OT: Passive fireplace heat circulator

Glenna Rose wrote:

> had only bought the house to re-sell, wasn’t selling it, said it’d help
> him sell the house. Yeah, right, most people convert their fireplaces to
> gas. Oh, well. If one doesn’t try to buy something like that, it won’t
> happen so I lost nothing I already had.

Actually, I wouldn't mind having something like that for my gas fireplace,
for the same reason. It's worthless without the blower, and the blower is
worthless without the magic go juice that makes blue sparks when you let it
out.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Glenna Rose wrote:
>> Is anyone aware of a supplier for the old-time heat circulator that
>> lay in fireplaces? Searches for such things only find
>> electric-powered types which is not what I want. (I have one of
>> those, but want a passive circulator, one that works in event of
>> power failure.)
>>
[snip]

Last place I saw them was at an "Ace" hardware, maybe you could track them
down via an Ace site? Something they could order for you?

Josie

Not much help but this may help someone else to visualize what you're
describing and remember who sells them....

http://www.motherearthnews.com/menarch/archive/issues/048/048-055-02.htm

Bob S.

Try one of these links I did DAGS for fireplace heat exchnager and got a lot
of hits. The second link is probably the one you want to look at first, they
have an optional fan you can attach to get more heat.

http://home.alltel.net/nelpi/nelpagef.htm

http://www.hdpatios.com/heatexchange.html


"Glenna Rose" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Is anyone aware of a supplier for the old-time heat circulator that lay in
> fireplaces? Searches for such things only find electric-powered types
> which is not what I want. (I have one of those, but want a passive
> circulator, one that works in event of power failure.)
>
> This is a heat circulator sold that utilized a pipe-type construction. It
> had three or five pieces that went from the front of the fireplace
> parallel to the floor, up the back and out to the front. The top pieces
> are at a slope to encourage air to flow more quickly out. These were
> "fastened" together with cross pieces at the bottom (underneath) to hold
> it off the floor of the fireplace and one at the top to stabilize the tops
> of the pieces. The ends protruded several inches in front of the
> fireplace front. The principle was to pull in cool air off the floor
> which heated as it traveled through and dispersed as heated air into the
> room. Heat control was controlled by covering as many "air intakes" at
> the bottom as necessary. After I saw one in a fireplace in a house I
> visited while house hunting, I told my then-boss about it. He had one in
> his cabin which he said they often had to close off all but one of the air
> intakes as it was quite effective, that it was even too hot to sit within
> six feet of the front of the fireplace.
>
> One of our local welders, who knew exactly what it is, suggested a muffler
> shop he knew in an outlying community. He said the owner would know what
> it was (and might be willing to build one), and it would have to be
> manifold-type pipe to withstand the temperatures. Unfortunately, the shop
> had just burned and still hasn't started up again.
>
> Yes, I did try to purchase the one in that house; however, the owner who
> had only bought the house to re-sell, wasn't selling it, said it'd help
> him sell the house. Yeah, right, most people convert their fireplaces to
> gas. Oh, well. If one doesn't try to buy something like that, it won't
> happen so I lost nothing I already had.
>
> Of those here who know what this passive heat circulator is, do you know
> of anyplace that sells them still? It would likely be some out-of-the-way
> shop that few know about. I suspect they became a non-manufacture item
> because of potential mis-use and possible carbon monoxide issues though
> haven't found anything to substantiate that thought.
>
> Any help is much appreciated.
>
> Glenna
>

Any stove or insert will work far better than the tubes!
Many do not require the fan to run.
Wilson
"Glenna Rose" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Is anyone aware of a supplier for the old-time heat circulator that lay in
> fireplaces? Searches for such things only find electric-powered types
> which is not what I want. (I have one of those, but want a passive
> circulator, one that works in event of power failure.)
>
> This is a heat circulator sold that utilized a pipe-type construction. It
> had three or five pieces that went from the front of the fireplace
> parallel to the floor, up the back and out to the front. The top pieces
> are at a slope to encourage air to flow more quickly out. These were
> "fastened" together with cross pieces at the bottom (underneath) to hold
> it off the floor of the fireplace and one at the top to stabilize the tops
> of the pieces. The ends protruded several inches in front of the
> fireplace front. The principle was to pull in cool air off the floor
> which heated as it traveled through and dispersed as heated air into the
> room. Heat control was controlled by covering as many "air intakes" at
> the bottom as necessary. After I saw one in a fireplace in a house I
> visited while house hunting, I told my then-boss about it. He had one in
> his cabin which he said they often had to close off all but one of the air
> intakes as it was quite effective, that it was even too hot to sit within
> six feet of the front of the fireplace.
>
> One of our local welders, who knew exactly what it is, suggested a muffler
> shop he knew in an outlying community. He said the owner would know what
> it was (and might be willing to build one), and it would have to be
> manifold-type pipe to withstand the temperatures. Unfortunately, the shop
> had just burned and still hasn't started up again.
>
> Yes, I did try to purchase the one in that house; however, the owner who
> had only bought the house to re-sell, wasn't selling it, said it'd help
> him sell the house. Yeah, right, most people convert their fireplaces to
> gas. Oh, well. If one doesn't try to buy something like that, it won't
> happen so I lost nothing I already had.
>
> Of those here who know what this passive heat circulator is, do you know
> of anyplace that sells them still? It would likely be some out-of-the-way
> shop that few know about. I suspect they became a non-manufacture item
> because of potential mis-use and possible carbon monoxide issues though
> haven't found anything to substantiate that thought.
>
> Any help is much appreciated.
>
> Glenna
>