Please Help: What to do with my Fisher Wood Stove

[newhomeowner101320]

Hello,
My fiance just recently bought a house in the Sierra Mountains that has a Fisher fireplace. From my research, I believe it is a Grandmabear Fireplace. So onto the story..
We had the chimney swept and the guy told us the rear opening (vent?) wasn't sealed properly. Our chimney is connected to the top opening (vent?) so the rear was covered with metal and cinched into place. He also said it looked like there was a damper missing on the inside (you can see up the chimney by looking into the fireplace easily) and that we should really have it inspected before using it.
The fireplace was half full of ashes when we bought it and there are random piles of ash around our property so I know the previous owners must have used it as is.
Anyways, I can't seem to figure out if I need to repair anything on our fireplace or install a damper (not even quite sure what that is) or anything like that. I've never seen a Fisher Wood Stove before and I don't quite know what I'm looking at.
I've attached some photos for reference.
Any insight into how this fireplace works and anything you might see that is concerning would be VERY helpful.
Thank you.

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[coaly]

You have a Grandma Bear freestanding stove.

The opening on the back that has been covered up is not normal. It could have been a rear vent stove or possibly a barometric stove that used an intake into chimney with a barometric damper. It needs to be welded with 1/4 inch plate to be closed and sealed correctly.

The term the sweep used may have been a baffle plate that does not allow you to see up the stack from inside. This stove had no factory baffle.

A flue pipe damper is a chimney control. It will have a handle that rotates. It is used to slow an over drafting chimney. The damper is a variable resistance that slows velocity of rising gasses in the chimney. Slowing them down affects the stove by slowing incoming air, reducing oxygen to the fire. You need to fix the opening on the rear of stove first before learning about controls.

 

[coaly]

Looking at the picture I thought was a brick across the back, it is an air box from a barometric stove. The vent pipe was just like the top, but someone destroyed it, and the stove. It can be welded with steel plate as stated above. Normally the round vent pipe out the back is simply capped, not removed where it was welded to the stove.