VC Merrimack

[Cam]

Hi! My name is Cam. I just got a Vermont Castings Merrimack installed on this past Wed. After burning it 2X we are not happy with the heat output at all especially after such a heafty purchase price. I have been reading around the forums and this weekend will be project weekend. My boyfriend and i will be building a blockoff plate and insulating with Roxul. (I will be instructing him thanks to you guys!! lol) I was thinking i was gonna also insuate the Fireplace brick itself since the chimney is outside the house. Was gonna use this method

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/finally-got-around-to-insulating-my-fireplace.75755/

We want to use it as our primary heat source. My boyfriend has been chopping wood since we bought the house earlier this year. we thought the wood was too "green" so i bought a little kilned (i think) wood from lowes while he builds a shed for a cord delivery. I did but a moisture meater and it reasd tthat our wood is at 12 % i thought anything under 20% was supposed to be good put it looked like a lot of smoke... well anyway it will be a great learning experience!!

Any and all advice is appreciated! Im such a mewbie to this but im excited!

 

[BrotherBart]

I suspect that your burning technique is the culprit. Ya get 480 pounds of cast iron hot and something around there should be getting warm. Give us the rundown on how you are burning in that beauty.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Like Bart said, how are you using that thing? How hot have you gotten it?

 

[Cam]

Ok so I am unable to put the surround on because the mantle that came wit the house is too low. i was thinking that could be the reason i am loosing heat. there is currently a gap arount the insert. Thats why i want to stuff the chimney. My avatar is a pic of the fire on the first night.. We are using kindling newspaper and dry wood... I was going to try the "Upside Down method" that i found online today.

I am not sure exactly how else to answer "how i am am using it" Sorry im really new to this... Stopping on the way home at lowes to get a laser thermometer roxul and sheet metal. I wil post tem readings on my next burn.. i didn't not know i needed that... I was not very prepared for this purchase!! lol But hey ill get it together.

Im hoping to get it insulated this evening. i did not know that we were supposed to keep it burning 24/7 or that the less air the hotter it gets.. I wasnt to start the burning cycle tonight. I've learned a lot today on this forum and im super excited to get this thing running right!!

 

[Cam]

PS i havent really loaded it because the book said to do smaller fires for the first couple... is that wrong?

 

[BrotherBart]

Aw heck. If you are just doing the break-in fires it isn't near time to think it isn't putting out enough heat yet. Get that 3 cubic foot firebox beast broken in and when you really fire it up hang on for the ride.

 

[Cam]

Could you just tell me... how big should my breakin fires be... how much wood?

where should i keep the air setting?

 

[BrowningBAR]

After burning it 2X we are not happy with the heat output at all especially after such a heafty purchase price.

Let's hold off on that opinion. You have only done small break-in fires. You have a large 3 cu ft insert. That SOB will put out heat once you load it up and have a big hot fire in it.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Could you just tell me... how big should my breakin fires be... how much wood?

where should i keep the air setting?

Break-in fires vary a bit depending upon the stove and the manufacturer. Some are to just burn in the paint, others are to burn out moisture in the firebrick, etc. Your manual should state the desired procedure.

When you are burning for heat, you should gradually reduce the air temps within the first 15-30 minutes (roughly, it's not an exact science) of the burn until the air controls is almost or completely closed.

 

[etiger2007]

I wouldn't insulate around the insert until you let that puppy roll, reason being when you really load that beast extra insulation around the insert could over fire it , plus does Vermont Castings still warrant the thing if you insulate it? I love that insert would haven gotten it if it would fit .

 

[Cam]

I wouldn't insulate around the insert until you let that puppy roll, reason being when you really load that beast extra insulation around the insert could over fire it , plus does Vermont Castings still warrant the thing if you insulate it? I love that insert would haven gotten it if it would fit .

Ok sounds good I will just do the chimney initially.

Thanks, I really like the Merrimack too... It's the only one that I thought was just beautiful!

Side note... Just came from Lowes... Boy does that insulation look waaaaay smaller in the picture online! Lmao it's a good thing I'm a strong girl! Picked up some 26g steel brick screws and cutting tools... Wish me luck!

 

[Charles1981]

hrmmm.

Break in fires are meant to be just that. Slowly seasoning your fresh cast iron so it doesn't crack if you expose it to too high a heat source before using it.

I have a VC but it is freestanding. My first fire was just 1/3 filled. I built a small fire with kindling, brought the stove to 300. Let it die and cool. Next day got to 400. let it die and cool. Btw it probably will stink real bad like chemicals. Next day got to 500 and let it die. Control it by turning down the secondary air if it gets too high. Next day got to 600 and let it die. Front there on I just rand it normally.

You aren't going to get significant heat to heat anything other than the immediate surrounding area radiating from the stove until its going good for at least 2 hours and even then If my house is cold and going from a cold start it can take 12 or more hours for it to be able to regulate the entire house (but of course the stove room and immediately adjacent rooms should warm up significantly before then.

You aren't going to experience heat output with this stove with break in fires.

Any you probably will smell chemicals for multiple burns after the break in fires still. My stove set off the smoke alarm a couple times after the break in fires because there was still residual paint and chemicals burning off. The break in is not so pleasant imo.

 

[dafattkidd]

Hey Cam, welcome to the forum. You'll see a lot of Long Islanders are forum members. I did my break in fires similar to what Charles said. The only difference is I did it over the course of two days. Honestly my insert wasn't really heating fully for a few days. Just took a some burns to get it right.

Congratulations. That's a beautiful unit.

 

[Fod01]

Yes- beautiful unit. Nice to welcome another 'Islander ' to the forums.
Gonna be cold tomorrow...just sayin

Gabe

 

[Cam]

Bokck off plate done! Boy was he suprised to come home to a giant bag if insulation and some steel! Lmao moving that thing rooj sone work but we got it done!

Next project... we are building a wood shed... ill post pics its gonna be pretty nice! Once its done I will be able to order a cord... or 2 ... Question when they dump it, how am I sure im not getting shorted?

 

[Cam]

How does my fire look? Fan Finally kicked a few minutes ago but from what I read, the Merrimack always takes a while...

 

[mnowaczyk]

How does my fire look? Fan Finally kicked a few minutes ago but from what I read, the Merrimack always takes a while...

That is a beautiful stove. Fire looks nice.

I've got a tiny crappy old insert that I simply get as hot as I possibly can, often so loaded with coals that they spill out when I open the doors.

Getting to a hot fire for me is simply a progression of paper under twigs under sticks under lumber scraps I want to unload under softwood splits under hardwood splits until I get up to hardwood logs or knots that won't burn themselves, but last forever. So I toss splits in with them. If I neglect it for a few hours the coals will burn down.

I'm always shooting for 600 degrees on my stove face and have three thermometers on the stove face plus an IR thermometer (only goes up to ~610 F) for the glass. (broken image removed)

My setup looks like an ashy mess, but is always behind the fireplace screen to keep the kids away.

I'm trying to build up a load of coals to lay a big knot on it in hopes of getting heat through most of the night. I get the impression that this would overfire some stoves, but this one has a temperature controlled air intake and dampers itself down as it gets hotter. I'm constantly trying to keep it as wide open as possible. I can't get the first started with that. I need to leave the door open to run enough air through there while starting a fire.

If the wood doesn't burn, add smaller dryer splits, and give it more air.

Don't expect the wood you buy to be well seasoned. Buy wood a season in advance. Or just gather wood throughout the year. I have learned that you really need to season your own wood. I leave wood out in the weather and wind and top cover it only just before I want to assure it doesn't get rained on.

It takes time to get to know your stove, wood, and how to get the heat out of it. It's about 76 degrees in my living room with the ceiling fan on full and 73 most other places in the house and the heater hasn't run all day, which has ranged from 20-30 degrees outside. And my insert is junk compared to yours.

You will love your insert once you get to know it.

 

[Cam]

Wood shed is almost done... started sat morning and worked all day and a couple hours sun. He found some pland in the internet amd made a couple changes. Just gotta get some more plywood for the roof and some shingles... not too shabby! Time to order my cord!

 

[Nick Mystic]

Wood shed looks nice. Might want to get some larger splits for over night burns. Loading up with those small splits will certainly produce some very hot fires. The more surface area in a load produces all the BTUs a lot quicker (hotter stove temps) than less surface area on big splits.

 

[Cam]

So i got a nice fire going last night but i am wondering how hot is too hot... my secondaries were going strong but when i hit them with the IR thermometer they were too hot to register. I could barely see flames on the logs.. Lower near the logs i was getting like 650 deg on the IR just on the top of the box.. is that normal? I was scared the thing was burning too hot. I was so nervous to reload before bed because i wanted to keep an eye on it.

Heres a pic..

 

[Cam]

Wood shed looks nice. Might want to get some larger splits for over night burns. Loading up with those small splits will certainly produce some very hot fires. The more surface area in a load produces all the BTUs a lot quicker (hotter stove temps) than less surface area on big splits.

Wow ok sounds good hopefully the delivery will have larger... all of that is stuff that was given to us and my boyfriend cut. I will get larger stuff!

 

[dbnewlon]

I find it is best to have a variety of sizes of wood, I burn small to medium size to get the insert good and hot, then after the fan kicks in and heat starts pouring out, I use medium to big stuff and choke back on the air flow so it burns good and slow...then when 11pm rolls around I put in 3 or 4 big ones and let it burn all night. By the next morning, I still have embers enough to get it going again.

My biggest issue with the VC Merrimack is how often I have to empty the ashes- to often...this is the only thing that I miss about my old fireplace, it had a hole in the back of it that I could drop the ashes into (it also acted as a draft for outside air), and I didn't have to worry about them until next summer. Having to shovel out the ashes every other day is a pain...has anyone come up with any good ways of handling these?