Newbie questions

Hello,

I’m a newbie and this is my first post to the forum, however I've been lurking for a while already reading and learning a lot

My house has two fireplaces, however we only use the one in the living room but it's terribly inefficient burning a lot of wood before it starts heating the room and even longer before heat starts to come out from the louvres above the fireplace

I never considered a wood stove, I thought it was basically the same as the current fireplace and why bother changing it since we're heating the house with an oil furnace anyway. I'm originally from South Africa, and with only two months of winter I don't have a lot of experience with heating.

After searching the web I found this forum and discovered the benefits and decided to install an insert




Vicky enjoying the fire, I used the old cedar shingles I removed from the shed when I replaced the roof




We are going to have a fireplace insert installed, I ordered a Drolet 1800i and it's in the carport waiting



I have a question

The fireplace has a cast iron trap door, you can dump ash directly in the ash pit below


The door to the ash pit outside the house



Could I use it as a fresh air intake?
I could replace the ash pit clean out door with a vent

Where does the Drolet draw air into the stove, from below?

The installer said I don’t need a fresh air intake with an old house like ours built in 1974, but I thought it might be good to utilize it while it’s there

Thank you

Buck

 

Thank you Eric, I learned a lot already

I removed the fireplace door last weekend, and scraped off the sealant



You can see the trap door on the floor




It empties into the ash pit below

The ash pit has a ash clean-out door outside



I thought about putting a vent in place of this door, and leaving the trap door on the floor open to get outside air. If it doesn't work I can always seal it shut outside

 

Welcome to FHC Buck , glad to have you here! I'm not an expert on inserts by any means, but if the option is easily and inexpensively available I'm in the better to have it and not need it camp. Somebody that knows more should be along soon I would think.

 

What? I re-read through the posts and there is no mention of anything but wood being burnt.

Welcome aboard Buck

I hope you post more pics once the insert is installed and operating!

 

Thank you Dennis,

The cedar shingles were untreated and very old, basically all punk wood





The insert will only see wood

I read your primer long ago, it was one of the first things I read here

I even copied the Wood BTU page to a spreadsheet, my wife keep ribbing me about my "Wood spreadsheet"

 

Too late for that, I already bought a Stihl 2 in 1 File Holder after reading about it here

It makes sharpening a lot easier

 

I bought some very dry Arbutus (Madrona)




Vicky assisted me moving it to storage under the deck




Stored under the deck




Arbutus on the outside pallets, Cedar/Fir and Maple still drying on the inside

 

Just being a Jack Russell

Thanks, it's hard work but satisfying to see your handiwork when you're done

 

True. Didn't think of that.

But that treatment has to evaporate off after time no? Whatever.

Would something like that damage a cat?