wiring the fireplace for a blower

[newatthis]

I bet there is a reference article on the site about this, but can't find it yet. Can anyone advise about getting power into the brick fireplace to power the blower for an insert? We have done wiring ourselves, but never have had to take heat into consideration.

 

[DAKSY]

Does your fireplace have an ash dump? If so, what I have done in the past, is to locate an unswitched power source in the basement ceiling, near the fireplace location, where you can tap into. Drill a hole thru the basement wall into the ash dump somewhere near the ceiling. Run 14 ga armored (BX) cable into the ash dump & up thru the hole for the clean out door in the fireplace floor. Tapcon a metal box to the rear of the fireplace on the floor, bring the feed in & install your receptacle & faceplate. This area should be the least affected by the insert's radiant heat. The MAIN problem with this set up is to get an electrician or building inspector to sign off on the safety aspect. We have tried for years in the Capital District Area of NY & can't get anyone to commit. AFIK, none of our customers has had an issue to date, but the powers that be STILL won't declare it a safe install. Good luck with yours!