Two Professional Chimney Sweeps have never heard of Block Off Plates?

[DonnaC54]

Hope this is the correct forum, if not please let me know.

The very short question is what is written above. We had very little heat coming from Buck Stove/Insert 21 last year. After reading many different sources it seems as if we need a block off plate. Two different chimney sweeps we called for appointments said they had no idea what we were talking about.

This was an old pre-fab fireplace and our installer dropped a flexible pipe down the already existing pipe, installed the insert, screwed steel facing around the insert. It never burned as hot as we expected. After many phone calls to installer, they told us it was probably the wood we were using. Last January it was 47* outside and 61* inside; 10 feet away from the stove.

Any suggestions would be deeply appreciated.

 

[begreen]

Does the zero clearance fireplace manual permit an insert to be installed? Most don't. If not, this is a moot point and may be why the sweeps wanted to walk away from the job.

A damper-sealing block-off is required for a direct connect stub install, so they should know about them. Not that I would recommend this, but it's still in some insert manuals. This is from the current, popular, Drolet Escape manual. Note that this is for a masonry fireplace, not a ZC unit.

 

[DonnaC54]

Does the zero clearance fireplace manual permit an insert to be installed? Most don't. If not, this is a moot point and may be why the sweeps wanted to walk away from the job.

A damper-sealing block-off is required for a direct connect stub install, so they should know about them. Not that I would recommend this, but it's still in some insert manuals. This is from the current, popular, Drolet Escape manual. Note that this is for a masonry fireplace, not a ZC unit.

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There is no manual. This is a log cabin that was built 40 years ago. It is our understanding the existing fireplace was put in at that time. lt does not have a masonry chimney.

It stands in the middle of the room, next to the stairway. A pipe, about 14 inches in diameter runs through the attic and outside the roof. Inside that pipe is an pipe that is about 10 inches in diameter.

The installers dropped another pipe 6 inches in diameter, inside those , hooked up the insert to that 6 in pipe alone, and called it good.

 

[begreen]

If the goal is heat, then the best approach may be to tear out the old ZC fireplace and put a freestanding stove in its place.

 

[DonnaC54]

Thanks.

 

[ericm979]

If you can find out the manufacturer and ideally the model of the ZC fireplace you can probably find the manual on the internet.

That's what I did for the ZC fireplace my house came with. It didn't allow inserts. I had it replaced with a ZC stove a few years ago. I'd have preferred a standalone stove but that would have taken too much space from an already too small room.

 

[bholler]

There is no manual. This is a log cabin that was built 40 years ago. It is our understanding the existing fireplace was put in at that time. lt does not have a masonry chimney.

It stands in the middle of the room, next to the stairway. A pipe, about 14 inches in diameter runs through the attic and outside the roof. Inside that pipe is an pipe that is about 10 inches in diameter.

The installers dropped another pipe 6 inches in diameter, inside those , hooked up the insert to that 6 in pipe alone, and called it good.

If the fireplace is that old I am pretty sure there weren't any that allowed inserts at that time. Any good sweep would most likely not work on it

 

[begreen]

If you can find out the manufacturer and ideally the model of the ZC fireplace you can probably find the manual on the internet.

That's what I did for the ZC fireplace my house came with. It didn't allow inserts. I had it replaced with a ZC stove a few years ago. I'd have preferred a standalone stove but that would have taken too much space from an already too small room.

I was hoping that with the ZC fireplace being central that eliminating it for a freestander might open up the space. But that is TBD.