After an evening using the big drill with a 3" wire wheel, I figured there had to be something bigger that would let me get the job done faster. After some evening errands Sunday night, I swung by Home Despot. Although it was 7:53, the girl at the door told me they were closed (they nominally close at 8) and wouldn’t let me in. Fine: if Home Despot doesn’t want my business, there’s a Lowe’s near my office.So on the way home from work, I picked up a 6" wire wheel and a 3" cone wheel for the odd corners, strapped them to the back of the bike, and headed home. The 6-incher made a huge difference; I got the top, back, and right side done in the same amount of time it took to do the left side with the old 3" wheel. That left the hardest part, the front — that iron filigree work was a bear to work around and through.
Somewhere along the line, I plugged in the blower and hit the switch. It came on, with a bit of a groan but got going after it remembered what to do. I still have to de-rust the trim panel and, but it’s flat so I don’t expect much problem there.
Tomorrow is probably going to be a down-day, with choir practice eating up the evening, but I’m still holding out the possibility that we’ll install it this weekend.
Hey FAR! Gee, you're not fool'en around! It's hard to tell it's the same stove! What a fine looking stove, eh? Just love the added decoratives to it!
ReplyDeleteAs far as color, you might want to consider using a darker color, as this won't show the dirt and any rub marks that throwing in logs will make.
I'll bet you're glad that fan kicked in, eh? One less thing to worry about.
Gee, you're having a good time with this baby! Go FAR go!
Thanks, yooper
Looks good, far. That's a ton of work! But it'll be worth it once it's heating the house...
ReplyDeleteWow ... that looks amazing FAR!
ReplyDeleteHey FAR! I'm wondering if you'll have to prime before you paint?
ReplyDeleteOlivia, yup, a pic is required here in Michigan. Another point to think about FAR,is it'll be very likely that you're insurance premium will go up....
Yup Beth, that Quadra-Fire line-up is one of the best. My sister had one which was just fine, it had the secondary combustable chamber and her stove pipe, never really had any build up. However, she also burned seasoned ash, and her fire never went out for months at a time. I installed this unit in a mobile home, pics had to be taken of entire installation. My only beef with this unit was the glass, forever getting smoked up, an ungodly sight, but that's what you have when you have a glass door.
Oh, Far, better have a good look at the fiberglass gasket located in the door, make sure it's not worn and will provide an air tight seal....
Thanks, yooper
Good point re the door rope, yooper - I didn't think of that. Worked for QF for 5 years at their original plant in WA before they sold to HON. At some point wrote all service manuals and all marketing materials, ran their trade show and national sales meetings, and was the president's personal assistant. Good people, great product - hard job to leave. Yeah, the glass getting dirty was a pain, but it cleaned easy. And when it was clean - what a pretty fire!
ReplyDeleteGood looking project bro!! Just make sure to heed some of the advice and make sure that you have proper fire and heat insulation when you install it. You'll probably need a few sheets or Wonderboard or Hardybacker, I believe both are heat and fire resistant.
ReplyDeleteI use to be a huge Home Depot guy, but the last couple years the company seems to be going down hill. Messy stores, out of stock on a lot of consumable items, and horrible customer service. Lowe's around here isn't much better, but at least their stores seem neater and they're not out of stock on items as much.
I got really mad at a Home Depot guy; they were out of 4" razor scraper blades. When I said to the guy I couldn't believe they could be out of something that's such a in demand item, he snapped back, "well, we sell a lot of them", then I snapped back, "if they're so popular, then why don't you just increase your order?" That shut him up.
Hey all!
ReplyDeleteFunny you mention "darker color," Yooper — I was thinking about soot last night too! And yup, I was happy that the blower did its thing. Not sure about the primer — high-temp paint doesn't need it as far as I know, or at least it didn't when I painted the grill.
I wonder if all the hoops you had to jump through had to do with installing that QF unit in a mobile home. Oh, and I know what you mean about glass doors; our fireplace has glass doors (but not for long!) & I had to *scrub* the soot off the inside.
Beth, the gasket is a little frayed at one corner, but looks pretty good overall. When I was blowing ash out the intake (draft) vent, I didn't see any puff through the door, but I'll pull the door off & take a picture just to be sure. I guess I can get a replacement gasket at one of those stove places, so maybe I should just replace it and have done with it.
Ah well, back to work....
Yeesh, I'd left this window behind for an hour & just posted. Hey Solar! I'll definitely look into the insulation. OTOH, it's going into a fireplace with a brick hearth, so it shouldn't be too bad.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to call one of the places Beth looked up for me & get some advice. It will be worth the effort to have it professionally installed; they'll know what it needs & I won't have to worry about it.
Gasket and adhesive are cheap, far, and make a HUGE difference - one of the weak spots re efficiency. I'd replace it on something that old, just to be safe. You won't have to again for a long time.
ReplyDeleteThere might be Earth Stove dealers around, too - those are just Quad ones.
And stove places have stuff that cleans the glass really nicely and easily, too, for not too much $.
Hey FAR! Yup, being it was a mobile home was a whole new set of rules! I can remember they wanted fresh air to be piped in from outside to feed the unit, for example.
ReplyDeleteYou should have no problem meeting specs. as your unit is an insert, almost completely surrounded by steal, brick or stone.
Ha! ha! Kinda reminds me of the sauna addition I made a some years back. I went by a standardized state code, built the walls had all the clearances and protective materials in place. When it came for the insurance man to inspect it, the companies code was even more stringent, I had to move the wall containing the entryway (door), 2 1/2 inches more away from the the wood burning sauna stove I planned to get. If I went with electric, it would have been fine.
Well, I wanted to go with wood, so I did move the wall. The insurance man is a friend of mine..... Then I bought the Finnleo sauna stove from another friend, a fireman no less. When he came over with it, he asked if I'd help him carry it in... I thought this unit weighed 350lbs.! Come to find out, that weight included the rocks that came with the unit! Gee, was I pissed! Ha! You could have sprayed water on me and it would have steamed!!!
Anyway, we easily carried the unit in and set it in place. Paper thin walls, flimsy outfit! But it did have that UL tag on it, that the insurance company also insisted on!The unit works just fine, however, I'd never walk away from it while it going full bore!
Rest assured Far, you won't be having that kind of fun! ha!ha!
Thanks, yooper
Just saying hi. I've got nothing.
ReplyDelete:)
Looks like you're doing a wonderful job there FAR. I'll be glad to see the finished pictures when it's installed.
ReplyDeletedo you know if this came with a fire grate?
ReplyDelete