Hi all,
I was directed here as I was told this was the place with all the answers.
Anyway - The home we purchased this year had something I've not come across until now - a pre fab fireplace. It's a 25+ year old Marco, the fireplace and flue is in a wood framed offset. The only masonry is a brick veneer on the hearth.
We had the unit inspected by a chimney sweep, and we were told it was OK to use however the refractory had a crack that should be ok.
However, after several uses you could clearly see that at operating temperature the refractory had multiple small cracks. This, combined with an uncomfortable smell that I could only describe as "something that's getting a little too hot" we stopped using it.
The chimney sweep told us that we would be unable to install a wood stove, however I'm not sure that this is entirely correct.
Has anyone successfully* replaced a prefab unit with a wood stove? And more importantly, how much money? I'm OK with up to say, $3,000. After that the benefits just don't justify the cost, at least in my mind.
Thanks for the help.
*In compliance with building codes in a practical manner that doesn't require tearing down half of the house
I was directed here as I was told this was the place with all the answers.
Anyway - The home we purchased this year had something I've not come across until now - a pre fab fireplace. It's a 25+ year old Marco, the fireplace and flue is in a wood framed offset. The only masonry is a brick veneer on the hearth.
We had the unit inspected by a chimney sweep, and we were told it was OK to use however the refractory had a crack that should be ok.
However, after several uses you could clearly see that at operating temperature the refractory had multiple small cracks. This, combined with an uncomfortable smell that I could only describe as "something that's getting a little too hot" we stopped using it.
The chimney sweep told us that we would be unable to install a wood stove, however I'm not sure that this is entirely correct.
Has anyone successfully* replaced a prefab unit with a wood stove? And more importantly, how much money? I'm OK with up to say, $3,000. After that the benefits just don't justify the cost, at least in my mind.
Thanks for the help.
*In compliance with building codes in a practical manner that doesn't require tearing down half of the house