Vermont Castings Sequoia EW36-A Problems-Need Help.....

[jerehall]

We have a 2200 sq ft new home and have had nothing but problems with this unit and was wondering if anyone else has had issues. The unit is recommended to heat up to 2,500 sq feet (highly unlikely). We have trouble heating just our main family room let alone the house. Also, there is a very bad draft that we get from the lower grate area where the fan kit is located.

We were told that the chimney has 3 chambers, 1) for exhaust 2)for fresh air 3) air intake to cool the firebox?

Is this right? We have to put insulation in the grate area just to stop the clod draft coming into the house that supposodly comes form camber #3. Then when we light a fire we have to remove it.

Real disaster this fireplace.

Jeremy

 

[73blazer]

That takes Majestic Triplewall S8 Chimney.
On that fireplace there is an outside air intake for the firebox that you should be able to close off when not in use. That is not part of the chimney system. The chimney is just triple wall air cooled chimney with no chimney air kit. They added an air intake close off on later models (I believe 2008) because of the cold air infiltration complaint you mention when the unit is not in use. Check if you have this feature. IIRC it was something in the lower right corner a know or lever kinda hidden of sorts, or mabey it was inside the firebox, I don't remember exactly. Check your manufacturing date, if it's an older unit, it won't have it. The chimney system itself doesn't lend itself to cold air infiltartion, it's the Outside air kit that's doing it. If it doesn't have the OAK level for blockoff, you can try and fashion up a block off plate yourself somehow, perhaps just block the intake on the outside (you should be able to see the intake, it'll look kinda like a dryer vent)

You know this is a catalytic unit that you have to operate properly to have it work right? If not then read the manual, it will tell you how to operate it. Not to be insulting, but if this is your first wood burner or first catalytic unit, they take some practice to get burning right.

If you don't have a manual, get it here: (broken link removed to http://www.vermontcastings.com/content/products/productdetails.cfm?id=98)

How tall is your chimney? Is it in an insulated chase? Where is the fireplace installed in the home? On on outside wall, interior space?

That should be a good heating unit, I was going to get it but it wouldn't fit in the opening I had in my retrofit. One VC dealer had a Sequoia he used on his showroom floor, and that's all the heating he had in the place. It had to be at least a 2000sq building. I bought a HeatnGlo NorthStar instead.