I've had the interior out. Bolts and washers had to be replaced. 4 of the 10 wall fire bricks had clean cracks but are intact and missing no parts. The hearth base fire bricks have no cracks. The insulation around the secondary combustion chamber was replaced with new ceramic fiber blanket.
Need simple operating procedure help on CC100 Country Comfort
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Not all of Baja is warm: 45 degrees indoors, reaching 55. Have never seen room temperature because it is brick with natural granite flooring. Elevated above the Pacific.
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It is the only heat source. Room that it is located in is about 20' x 20'. Unit is equipped with the blower, so if functional, should easily heat the area to 72 degrees. It would be nice not to have to wear a jacket indoors at all times!
Warmth is relative. 45-55º is pretty mild. Above 50º the draft weakens due to the minimal differential between the interior temperature and outdoor temp. The chimney is also short. I would consider replacing the old insert and putting in a modern, easy-breathing one with a 6" stainless liner up the chimney. It won't take much. A 2 cu ft insert like the TrueNorth TN20 would do the job well.
Thank you, but as I am not the property owner, I'm not allowed to make any permanent changes like that. All repairs beyond the current state of the fireplace and chimney are considered unnecessary by the absentee owner, and are for my sole benefit. By trying to get heat for my fiancé, I opened Pandora's Box, literally, in a vintage fireplace insert. I could remove the insert, store it, and use the original open fireplace, reinstalling the insert at the end of the rental. Probably the most cost effective and safe solution!
An open fireplace eats a lot of wood and sucks most of the warm air out of the room as it cools down.
All of the wood trim needs to go for it to be useable for anything. And if the insert was used much at all the fireplace is probably destroyed
Agreed. I would not burn in the fireplace without a good cleaning and inspection by a certified sweep. The landlord needs to be responsible here. This is an almost 40 yr old insert. Considering it is the only source of heat, it's time to get off the wallet and update things to be safe.
Did not know that about the warm air withdrawal. Explains why my elderly former neighbor landlady kept her fireplace going around the clock.
As far as costs, I meant my not having to leave any improvements for the owner without reimbursement. At this point, I have replaced the insulation, cleaned the interior of the liner, replaced the modified ungrounded power cord, and restored the blower motor operation. If I remove it complete, firewood is not a problem, as a new neighbor supplies oak firewood to the restaurants and sells by the truckload. I let him graze his horses on the property, so a good deal can be made. With the fireplace chimney cleaned and repaired, at least there will be a welcome safe working heat source.
Maybe safe after removing that wood trim. Maybe still incredibly unsafe we really can't tell without a full inspection
Thank you. I may just remove the entire liner and store it, reinstalling it at the end of the rental, so it won't be used at all while I am there.
After I have the chimney cleaned and the top repaired, it will be like it has been since the 1940s. Most open fireplaces in Mexico are well-designed and built, as they are the principal source of heat in this wood-burning area. Electrical is too quirky to rely upon, so it's either wood or solar electricity for consistency. This rental's insert is the first fireplace that I have seen in any home here in three years that doesn't work amazingly. Absentee owner and lack of quality maintenance is the reason.
Ok I am sure it will be perfectly fine then. No chance of pyrolysis happening in that time at all. You do realize that the absolute best fireplace designs only achieve about a 9% efficency right? And yours is external so it will be far less
Thank you. I had to go look that up. More reading to do. Once the wooden mantle is removed, there is only granite and brick anywhere within fifteen feet of the fireplace, and that's the roofing. One of the reasons the house is so cold is the lack of wood surfaces. It's alll granite, brick, and stone.
When I build my beach house, I'm going to use radiant floors!
If the building is all adobe brick, then the pyrolysis risk may be low except for the mantel boards. This is assuming that the roof framing is not within direct contact with the chimney.
I would get a pro sweep's evaluation to provide you with some documentation that this work is necessary in order to safely operate the sole source of heat along with an estimate for the costs. Also, present at this time the costs of replacement with a modern insert and 6" liner as the proper alternative. You could use the Drolet Escape 1800i pricing for this alternative. As a landlord, he has to expect some expenses to maintain the structure. And in the US, reliable heat is required for a rental.
This may be your best plan. Pry off the mantel facia boards surrounding the insert. They are just stained pine. If they get ruined, they will be easy to replace on your departure, or just leave them off. Pull the insert and get the fireplace thoroughly cleaned inside, including the smoke shelf area. Have the chimney repaired so that a proper top cap for the liner can be glued to the chimney top. Have a transition piece fabricated locally to go from the wide oval flue collar to 8" round and install an 8" liner. Also, get a 2" wide 1" angle piece to cover the cracked top center front of the secondary manifold to slow down the degradation there. It can be screwed or pop riveted in place with stainless steel fasteners. It's only a matter of time before this area rots out and does further destruction of the stove components.
I would get a pro sweep's evaluation to provide you with some documentation that this work is necessary in order to safely operate the sole source of heat along with an estimate for the costs. Also, present at this time the costs of replacement with a modern insert and 6" liner as the proper alternative. You could use the Drolet Escape 1800i pricing for this alternative. As a landlord, he has to expect some expenses to maintain the structure. And in the US, reliable heat is required for a rental.
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