A.D. Miller
01-12-2010, 05:43 AM
From a client of mine:
Fireplaces: we spec’d Heatilator units but the builder installed a different brand (Lennox) from Williams Insulation and Fireplace Co. We didn’t know about the switch until we moved in and had some problems with a lot of cold air seeping and blowing thru the vent openings on the front of the fireplaces. It is like the fresh air vents and the flue are completely open all the time but they are actually closed. Williams repaired the fresh air vent in one of the fireplaces and it made no difference. They were very defensive and belligerent when confronted with this problem. I have had to tape up all the vents on the front of both fireplaces to keep the cold air from flowing in all the time and causing the rooms to be cold and very energy efficient. We cannot use the fireplaces when the vents are taped up and it is impractical to remove and replace the taping each time we want to use the fireplaces. I fear that to correct the problem, the fireplaces will have to be accessed from the exterior (remove 4” stone veneer, exterior wall board, insulation) and seal and/or insulate the metal fire boxes to prevent air from infiltrating the air space between the outside metal and the inside metal of the box. The units in question are :
Family Room is Lennox Elite- LBC- 3824 (this was supposed to be a 48” opening but is only 37”, so we got shorted by 11” wide on this fireplace)
Master B R is Lennox Elite- BR-42-2 (It also has a SUPERIOR label)
Printed on the outside face of the fireplaces is “SUPERIOR”, a brand made by INTERTEK/Warnock Hersey; it doesn’t say Lennox on the units themselves, but the install and owner info does)
I have the install specs and they call for 2 draft stops but the fireplaces don’t act as if they have them. We can here the wind blowing into and thru the chimney tops on the roof and down into the fire box as if it is wide open all the time. It is like the flue is always open.
Any ideas?
Fireplaces: we spec’d Heatilator units but the builder installed a different brand (Lennox) from Williams Insulation and Fireplace Co. We didn’t know about the switch until we moved in and had some problems with a lot of cold air seeping and blowing thru the vent openings on the front of the fireplaces. It is like the fresh air vents and the flue are completely open all the time but they are actually closed. Williams repaired the fresh air vent in one of the fireplaces and it made no difference. They were very defensive and belligerent when confronted with this problem. I have had to tape up all the vents on the front of both fireplaces to keep the cold air from flowing in all the time and causing the rooms to be cold and very energy efficient. We cannot use the fireplaces when the vents are taped up and it is impractical to remove and replace the taping each time we want to use the fireplaces. I fear that to correct the problem, the fireplaces will have to be accessed from the exterior (remove 4” stone veneer, exterior wall board, insulation) and seal and/or insulate the metal fire boxes to prevent air from infiltrating the air space between the outside metal and the inside metal of the box. The units in question are :
Family Room is Lennox Elite- LBC- 3824 (this was supposed to be a 48” opening but is only 37”, so we got shorted by 11” wide on this fireplace)
Master B R is Lennox Elite- BR-42-2 (It also has a SUPERIOR label)
Printed on the outside face of the fireplaces is “SUPERIOR”, a brand made by INTERTEK/Warnock Hersey; it doesn’t say Lennox on the units themselves, but the install and owner info does)
I have the install specs and they call for 2 draft stops but the fireplaces don’t act as if they have them. We can here the wind blowing into and thru the chimney tops on the roof and down into the fire box as if it is wide open all the time. It is like the flue is always open.
Any ideas?