New Grandma Bear III Owner with Questions

[gowings]

New to the forum here guys and gals. I just purchased a Fisher Grandma Bear III. I have to get it all cleaned up and repainted. I have a few questions though.
1. Can you adjust the little silver balls at the bottom of the legs, for an uneven floor to make the stove level or will I have to shim it with something?
2. I have found a manual on here for it, but the common fire brick sizes do not fit after I put the 10 on the floor, the brick retainers are to low and the bricks along the sides and back would have to be cut to fit, Is this common practice or did someone re-weld new retainers in there and make them to low?

 

[gowings]

Tom,

Could you take a picture of the inside of that stove for me so that I can see how your fire bricks are in there along with your brick retainer. Also a picture of the left door on the back. I am just trying to compare something to the one I have. You can just email them to [email protected] if that is easier than uploading here. Thanks in advance.

Joe

(Other opinions are welcome too.)
Hi Coaly, My wife and I recently bought a home (rancher) that was built in the mid 70's in northern Maryland.
Upstairs is a Fisher Insert & and downstairs in the basement is the Grandpa Bear (from what I can tell from this forum, I'm pretty sure it is a grandpa).. We've had several chimney companies come out to the house to inspect our chimneys and give estimates for repairs. (3 flues total, both Fishers, and also the furnace flue).
All existing flues are clay tile and show signs of wear (the plan is to have them all replaced with modern stainless liners).
Question 1: All the chimney companies agreed that the Fisher insert (which they all called a "slammer") needed to be removed (for safety reasons) and replaced with a modern insert in combination with a 6-inch stainless liner. I've read about "slammers" on the internet and there does seem to be a safety concern out there that is consistent with what the chimney companies were saying. So my question is, are "slammers" dangerous, and should I replace the Fisher insert.. It seems a shame because it is a cool piece.. I thought I would ask you (who seems to be a Fisher expert) if you had any thoughts on the "slammer" matter.

Question 2: The downstairs Grandpa Bear is connected to 7inch square clay tile chimney flue. 2 out of 3 chimney companies said that the existing flue was fine. All three companies want to replace the black stove pipe from stove to wall (this makes sense as it is a bit rusty).. 1 out of 3 companies (and the one we like the best) wants to break up and remove the clay tile flue and replace with a 8inch stainless steel modern liner and then connect the grandpa bear. I've been getting some pressure from outside opinions to replace the "old" fisher (grandpa) with a more efficient/modern woodstove with a 6inch outlet/liner (avoiding breaking out the current 7inch tile). I've read on some of your posts about the baffling trick to add some efficiency. I may inquire more about that later. Right now I'm planning on keeping the grandpa bear and letting the chimney company reline the chimney with a 8inch liner and replace the black stove pipe and light a fire. I really like the stove and just want to use it. It seems as though there is a high regard to Fisher Stoves and I think it would be a shame to take out the grandpa bear. Any thoughts on this Coaly?? Does the plan make sense for the 8 inch liner?
Anyway, Thanks for thoughts and opinions in advance. I'm very new to all of this.
Tom.
-I've uploaded some photos of my stoves so you can see what I have. (hopefully the photos work).

 

[coaly]

New to the forum here guys and gals. I just purchased a Fisher Grandma Bear III. I have to get it all cleaned up and repainted. I have a few questions though.
1. Can you adjust the little silver balls at the bottom of the legs, for an uneven floor to make the stove level or will I have to shim it with something?
2. I have found a manual on here for it, but the common fire brick sizes do not fit after I put the 10 on the floor, the brick retainers are to low and the bricks along the sides and back would have to be cut to fit, Is this common practice or did someone re-weld new retainers in there and make them to low?

Welcome to the Forum and congrats on your new find;
That is the purpose of the ball feet. It depends on the leg style. There was angle iron corners that became legs, or "Fireplace" or "Furniture" style legs. Most have a set screw in a recessed hole on the side of ball near the top. Loosen set screw and adjust up or down.
Some have a welded nut inside the leg and rotate to adjust up and down.

Grandma III is not enough information for bricks. It could be the old style box with angle iron corners, or the new style with bent corners. I've posted the brick layout for the old type with pictures of the original drawings, or the newer style one piece body is shown in manual.
A full brick should slip up under the retainer and sit on the bottom. Then fill the bottom in to hold them tight to the sides. If you're looking at the newer III manual that shows the bottom UNDER the side bricks, shipping the stoves allowed the bricks to move and break. Many fabricators went back to the old way to allow the bottom bricks to hold them in place during transport. So the retainers are low like the old style box.

 

[coaly]

Tom,

Could you take a picture of the inside of that stove for me so that I can see how your fire bricks are in there along with your brick retainer. Also a picture of the left door on the back. I am just trying to compare something to the one I have. You can just email them to [email protected] if that is easier than uploading here. Thanks in advance.

Joe

Tom doesn't have a Grandma III. He has a Grandpa and an Insert. The Insert uses Grandma doors, but you may have shielded plated doors. Is this the GM III that sold on eBay with the broken heat shield on the right door?

 

[gowings]

No, I got it from an older fellow in Suffolk VA.

Tom doesn't have a Grandma III. He has a Grandpa and an Insert. The Insert uses Grandma doors, but you may have shielded plated doors. Is this the GM III that sold on eBay with the broken heat shield on the right door?

 

[gowings]

Coaly,

I think I have the later of what you said. When I got this stove all the side and back bricks where standing up right and the bottom had cut bricks laid in there different than what the manual I have is. Where are the pictures and manuals you posted? I was looking for a picture of that door because the handle on that side is fixed, is this correct?

Joe

Welcome to the Forum and congrats on your new find;
That is the purpose of the ball feet. It depends on the leg style. There was angle iron corners that became legs, or "Fireplace" or "Furniture" style legs. Most have a set screw in a recessed hole on the side of ball near the top. Loosen set screw and adjust up or down.
Some have a welded nut inside the leg and rotate to adjust up and down.

Grandma III is not enough information for bricks. It could be the old style box with angle iron corners, or the new style with bent corners. I've posted the brick layout for the old type with pictures of the original drawings, or the newer style one piece body is shown in manual.
A full brick should slip up under the retainer and sit on the bottom. Then fill the bottom in to hold them tight to the sides. If you're looking at the newer III manual that shows the bottom UNDER the side bricks, shipping the stoves allowed the bricks to move and break. Many fabricators went back to the old way to allow the bottom bricks to hold them in place during transport. So the retainers are low like the old style box.

 

[coaly]

Yes, only the right handle moves on all Fisher double door stoves. older doors have a groove cast into the back of the left door to hold the bend in handle from moving. There is only one wedge inside on the top edge that pulls it in tight. Close the left door first and the right overlaps. Yours should have a momentary pause as you have to rotate one way, open slightly to give it a gulp of air, while this pause gets it drafting, then rotate back in the other direction to open fully. This is a lag in opening door that prevents smoke from rolling in. It may seem cumbersome at first, but you soon get used to it. One of the guys in Bob's shop came up with that idea and since Bob was familiar with the patent office, had him patent his own invention. His patent motion is used on truck and trailer gates as well as other items. That is why only one door has a latch. I don't think Bob had to pay him royalties using it, at least I hope not!

Every picture I have of the inside of a left Grandma door has the optional nickel heat shield.

Here is one thread bricking a Grandma III; https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...-think-is-a-grandma-bear.129835/#post-1748510

The drawing picture is for the old style with angle iron corners. It won't help you if you have the bent corners.
If yours has angle iron down the corners that become the legs, the brick layout is not in the early manual. I have it from the drawings. The fabricators were sent revisions of drawings, and the 1977 revision is called FS II. This was the early box with bottom and rear shields added, optional if not installed on a hearth. There were only flat top double doors from '76 to '78. In1979, the arched top doors were available as an option on the old box. These were designated III, and UL approved. In 1980, the flat top doors were dropped, and the corners were bent with no angle iron on the corners. They remained the III. New style glass doors became the IV. What makes it confusing, is many fabricators offered the old style box as a cheaper alternative to the new bent units. Yours probably came from the Dunn Brothers that had the license for VA and W VA. Not sure what they did.
This numbering system is ONLY for the double door stoves.

Can't find the drawing picture on the forum, Maybe I only posted the Grandpa double door. Each part has it's own drawing and the size of prints are far too large for copying, so I can only do it with pictures.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/brick-placement.136318/#post-1829761

If you run your bottoms across in 4 rows, you think you only need to cut 4. Stagger the full length and cut off back and forth. They cut very easily with a masonry blade in a circular saw. Score and snap like Cement board. Much softer than regular brick.

All manuals are at the top of the main Fisher Forum page. In the sticky thread section.
More pictures of brick layout from drawings are in threads titled Mama Bear Firebricks, or Papa or Baby........ Firebricks