Hello All,
Let me first start off by saying I have been browsing this forum daily for the last year and am amazed at the wealth of knowledge from this very diverse group, equally impressive is the speed of response to ones questions. I thank you for all the helpful information gathered in the past and look forward to learning in the future.
Now some background info and a few questions...
I (until this winter) heat my 20 year old 1500 SQ foot two story colonial with oil. We surprisingly only used about 350 gallons of oil last year; however that doesn't mean I didn't cringe after every oil delivery, and those were at $3 a gallon prices. Fortunately the house seems to be fairly well insulated and the windows are in good shape; even better is the layout... although the fireplace is on an exterior wall, the the floor plan is pretty open and the staircase is 20 feet away with an open ceiling. Since my wife and I love a fire and I hate the inefficiency of an open fireplace, I decided to go all out and and exclusively heat with wood for the next few years (my wife grew up exclusively on wood heat). Fortunately we have a couple of acres of heavily wooded land with 4 or 5 standing dead and a few other trees screaming to be used to warm my family ( I currently have about 6 face cord for this winter, drying since early June - hope they will be good to go by November!)
To make a long story longer, we decided to purchase a Rockland 550, we both love the flush look and I like the large firebox (maybe a little overkill) for the cold upstate NY winter nights and the overnight burns. The beast was delivered today and is sitting in my garage... begging to be installed (next weekend after the chimney sweep)
So, on with the installation. The exterior chimney is about 20 foot straight shot. Completely relined about three years ago (before we bought the house) with what seems to be a very heavy duty SS 7 inch by 11 inch liner. Does anyone know how I can tell if they insulted that liner? I plan to install the six inch full liner (to the top) without insulation, hoping the dead air will act as decent insulation.
At the top of the chimney, should I completely seal the top cap with hi temp silicone?
I was picking the brain of the delivery guy / slash install guy (of the very reputable and one of the largest fireplace shops in town - also the cheapest, always a good combination) and he mentioned that they NEVER use a block off plate because they cut a minimal hole in the damper (just enough for the liner) and then stuff insulation around the liner and damper to seal it. Is this acceptable and if so, what insulation should I get that will stand up to abuse?
Also, my fireplace has an ash pit in the back and what looks to be a cold air draft plate that can open in the front... I know this is minimal but, should I seal these off completely or are they ok just closed with the unit over it?
Also on a side note, I have a plasma TV about two feet to the right of the insert (3.5 feet from centerline) and about 1.5 feet above the insert... with your insert experience, does this area get above 110 degrees... with the blowers on? Just asking to see if I should start thinking about a new room layout. Thanks in advance
Let me first start off by saying I have been browsing this forum daily for the last year and am amazed at the wealth of knowledge from this very diverse group, equally impressive is the speed of response to ones questions. I thank you for all the helpful information gathered in the past and look forward to learning in the future.
Now some background info and a few questions...
I (until this winter) heat my 20 year old 1500 SQ foot two story colonial with oil. We surprisingly only used about 350 gallons of oil last year; however that doesn't mean I didn't cringe after every oil delivery, and those were at $3 a gallon prices. Fortunately the house seems to be fairly well insulated and the windows are in good shape; even better is the layout... although the fireplace is on an exterior wall, the the floor plan is pretty open and the staircase is 20 feet away with an open ceiling. Since my wife and I love a fire and I hate the inefficiency of an open fireplace, I decided to go all out and and exclusively heat with wood for the next few years (my wife grew up exclusively on wood heat). Fortunately we have a couple of acres of heavily wooded land with 4 or 5 standing dead and a few other trees screaming to be used to warm my family ( I currently have about 6 face cord for this winter, drying since early June - hope they will be good to go by November!)
To make a long story longer, we decided to purchase a Rockland 550, we both love the flush look and I like the large firebox (maybe a little overkill) for the cold upstate NY winter nights and the overnight burns. The beast was delivered today and is sitting in my garage... begging to be installed (next weekend after the chimney sweep)
So, on with the installation. The exterior chimney is about 20 foot straight shot. Completely relined about three years ago (before we bought the house) with what seems to be a very heavy duty SS 7 inch by 11 inch liner. Does anyone know how I can tell if they insulted that liner? I plan to install the six inch full liner (to the top) without insulation, hoping the dead air will act as decent insulation.
At the top of the chimney, should I completely seal the top cap with hi temp silicone?
I was picking the brain of the delivery guy / slash install guy (of the very reputable and one of the largest fireplace shops in town - also the cheapest, always a good combination) and he mentioned that they NEVER use a block off plate because they cut a minimal hole in the damper (just enough for the liner) and then stuff insulation around the liner and damper to seal it. Is this acceptable and if so, what insulation should I get that will stand up to abuse?
Also, my fireplace has an ash pit in the back and what looks to be a cold air draft plate that can open in the front... I know this is minimal but, should I seal these off completely or are they ok just closed with the unit over it?
Also on a side note, I have a plasma TV about two feet to the right of the insert (3.5 feet from centerline) and about 1.5 feet above the insert... with your insert experience, does this area get above 110 degrees... with the blowers on? Just asking to see if I should start thinking about a new room layout. Thanks in advance