Unknown insert maker and age

[rnlincourt]

I just bought a house which has a fireplace with an insert. I am unsure of the maker and how old it is. I would like to get a blower for it but am unsure of what I will need for efficiency and safety. I would like to use this as a secondary source of heat. Thanks for your time.

 

[begreen]

Welcome. A picture is worth a thousand words and almost a necessity in this case.

 

[rnlincourt]

Does this attachment work?

 

[DAKSY]

The attachment worked, but the picture is WAY too dark to see what you have...

 

[begreen]

Picture helps a lot. I wouldn't spend much on this old installation. It is not much more than a set of glass doors with a heat plenum.

 

[DAKSY]

Picture helps a lot. I wouldn't spend much on this old installation. It is not much more than a set of glass doors with a heat plenum.

Wow. Your eyes are better than mine, BG...

 

[rnlincourt]

Are blowers pretty standard when it comes to inserts?

 

[begreen]

Usually, but not always.

 

[rnlincourt]

Thanks for the help! I will be buying a new insert next year but need to try and get as much out of this one as I can for the season.
I can try and take a better pic, maybe inside as well just so you have the full picture.

 

[gzecc]

I don't think it is a true insert. It looks like a prefab fireplace. The clearances are wrong for any type of fireplace/insert. Be careful you don't burn the house down.

 

[begreen]

I was wondering about that, but it does look like it has a true surround. Note the insulation hanging out of the right edge. DWBMHD can the surround be removed for a looksee at what is behind it? It would be good to know if this is really a masonry fireplace or a prefab and if it is an insert, see whether it is slammed in (no connect) or if there is a stub of a liner on it.

Posting image enlarged and lightened.

 

[rnlincourt]

I will post another pic tomorrow. As an FYI I have pulled the unit out to clean behind it and it is all one piece. The grate you see above and below the glass is a connected channel that (I think) operates as the air comes in the lower grate it would come out heated above it. Again I will post better pics tomorrow.

 

[begreen]

The grate you see above and below the glass is a connected channel that (I think) operates as the air comes in the lower grate it would come out heated above it.

That's the way I saw it too. It's looks like a basic convective insert. A simple fan or fans could be rigged to blow in the bottom for increased output. But I wouldn't spend big bucks on the project.

Did the stove have any sort of flue liner on it or was it just slammed in there?

 

[rnlincourt]

I didn't see a flu liner so I think it's just slammed in there. Are there different useful techniques to burning in a "convective" insert?