Multiple questions about a fisher wood burner

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I recently bought a 1926 house what has two fireplaces. One fireplace has an old gas insertwhich I plan on pulling out for safety reasons and not replacing. The other fireplace has a Fisher woodburner in it. The Fireplaces are back to back and use the saem chimney. I learned from the previous owner that he had gotten the stove from a friend and had used it only a few times. From everything I can tell the stove is not installed properly, if at all. It appears that the stove has jsut been placed in the fireplace and left. There is no flu up the chimney.

I would really like to use this stove for the upcoming winter, but i know that for safety and efficsnce I will need to get it properly installed. i have called some local fireplace shops, all who refuse to come look at it since they do not sell Fisher. I have looked on the net for dealers and cannot find any. As a result I have a series of question in no paticular order. i am located in Northwest, Indiana. Here is all of the info i could get from the stove and my questions.

There are no markings on the stove beside the fisher logo so I do not have a model. Here are the deminsions 29" deep from back of stove to front of doors, 24" wide at widest part, from is about 2" narrower. 20" tall at tallest part. I also have several metal plates that appear to go around the outside of the stove, and something that looks like a damper that goes of the 8" hole in the top of the stove.

Are there dealers around and is Fisher still made? Is the stove a good stove or should I look at investing in a new stove? What will I need to do to get it properly installed and who can I call to do so.

Thanks Tim

-- Tim (signu459@hotmail.com), September 14, 2001

Answers

I seem to recollect that Fisher was one of the few stoves to fail the Underwriters test. I have no more detail and you can consider the source. For installation instructions and insurability I would seriously consider checking with my insurance company. A wood stove in the chimney of a fireplace is often a disaster waiting to happen. I would buy a decent (UL listed) stove and put a liner in the chimney from the stove to the chimney cap. There are pluses to your situation; you have a masonry base and backing when considering clearances.

-- kirby johnson (kirbyj@deskmedia.com), September 14, 2001.

Fisher is a very good stove -- if it failed any test it was probably for emissions, as it doesn't have a catalytic converter. They are well made and very good heaters, and also useful for cooking on top. I don't think they are being made any more, as they were being produced in Oregon which cracked down on emissions some years ago. If I was you I wouldn't replace the stove, you won't get anything better without spending a lot of money. However, the installation is not good. First have a chimney sweep inspect your chimneys. If they are sound, there is a kit you should be able to buy from a hardware store or from a stove store that will close off the front of your fireplace and provides the proper parts for running the stove-pipe up through the damper and closing off the air leaks. Our stove (a smaller Fisher) worked a lot better after we got the kit installed.

-- Kate (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 15, 2001.

Thanks!! Some more follow up questions!!

I have done a bit more research since I posted my original question. After looking at the stove it appears that you do not need to attach a flue directly to the stove. There is a 8" vent in the top over which is a smaller , about 6" damper which is operated by a rod that goes across the width of the stove. Because of the way the damper is installed there is no way to directly attack a flu to the opening. Am I correct in this assumption and is/was this a normal installation? Also I have discovered that I have the surrounds that go with the stove. The surrounds will cover the whole opening of my fireplace. But they will not be air tight due to the brick that my fire place is made of. Is there a way to seal the perimeter where the metal surround meets the brick? I would like to use something that will not damage the brick. It seems to me that ids the opening to the fire place is not sealed well then you will just suck all the hot air from your home up the chimney.

Is there a way to determine how much area this size stove will hear well? From the size of it I would think it would heat quite a bit.

-- tim (signu459@hotmail.com), September 16, 2001.


I don't have anything to contribute about hooking up your stoves, but I did havea Fisher fireplace insert around 18 years ago. It was a great heater, convenient to use, burned well and held fire overnight very well. I'd love to get another one!

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@nwlink.com), September 18, 2001.

Not being a Fisher Stove master installer, I did an install of a Insert a year ago, and have been really happy with the results. The backing (or gasket) that you may be referring to is a 2-3" fiberglass strip that has a sticky foil backing on it. I surrounded the back- side of my wall plates with it, and when pressed against the fireplace surround, create a very good gasket. I also insulated where the plates (side and top) come together, and also where the plates meet the stove. Looks like you can bolt plates to the wall, but I have not done so, and the pressure on the surround seems good enough to seal up against drafts. With some nuts and bolts and some patience, you should have no problem. I have no pipe on mine, and have a very good chimney, but will get a chimney pipe when dollars allow.

-- JOSEPH MULLANEY (JMULLA3465@AOL.COM), November 06, 2001.


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