what is this?

[toosmoky]

Bought my 45 year old house a few years ago. Had chimney cleaned this year. I have had 2 successful fires and 3 smoky disasters, downdraft? I notice inside the stove at the flue there are pieces of what look like patio block. The chimney sweep said they are shaped like a puzzle, and he had trouble putting them back after the cleaning. I don't know if there is a damper, I would have to remove the big trim piece above the stove (too cold). I wonder if these "patio blocks" are meant to be removed during heating season. Appreciate your help!

 

[begreen]

This sounds like the baffle. What stove make and model is this? Pictures of the whole stove and of the mystery bricks will help.

 

[toosmoky]

This sounds like the baffle. What stove make and model is this? Pictures of the whole stove and of the mystery bricks will help.

very old stove, no identifying marks. will attach pics. having trouble with interior pic, but looks like a patio block. chimney sweep did remove these puzzle shaped pieces to clean chimney.

 

[begreen]

That looks like a Quadrafire 5100-i ACT wood insert. This stove should have a baffle board with an insulation blanket on top of it. It's possible that the previous owner broke the baffle and substituted some firebrick. Or that the sweep removed pieces of a broken baffle board.

It's a big and serious heater with a good secondary burn. The manual is here. It should help with replacement parts:

https://downloads.hearthnhome.com/installManuals/250_1960.pdf

 

[toosmoky]

very old stove, no identifying marks. will attach pics. having trouble with interior pic, but looks like a patio block. chimney sweep did remove these puzzle shaped pieces to clean chimney.

View attachment 291643

 

[begreen]

My manual for this stove is from 2004, I'm not sure the age of this one, but it looks like someone put in firebrick up there. There are big gaps that will allow a lot of smoke to bypass secondary burning and head right up the flue.

Download the manual from Hearth and Home and see what you think.

 

[toosmoky]

That looks like a Quadrafire 5100-i ACT wood insert. This stove should have a baffle board with an insulation blanket on top of it. It's possible that the previous owner broke the baffle and substituted some firebrick. Or that the sweep removed pieces of a broken baffle board.

It's a big and serious heater with a good secondary burn. The manual is here. It should help with replacement parts:

https://downloads.hearthnhome.com/installManuals/250_1960.pdf

that manual will help a lot, thank you!

 

[Highbeam]

My manual for this stove is from 2004, I'm not sure the age of this one, but it looks like someone put in firebrick up there. There are big gaps that will allow a lot of smoke to bypass secondary burning and head right up the flue.

Download the manual from Hearth and Home and see what you think.

The old lopi freedom bay had bricks for a baffle. Could it be a lopi?