5th
New Fireplace Heater
I installed a new fireplace heater requiring a bit of cutting and rework. Normally the way you install it is to lift the door 1 3/8” to allow room for the heater duct strip to fit below. However, my door had clearance issues when lifting it up 1 3/8”. I decided to modify the bottom of the door frame to allow the heater to integrate with it. Doing this meant losing the adjustable combustion air from the bottom of the door frame, but I never use that anyway having outside combustion air.
Here is the heater in the fireplace, unmodified. I had to purchase longer grate feet bolts to lift it up as my fire pit is recessed.
Before shot of front:
Before shot of back:
Me:
Back cut made:
Front cut made:
At this point I ran into an unexpected snag. The screen door opens with almost 2 inches rotating into the fireplace, and it hit the motor box. I had to cut a piece of aluminum, rivet it in place to maintain rigidity in the doors structure, then cut the offending metal out.
Here’s the first view of the door fitted over the heater section after I cut it down to size:
This is the variable speed switch for the fan:
The product I used was a WoodEze Grate heater, which I purchased from Northline Express. Overall I am fairly happy with it. Aesthetically, having the electronics inside the fireplace is best, but I worry about the heat affecting longevity. Fortunately, the electronics are all housed in a box which when on draws in cool air, so all the electronics should keep from getting too hot. Also, the electronics comes with a 1 year warranty and the metalwork comes with a 5 year warranty.
So far I’ve had once chance to use it and I have to say I like it. Air temp coming out of the unit is between 120F and 185F depending on where you take your reading (inside the duct is highest). The variable speed fan is great for dialing in output and noise (comes in handy when the door starts rattling). And the temperature operated switch makes sure it comes on when there’s heat (120F) and turns off when there’s not (90F). Running it between 6:30pm and 10pm we got 3 degrees warmer in the room the fireplace is in using a small fire, and that’s with most of the heat rising up into the rest of our houses upper levels.
Now we’ll have to see how it works over the long term!
