Well, let me begin by saying how totally impressed I am with hearth.com! Wow, what a find!
I am an absolute newby to wood heating. I've spent the last 6 weeks installing an FPX 36 elite in my home. Today I fired it up for the first time. What a great feeling!
I am going to have a ton of questions, but I'll start out with a couple of simple ones for other owners of this fireplace. I have some doubts about the air control knob. Mine only moves a very small amount (an inch or so) from its full right (closed) position to its full left (open) position. Also, the steel baffle that the lever is attached to moves around rather loosely. It doesn't just move side-to-side; it sort of can be rattled around. IS THIS NORMAL?
Second question - what experience have others had with condensation on those flexible ducts that draw cooling air for the chimney? I ran my ducts straight up into a storage area (unheated, but not well insulated) directly above the fireplace and out through the side wall there. I did the P-trap thing as detailed in the manual. Ever since I put them in, when it is cold out there is condensation on those flexible ducts. I've now insulated the heck out of the area where they are (I built a sort of a chase around the ducts and the chimney up there). But still there is condensation. If I did nothing to address this, I'm afraid I'd eventually have mold and mildew. I'm thinking of getting an insulating wrap to wrap around the ducts to isolate them from the warmer air. Any advice or experience out there?
Thanks in advance.
-Speak
I am an absolute newby to wood heating. I've spent the last 6 weeks installing an FPX 36 elite in my home. Today I fired it up for the first time. What a great feeling!
I am going to have a ton of questions, but I'll start out with a couple of simple ones for other owners of this fireplace. I have some doubts about the air control knob. Mine only moves a very small amount (an inch or so) from its full right (closed) position to its full left (open) position. Also, the steel baffle that the lever is attached to moves around rather loosely. It doesn't just move side-to-side; it sort of can be rattled around. IS THIS NORMAL?
Second question - what experience have others had with condensation on those flexible ducts that draw cooling air for the chimney? I ran my ducts straight up into a storage area (unheated, but not well insulated) directly above the fireplace and out through the side wall there. I did the P-trap thing as detailed in the manual. Ever since I put them in, when it is cold out there is condensation on those flexible ducts. I've now insulated the heck out of the area where they are (I built a sort of a chase around the ducts and the chimney up there). But still there is condensation. If I did nothing to address this, I'm afraid I'd eventually have mold and mildew. I'm thinking of getting an insulating wrap to wrap around the ducts to isolate them from the warmer air. Any advice or experience out there?
Thanks in advance.
-Speak
