First off, a big thank you to everyone here! This is my first post and I'd like to thank everyone for everything I learned trolling these pages. I'm sure I saved thousands doing this installation myself. This is my "payment forward" hoping that anyone else looking to take on a small stove insert themselves can learn something from my project.
Anyway, on to the picture show:
I bought a new house here in Michigan sold to me by the son of the man who built it. The son was basically a depressed person who mourned the passing of his wife in 2007. He spend most of his days smoking heavily in the living room while sitting in front of his fireplace burning over-heated fires in his antique insert.
To say the least, I had a lot of work cut out for me. In total, from removing and cleaning the old system to installing the new one, this took nearly 35 hours to complete. On my own. Saved thousands, I'm sure.
This is the fireplace. Exterior wall. Stone construction. Old insert had no liner. Was just sitting in the firebox. Dangerous and disgusting. Remember, this fireplace was IN USE.
Failed mortar and over-fired brick.
Have you seen worse? I was shocked. Remember this flue was IN USE. This took one full day of brushing with a 6"x2" wire brush fastened to an extension pole to clean from the top in January Michigan weather. Not pleasant.
All cleaned up.
Mortar caulk completed. The joints were so bad it took four full tubes of DAP 10.1 oz. Black Stove and Fireplace Mortar. This alone took 5 hours.
Century Heating CW2500. Ordered it directly from SBI. Was delivered to Ace Hardware in Ann Arbor, MI. I picked it up and dropped it off here until the job was completed.
Anyway, on to the picture show:
I bought a new house here in Michigan sold to me by the son of the man who built it. The son was basically a depressed person who mourned the passing of his wife in 2007. He spend most of his days smoking heavily in the living room while sitting in front of his fireplace burning over-heated fires in his antique insert.
To say the least, I had a lot of work cut out for me. In total, from removing and cleaning the old system to installing the new one, this took nearly 35 hours to complete. On my own. Saved thousands, I'm sure.
This is the fireplace. Exterior wall. Stone construction. Old insert had no liner. Was just sitting in the firebox. Dangerous and disgusting. Remember, this fireplace was IN USE.
Failed mortar and over-fired brick.
Have you seen worse? I was shocked. Remember this flue was IN USE. This took one full day of brushing with a 6"x2" wire brush fastened to an extension pole to clean from the top in January Michigan weather. Not pleasant.
All cleaned up.
Mortar caulk completed. The joints were so bad it took four full tubes of DAP 10.1 oz. Black Stove and Fireplace Mortar. This alone took 5 hours.
Century Heating CW2500. Ordered it directly from SBI. Was delivered to Ace Hardware in Ann Arbor, MI. I picked it up and dropped it off here until the job was completed.
So glad it didn't catch on fire. Nicely done. Keep us posted on the Century once you have fired it up and broken it in.
