Osburn 1600 insert not pumping out much heat

[Heat_Challenged]

What is going to seal the front or will the block off plate be attached above the missing bricks? Are there any screws holding this piping together?

Hi,

I cut out a hole in the roxul insulation and have put it above the blockoff plate. See photos. The roxul you see above blockoff plate is bat #9. I got 8 bats stuffed above it. The 10th bat will be wrapped around the back and sides of the insert.

Once I push the insert back in and wrestle the elbow into the top of the insert, I will be using masonry screws to hold the blockoff plate in place.

I will then install the missing bricks in the front to seal the blockoff's front side. This has to be the last step because I can't get the insert back in without having the gap provided by the missing bricks. Due to the angle of the insert and elbow, I have to slide the insert in and then lift up the front of it in order to get the elbow to slide in. Really sucks that way. I wish I could find a flexible 2' liner so I wouldn't have to use the rigid elbow.

Know of where I can get one? All the flexible ones are ~20 feet long. I only need a couple feet.

cheers

 

[bag of hammers]

The home inspector signed off on the woodstove in 2009 before I bought the place. However, he didn't take the insert out, of course

I hope my preachy post didn't strike a nerve - looks like you did everything reasonable. I wouldn't expect a home inspector to dismantle anything, that's fair, but the stove is part of a system. If he signs off on the "stove", he's signing off on the entire system, which (to me anyway) would imply it is safe top to bottom. I think that would be a reasonable assumption. But based on the evidence, it looks like the bad collar was there when you moved in.

Maybe I'm harping on home inspections a bit too much - they have to make reasonable judgement calls and probably do want to spare you a ton of unnecessary expenses. But IMHO when it comes to the box of fire in the house, they should either be qualified (inspect top to bottom) or flag this and recommend further action in the report.

I get a little wound up 'cause in a world of excellent contractors, installers, home inspectors, etc. there are a few that kinda miss the mark and some that just suck. I've had enough crappy personal experiences where I know I could do better myself, and I'm not a pro. This may not be your guy, but the stories always kinda strike a nerve.

FWIW - in addition to being the king of stupid human tricks, I also rank way up there on the obsessive compulsive scale. My Supervent chimney has locking bands on each section - above the support box in the attic space - Selkirk says they're not really needed, but generally a good idea, and I agree. I installed roof brace on the chimney - I am under the required height for bracing, and it all passed inspection (WETT) without any bracing, but for @ $40 and 1 half hour of my time, I am about 1000% more weather proof now. I climb up in my attic at the start of every burn season for the first fire and check the chimney - looking for any visible signs of anything before and during the first burn. Way overkill perhaps, and a few cuss words on the way (noggin vs rafter strut) but 15 minutes of my time is not a big deal. Any nice sunny day in Jan or Feb, I grab the brush and go up to inspect / clean. I never find much crap in the chimney mid-season (so far) but I still do it.

Good luck with the retrofit. Hope you have many awesome / safe fires this season....

 

[Heat_Challenged]

I hope my preachy post didn't strike a nerve - looks like you did everything reasonable. I wouldn't expect a home inspector to dismantle anything, that's fair, but the stove is part of a system. If he signs off on the "stove", he's signing off on the entire system, which (to me anyway) would imply it is safe top to bottom. I think that would be a reasonable assumption. But based on the evidence, it looks like the bad collar was there when you moved in.

Maybe I'm harping on home inspections a bit too much - they have to make reasonable judgement calls and probably do want to spare you a ton of unnecessary expenses. But IMHO when it comes to the box of fire in the house, they should either be qualified (inspect top to bottom) or flag this and recommend further action in the report.

I get a little wound up 'cause in a world of excellent contractors, installers, home inspectors, etc. there are a few that kinda miss the mark and some that just suck. I've had enough crappy personal experiences where I know I could do better myself, and I'm not a pro. This may not be your guy, but the stories always kinda strike a nerve.

FWIW - in addition to being the king of stupid human tricks, I also rank way up there on the obsessive compulsive scale. My Supervent chimney has locking bands on each section - above the support box in the attic space - Selkirk says they're not really needed, but generally a good idea, and I agree. I installed roof brace on the chimney - I am under the required height for bracing, and it all passed inspection (WETT) without any bracing, but for @ $40 and 1 half hour of my time, I am about 1000% more weather proof now. I climb up in my attic at the start of every burn season for the first fire and check the chimney - looking for any visible signs of anything before and during the first burn. Way overkill perhaps, and a few cuss words on the way (noggin vs rafter strut) but 15 minutes of my time is not a big deal. Any nice sunny day in Jan or Feb, I grab the brush and go up to inspect / clean. I never find much crap in the chimney mid-season (so far) but I still do it.

Good luck with the retrofit. Hope you have many awesome / safe fires this season....

........................
Hi,

No worries at all; I totally agree with having things as safe and efficient as possible.

Here is another noob question: what do you look for when you go into your attic to look at the chimney? Obviously, there is no chimney opening in the attic (fire/smoke can't escape). My chimney is on the exterior wall, not in the middle of the house.

cheers

 

[bag of hammers]

........................
Hi,

No worries at all; I totally agree with having things as safe and efficient as possible.

Here is another noob question: what do you look for when you go into your attic to look at the chimney? Obviously, there is no chimney opening in the attic (fire/smoke can't escape). My chimney is on the exterior wall, not in the middle of the house.

cheers

My chimney goes straight up through the roof. The room where the stove sits has a cathedral ceiling, and the adjoining space is framed with a "California" style roof (where the attic ridgeline extends over to meet the cathedral roof - an overlap with valleys and jack rafters, etc. for support. So the way the stove is located (under the spot where roofs converge) the chimney goes up through the cathedral ceiling, into the attic space above, then out thru the 'other" roof. I hope my crappy description makes sense. Anyway, part of the chimney isn't visible unless I go in the attic space. We get some wild winds in the area, roofs (and chimneys) take a beating. When I go up there, I look for any signs of leakage, on or around the pipe, flashing, under the collar, etc. I check for signs of bugs / dust / water / rust on the support box (I did have a tiny leak last year - a poor flashing install - one of my crappy contractor rants). I look for any critter residue in / around the chimney (none so far, but I have had them in the old part of the house). It's also a quick check that the locking bands which I can see from there are tight. I believe there are folks here who have talked about what a disaster a tiny pinhole in a chimney can be when the stove is rocking. I've even heard stories of tiny bits of debris in a ceiling support box eventually lighting up.

I know these are not highly likely scenarios but in this case it's 10 or 15 minutes of my time once a year for a quick and easy visual on this part of the system. I can catch any little issues, however unlikely they may be, and deal with them.

Part of my paranoid motivation is watching a neighbor's chimney come down in the late winter. Not quite the same setup as mine, but it was all Selkirk with bracing, bands, etc. - straight up through the roof. That chimney didn't go from solid to crap in one shot. It was likely wracked by the winds and weather all year, until it hit a breaking point. Image them with a hot fire rolling during that particular winter storm and the whole thing comes crashing down. They could have easily done a visual on that chimney a couple times a year, but I think they just assumed it was bullet proof.