I always hated those tight installs.
Pulling a liner down thru the flue is difficult. We always zipscrewed plumber's strap to the flex-to-rigid
adapter so we'd have something tograb onto. The baffle(s) has to be removable to do that.

 

[dkiger]

i have 24" front to back, the problem i see however is in the rear of the fireplace the rear wall is only 15" before it tapers inward ( this insert doesnt have a taper on the backside, it appears to be square from what i can tell by pictures). What i was thinking was removing that taper since in theory its no longer needed with the insert if i am thinking correctly.

 

[DAKSY]

You have to be sure what's behind those tapered bricks.
As long as there are no combustibles in there, you should be ok.
Does that stone wall continue in the room to the rear?
Another issue, tho, may be the chimney height. How tall is it?
There is evidence - black soot on the face of the fireplace - that
is generally an indicator of poor draft...

 

[dkiger]

The stone wall continues all the way around the chimney is roughly 15ft. We used that FP 24/7 last year and yes it needs cleaned badly.

 

[DAKSY]

Not the cleaning that's the issue here... Your chimney might be too short. That's why there's soot on the face.
You may have either build up the masonry construction or add an adapter plate & a section of Class A with a cap.
What's the minimum chimney height for that insert?

 

[DAKSY]

The next question I put to you is the size of your current Flue tile.
This insert, according to BG's chart, requires an 8" liner.

 

[dkiger]

I will measure everything this afternoon and let you know. the house was built in 1960 and it had an old insert in it and the previous owners removed it before selling. We used the fireplace like mad last winter to help on propane but it didn't do well that's why i was looking at an insert. the one i listed above may not be the best choice but i had found it online used (2 years old wife doesn't like the gold trim) for 700.00 which sure beat the hell out of the 4k estimate i got on having one installed.

 

[bholler]

Well That is 700 with out the liner and without the install or delivery correct? Not that it will add up to 4000 but it will be allot more than 700

 

[dkiger]

That is correct no liner but i se those at home depot for 500ish. installation I believe i can do.

 

[bholler]

Is that 500 for an 8" insulted liner?

 

[bholler]

I just checked 25' kit of 8" lightwall liner fron hd is 765. And that has no insulation which you should use. And it looks like there is no appliance adapter to go onto an insert just a tee.

 

[dkiger]

well no i was looking at 6" until it was pointed out i needed 8. 8in 30ft which is way to long is 700ish. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Chim-Cap...eel-Pipe-Chimney-Liner-Kit-FACLK830/203738417

 

[dkiger]

even if i could get it done for a couple grand that is still half of the quotes i got.

 

[begreen]

I would have a plan "B" in case the combination of the 8" liner clearance and the challenging opening height, plus depth issue add up to a nightmare install. Did you consider any slightly lower stoves with a 6" flue collar? I'm thinking maybe a Buck 91?

 

[RickBlaine]

As DAKSY stated, you may need an "extension" up on top. To meet the minimum requirements for my wood stove (15 feet), I added a (EDIT) 2 foot double-walled insulated stainless steel pipe Drafts beautifully!

 

[bholler]

Absolutly i am not saying it is not a good deal at all and home depot is definatly not the best place to buy. You can find better liners for similar price and more variation in length. You should really also consider insulating the liner. We have no idea how high it is yet no need to jump the gun about adding height yet guys

 

[Grisu]

I will measure everything this afternoon and let you know. the house was built in 1960 and it had an old insert in it and the previous owners removed it before selling. We used the fireplace like mad last winter to help on propane but it didn't do well that's why i was looking at an insert.

Standard masonry fireplaces are often a net negative in home heating as they send conditioned warm air from the home up the chimney. You gain some radiant heat but only as long as you are sitting right in front of the fire. No wonder you did not save on propane last winter. Putting an insert in is certainly a good idea and will help a lot with home heating. How much of an area do you want to heat? How well is your home insulated? Maybe you don't need such a big insert like the CountryFlame. A medium-sized one may be much easier to fit into the fireplace and would only require a 6" liner.

Please be also aware that the BFF or any other insert requires dry wood to burn well and safely. Wood needs to be split and stacked for one to three years to achieve a moisture content of less than 20%. Did you already take care of that?

 

[dkiger]

The flue size is rectangle in nature and measures like 14" long i forgot to measure how wide. Also it looks like the chimney height is just under 15ft.

I got the wood to burn no problem, and i am open to about any insert but was really looking at that one just cause it was a nice unit for the price. I can continue to look if this one is not the right choice to heat 1500sqft

 

[bholler]

You will probably not get an 8" liner in there then but 15' should be a good height atleast

 

[begreen]

As DAKSY stated, you may need an "extension" up on top. To meet the minimum requirements for my wood stove (15 feet), I added a 2 foot rigid Class A liner section. Drafts beautifully!

Class A liner? Or just rigid liner pipe.

 

[RickBlaine]

Sorry, that 2 foot section I have is actually double-walled insulated stainless steel pipe. I will edit above....