Hi all,
I recently purchased a new home in the Omaha area and in the process acquired a fireplace. We've used it a handful of times and really enjoy it. I have a couple questions/concerns with it. I had a chimney sweep come out to do an inspection and cleaning before we started it up. They said it looks great good to use and asked me if I had any questions, but I didn't have any at the time. I'm thinking about calling them back up but figured I would drop my questions here first to see what all of you thought. The fireplace we have is, I believe a Heatilator HB36A, manufacture date of '88.
I noticed when I turned on my central heat that I hear a popping noise initially when the heat turns on for a good 5 minutes or so. The popping noise starts out fast and slows down until it stops entirely. At first I thought it was an issue with the ducting in my home, but after further inspection I now believe it is actually the flue of my fireplace. I think I am losing air out of my fireplace and the flue is expanding as hot air escapes. I made sure the damper was fully closed and doors shut. The bi fold doors of course don't have a tight seal at all and the damper doesn't seem air tight by any means. From what I read it isn't realistic to replace the doors with something that seals better, replacements will all be equally as leaky. Is this true? Am I better off to replace the damper with something that has a better seal, is this the way to go? Is there another way to resolve this that I should be looking into?
My other question is regarding the outside combustion air kit. I read the manual and see an outside air kit referenced (CAK4) but don't see any explanation of how to control it. There is a little lever in the lower right side of my fireplace. I believe this is to control the air flow. I can't find in the manual how to tell if it is open or closed! Push in or out? I think it might be stuck open no matter what I do.
I'm thinking about replacing it with a more efficient epa certified unit in the future, but want to get some life out of this one as I save up. Your help is appreciated!
Thank you,
Justin
I recently purchased a new home in the Omaha area and in the process acquired a fireplace. We've used it a handful of times and really enjoy it. I have a couple questions/concerns with it. I had a chimney sweep come out to do an inspection and cleaning before we started it up. They said it looks great good to use and asked me if I had any questions, but I didn't have any at the time. I'm thinking about calling them back up but figured I would drop my questions here first to see what all of you thought. The fireplace we have is, I believe a Heatilator HB36A, manufacture date of '88.
I noticed when I turned on my central heat that I hear a popping noise initially when the heat turns on for a good 5 minutes or so. The popping noise starts out fast and slows down until it stops entirely. At first I thought it was an issue with the ducting in my home, but after further inspection I now believe it is actually the flue of my fireplace. I think I am losing air out of my fireplace and the flue is expanding as hot air escapes. I made sure the damper was fully closed and doors shut. The bi fold doors of course don't have a tight seal at all and the damper doesn't seem air tight by any means. From what I read it isn't realistic to replace the doors with something that seals better, replacements will all be equally as leaky. Is this true? Am I better off to replace the damper with something that has a better seal, is this the way to go? Is there another way to resolve this that I should be looking into?
My other question is regarding the outside combustion air kit. I read the manual and see an outside air kit referenced (CAK4) but don't see any explanation of how to control it. There is a little lever in the lower right side of my fireplace. I believe this is to control the air flow. I can't find in the manual how to tell if it is open or closed! Push in or out? I think it might be stuck open no matter what I do.
I'm thinking about replacing it with a more efficient epa certified unit in the future, but want to get some life out of this one as I save up. Your help is appreciated!
Thank you,
Justin
