Fireplace-heatalator help please!
I have a 20 year old house in Northern Va, with a wood burning fireplace that has a heatalator vent with a fan switch located under the fire box with another vent over the fire place. It is all one unit with a glass door front. Outside the chimney starts about 18″ off the ground and has aluminum siding with wood trim. I have also noticed what appears to be some type of vent coming out the side of the chimney right about at floor height (don’t really know what it go’s to? I have had the chimney swept and it appears to be clear, We have two problems:
-The chimney doesn’t draw well unless its a roaring fire, the smoke starts to come back into the house as the fire dies down. The room has a cathedral ceiling which is exposed on one side to the bedrooms. Thus when we go to bed the rooms seem to be a little smokey and smell of smoke. Not good
-The chimney is surrounded by a slate surround on the wall and floor, if its a really cold and windy day, it feels as though the window is open around the fireplace and the slate is very cold especially around the heatalator bottom vent. I have caulked all the area’s around the slate and I had a large towel rolled up to block the cold air, but last week during the snow storm I noticed the towel was wet and a small puddle of water on the slate.
Any help would be appreciated, I would like to keep the smoke from coming back into the house, and fix the cold air problem around the Heatalator.
PS- I don’t know if heatalator is the right term?
Thanks
Replies
Sounds to me like the chimmney doesn't go up high enough which is why you're getting backdrafts. And yes it is called a heat a lator. Pictures might be good to determine more about your problem
Be warm,
Namaste
Andy
One works on oneself, always. That's the greatest gift you can give to community because the more you extricate your mind from that which defines separateness, that defines community. The first thing is to become community. "Ram Dass"
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Andy,
I don't know what the formula for chimney height is, but it goes up over two stories? The chimney sweep told me the problem was the cathedrial ceiling? My guess is it's most likely designed poorly. Another Chimney sweep suggested installing a rain cap with a fan in it to help the draw. Has anyone done this?
Do you know anything about Heat o lator's and why its so drafty?
Do you know what the vent is on the outside? I could send photo's if that would help.
Thanks
Cheryl
I think it has to be 8 or 10 feet away from the roof measuring horizontallyOne works on oneself, always. That's the greatest gift you can give to community because the more you extricate your mind from that which defines separateness, that defines community. The first thing is to become community. "Ram Dass"http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Put a hand mirror on a stick and thoroughly inspect the heat exchanger tubes directly above the fire box. These sometimes rust out if there isn't a chimney cap. The result is some heat and smoke escapes into the chimney enclosure (the smoke upstairs). Is the outside vent a fresh air intake? Try cracking a window nearest the fireplace, if it runs better then your fresh or make up air is blocked and the fire can't draw at lower temps.
chimney must be 2' over 10' measured horizontally. You also might look into which side of the house the chimney is on . if you get prevailing wind blowing over your house from the opposite side that your chimney is on this will create more of a downdraft as the wind "curls" over the roof. If that is the case a couple extra feet in height should do the trick.
Benny..thats what I told her but she ignored me...wahhhh...lol.
Be well
Namaste
Andy"Attachment is the strongest block to realization"http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Cheryl,
Ask lots and lots of questions before starting "fixes". I would first go to someone that sells and installs "zero clearance" fireplaces. Ask them to have an installer come to your home and examine the installation. Ask them for the name of a good remodeler that uses their fireplaces and ask that remodeler to check out your installation.
Is the framing, insulation and drywall (inside the box where the fireplace resides)done correctly? Is the fireplace installed correctly and are the accessories installed correctly? The accessories to look for are: firestop spacer, chimney cap, flashing(sounds like you might have a leak at the top of the chimney)and drip collar, and the combustion air supply(this is probably the vent you see at floor level). Another thing that might cause smoking is lack of air for the chimney to draw properly. This could be caused by a number of things. Is your house so tightly built that there is no air available? The combo of this along with an improperly(or unopened- have you found a small lever on the side of the firebox?) installed outside air supply could be the culprit. Problems with the ductwork on a forced air furnace system is another place to look. Try your fireplace with the furnace off and a couple of windows opened, if it works properly you will have clues as to what is wrong and this should be discussed with the stove people and the remodeler.
The term "Heatilator" is often used generically, in my experience the generic use usually means any firebox of metal construction that circulates air around it to recover heat and vent that heat back into the room.
You could download an installation manual from http://www.heatnglo.com to learn more.
Hope this helps.
GT_colo
After a trip to the local library, I think you are correct I have a zero clearance fireplace, I now understand how this fireplace works. The chimney appears to be the right height and has a good rain cap on it. From reading many books on fireplace design, I found that zero clearance fireplaces located on out side walls have a tendency to stay cold and as the fire dies down the inside chimney cools thus the smoke has a tendency to come back into the house. They also recommend opening a window inside to help with this problem.
I have an electric heat pump located on the other end of the house so I don't think they share the chimney.
The two chimney sweeps I have had look at the chimney really don't know anything about this type of fireplace and have only offered idea's on ways they could make money, but not how to fix the problem.
I have located a fire place shop who I hope can recommend a good contractor to look at my fireplace, my guess is many things are wrong (based on other questionable construction details that I have fixed in the past). After really looking at the outside chimney I noticed some wood trim rot which also may have something to do with the water coming inside through the heatilator.
Thanks to everyone!