Good thread! Attached are some photos of my current setup: an exterior masonry chimney with a Napoleon insert. I wanted to ask a few questions about making this setup as efficient as possible:
We've been burning wood like this for 4 years now, and it's a good setup: one cleaning a year, let the firewood season for a year before burning, works great. It's a little 2.0 cu. ft. firebox so I have to fill it 4 times a day, and it is usually over 200 degrees when I wake up in the morning.
[edit]I've also replaced the cheap, "foam" bricks that go inside the top of the firebox with stainless steel:
http://www.covingtoncreations.com/blog/review-napoleon-1402-wood-burning-insert-custom-steel-baffles
[/edit]
Has anyone boxed in / insulated their exterior masonry chimney? Worth the investment? We are thinking about possibly insulating and finishing off the front porch on our house, which would enclose the chimney for another 8 feet. However, we've still got 20 feet of chimney sticking up above the roof of the porch...
One thing I've found that helps throw off some more heat is the "firebricks" that line the inside of the stove... I bought a bunch of extras and lay them on top of the unit, behind the cosmetic cover panel... these sit on top of the thin sheet metal above the unit's blower, holding a lot more heat in for the blower to "use."
Does anyone have other suggestions? Thanks in advance!
