# My Olympic............



## kevin85 (May 26, 2008)

After all the research and reading on this site, I went ahead and purchased my Avalon Olympic in late April.  We originally planned to get it installed as an insert, but decided against it because we didn't want to see all the black of the surround.  We are very happy with the way it looks and even happier with the way it throws heat.  I can't wait to start using it consistently, as we have just used it on 4 or 5 cooler nights.  Let me know what you think......


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## BrotherBart (May 27, 2008)

Hearth stoves are neat. That looks great.


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## fossil (May 27, 2008)

I think it's a very handsome installation, Kevin.  Was the stonework already there, or did you veneer over the old fireplace?  I really like the stone.  And as the owner of your stove's twin sister (Lopi Liberty), I know you're gonna love her.  Rick


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## kevin85 (May 27, 2008)

Thanks for the replies....the stonework was done my by father-in-law.  He was a mason by trade long ago and did our fireplace when we built our house in '99.  He hand-picked every stone and it's position on the fireplace(all 18 feet to the ceiling). For that reason alone, I could never sell my house.  The reason there is yellow fire brick around the opening is because he made it custom for the screen we were having made.  We are thinking of putting stone over the firebrick to make it look nicer, but that will be later.


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## Todd (May 27, 2008)

Looks great. Do you have a block off plate at the damper to keep the heat from going up the chimney?


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## kevin85 (May 27, 2008)

My installer ended up not doing the block off plate at the damper last minute.  He said that being an outside wall chimney, the have SS liner would stay cleaner (little, if any creosote) with heat rising along the side of the liner.  He said he would come install one at any time if I ever felt I needed one.  It went against everything I learned here, but I put my trust in him.


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## davidb (May 27, 2008)

kevin really nice stove , can't wait till i get mine this coming week, hey are they easy to start


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## fossil (May 27, 2008)

newwoodburner said:
			
		

> ...hey are they easy to start



3 pumps on the primer, ignition on, two pulls, and off she goes every time.  Oh...sorry, I thought I was on the Gear forum.   :bug: 

Rick


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## Carl (May 27, 2008)

Very nice installation Kevin. The stonework is super.


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## BrotherBart (May 27, 2008)

kevin85 said:
			
		

> My installer ended up not doing the block off plate at the damper last minute.  He said that being an outside wall chimney, the have SS liner would stay cleaner (little, if any creosote) with heat rising along the side of the liner.  He said he would come install one at any time if I ever felt I needed one.  It went against everything I learned here, but I put my trust in him.



My stove is in the fireplace and the block-off plate is a good idea. Set even with the lintel. It makes sure the warm air goes out into the room instead of up the chimney.


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## Hogwildz (May 27, 2008)

Nice stonework!
You don't see that much in new houses today.
My grandfather was a stone mason, he did some great work on my parents first house & the house they have now, not to mention the rest of the families houses.
Many trades are dying to new materials & work ethics. I have to admit, the new veneers they have these days are nice though.


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## kevin85 (May 27, 2008)

newwoodburner...I am a novice with the stove, but this has been really easy to start.  I have some good kindling wood and she goes right up and starts quickly. I had a fire last week where I put my last load in at 10:30 pm(not a big load) and still had red hot coals in the morning.  When I came home late afternoon, there were still a few coals left in there.  I was amazed.


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## Chardler (May 27, 2008)

You may want to consider purchasing the blower for the stove, especially since you don't have the block off plate.  The blower makes all the difference in the world.  Instead of the heat going upwards, it will be forced forward into the room.  You will definetly get more BTU's for the buck and a lot less wood will be used to heat the house (not to mention all the less work you will need to do feeding the fire over time.  I believe the blower costs around $300 and should pay for itself very shortly given the cost of heating oil or gas.


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## begreen (May 27, 2008)

Was this a fixed bid or time and materials quote for the installation?

 Put in a block-off plate this summer or you will be heating outdoors next winter. That pipe will still be plenty hot inside as long as you are burning good wood correctly.


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## fossil (May 27, 2008)

Looks to me as though you have the blower kit...isn't that the power cord plugged in just to the right of the fireplace?  We love the blower on our Liberty, it's very effective at getting the heat out in front of the stove and mixing in the room.  Rick


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## kevin85 (May 27, 2008)

I have the back mounted blower.  We didn't like the look of the front mounted one.

They quoted me the price ahead of time for the installation and said if they needed extra time, there would be a small fee(I was expecting the extra charge).  They did run into a problem getting the liner installed, but never charged me extra.  They were very professional and did a clean install.

My wood has been cut, split and stacked for a while now so I am expecting it will be in great shape this fall/winter.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/16379/

and I've added one more equal row to those since I posted those wood pics!!


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## Chrisg (May 27, 2008)

Absolutely beautiful !! Very very nice.


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## btj1031 (May 27, 2008)

The stove looks nice in that beautiful fireplace.....almost as nice as your rows of stacked wood!


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## kevin85 (May 27, 2008)

Thanks for the compliments!!


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## Jfk4th (May 27, 2008)

kevin85 said:
			
		

> After all the research and reading on this site, I went ahead and purchased my Avalon Olympic in late April.  We originally planned to get it installed as an insert, but decided against it because we didn't want to see all the black of the surround.  We are very happy with the way it looks and even happier with the way it throws heat.  I can't wait to start using it consistently, as we have just used it on 4 or 5 cooler nights.  Let me know what you think......




Thats looks great, welcome to the Avalon Club, sounds like you are already getting good burns (better than I :lol: ).  Love the install,  you are now all set.  Keep feeding her good seasoned wood and she will stay nice and clean.  Let me know if your blower kicks on at about 500F, that's what all the new ones are set for.


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## Adios Pantalones (May 27, 2008)

Ahhh- bring on the winter!  Beautiful setup.  You're going to have a hard time staying awake in front of that this winter


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