NEED HELP from someone who knows about Grizzly Inserts

[Djclark]

This Grizzly Insert came with the house and has been in it for many years from what I can tell. I have had nothing but problems with keeping a fire in it since day one. No matter the coal bed not matter the side air control it always dies out. Two things, it has no flue dampener and the original fans diesel so I got new ones from a stove store. It has no thermal control on it it’s either switch on or off. I’m also noticing then when I hold a flame to the air intakes on the side, the blowers are drawing suction out of the intakes...so that seems to be a problem. Also there are no sides around the blower and it seems as maybe once there was so that is a question I’m looking to have answered. Also I have a feeling they if I had a thermo controlled fan that this would help as when the fans were off the intakes could pull fresh air. Pictures to define. I’m at help would be greatly appreciated. We have a Monarch add a furnace downstairs which usually keeps up but these frigid zero nights I have to run both fires to keep it 68-70. Also I’m seeing that this is some kind of limit switch that is not hooked up here. I guess the stove place didn’t see it necessary. Any advice if I can hook this in to solve my on off problem would be great. Thanks.

 

[mellow]

Old catalytic stove. I would not burn in it with no bypass damper and it probably does not have a cat in it anymore.

Most of those older stoves if they have a liner are a positive connect, meaning the liner only goes up about 6 feet which hurts draft and are a pain to clean if it does even have a liner, might be a slammer with no liner.

I would have a pro come and inspect EVERYTHING before using it.

Here are some old threads I found on that derco grizzly:

Need advice on Derco Grizzly stove

Hi all, We recently bought a house here in VA that has an old Derco Grizzly stove (from what I've gathered). This house was built in 1992 and the stove was installed a couple of years later. I have little to no clue about such stoves and was going to get it removed during a chimney clean last...

www.hearth.com

Q&A - Problem with the fan mechanism on Grizzly Stove Insert

Question: I have a Grizzly Woodburning Stove Insert -- have had it for many years. Recently, the fan (has three speeds: low, medium and high) has been "surging" on and almost off when the stove is burning wood. It does this while engaged in all speeds, but it most noticeable on "low" speed...

www.hearth.com

 

[Djclark]

I’ve used it for 7 years, I clean the flue every fall and have had no issues. It has a 8in is flue pipe all the way to the top of the chimney outside. I’ll have to research what a bypass dampener is and I don’t know about the cat, I’m guessing the is supposed to be in the middle there where under the flue opening?

 

[mellow]

I found another old thread on that insert, you can see the cat hanging down in the pic of the inside: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...nsulate-liner-is-a-reducer-a-bad-idea.124124/

You should have a handle at the top that would open the bypass for starting the fire.

Found a post elsewhere showing what the cat looks like: https://firewoodhoardersclub.com/forums/threads/looking-for-derco-grizzly-owners.10475/

 

[mellow]

On second glance at your original picture it looks like you have an older model grizzly that was not a cat stove as I do not see the bypass handle on the picture you provided. This would be considered a smoke dragon as it has no reburn capabilities to clean up the smoke.

Btw, I have never seen one that was not a catalytic stove in this model so you have a rare one.

 

[Djclark]

On second glance at your original picture it looks like you have an older model grizzly that was not a cat stove as I do not see the bypass handle on the picture you provided. This would be considered a smoke dragon as it has no reburn capabilities to clean up the smoke.

Btw, I have never seen one that was not a catalytic stove in this model so you have a rare one.

Any suggestions on the draft issues and side plates? And I’d hooking it back to a limit switch fan set up will help? Here is the flue

 

[mellow]

Did you use black single wall pipe?