New poster, new home in North GA modify

[Mike Holbrook]

We bought a home in Cherry Log, GA about a year ago, working on selling 12 acres a kennel and the prior home.

The new house is about 2800 sq’, two stories and a basement. There is a large garage with a 900 sq’ “Carriage House over it too.

A large amount of big roundish, river rock was used in the cnstruction of the house. One end of the basement floor is made entirely of river rock. Climbing the three stories, counting the basement, of the house is a large chase/chimney. The outside of this chimney is around 8’ long x 2-3’ thick. The ground floor of the house has a large 87-89” wide x 16’ tall section that is the inside portion of the chimney. As in many mountain homes there is an opening for the living room that goes up into the third story. The inside portion protrudes 6-12 inches into the house, and has a large solid granite slab protruding from it. The hearth is curved, about 13” from the river rock on each edge, and about 20” in the middle. There is currently a wood burning fireplace and blower in the 43” wide x 37” tall opening in the river rock.

Below the main floor, in the basement, there is a double closet framed in below the chimney & hearth above. The entire top surface of the chimney is made of river rock, other than the small round, covered flu.

I started out looking at inserts that would fit into the existing fireplace. The units we liked do not fit in the existing opening. One company we have talked to says that their insurance provider is threatening to cancel coverage if they cut out parts of existing units to fit new ones in. Apparently they use to regularly remove/modify parts to get new ones to fit.

It seems to me that there should be a way to remove the entire old unit, insulate the space better, and seal it against weather and heat better. I would hate to modify the existing wall and structure, but wonder if modifying the existing space might give me the extra room I need?

 

[begreen]

Welcome. Is this a zero clearance fireplace? If so, one can not modify the fireplace other than removing the doors and damper. Even then the fireplace mfg. must permit an insert to be installed. If the documentation for the fireplace say no, then that is the end of the story. An alternative that sometimes can work is to remove the fireplace from behind and install a new more efficient unit in its place. Whether this is possible depends on a lot of factors and it may take a bit of modification to the front facade.

 

[Mike Holbrook]

I just talked to a builder. He says the reason people do not want to replace old fireplace units is when you pull the old unit out the “stove pipe” can fall down into the hole. The answer, he says, is to brace the stove pipe, which may be three different pipes, before removing the unit. It may take multiple people working at the top of the chimney to secure the stove pipe. He says he replaced one recently, with full permits for the work.

I am not sure what a zero clearance unit is. The existing unit in our cabin has a large space under the entire unit. There is what looks like a dryer exit pipe runing under the unit and a blower. The “dryer pipe” exits through the rock chimney, with the same cover dryers use on the exterior. I believe this is an air intake. I think the whole unit has a least two layers of sheet metal surrounding it, to insulate it from what is behind it.

I see a way to upload a URL for a picture, but no way to upload a picture on my iPad.

 

[begreen]

Is sounds like a factory built (ZC) fireplace. Very often when the fireplace is replaced, the chimney needs to be replaced too. If that is the case just detach it from the fireplace and pull it out.

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