Expert: James Ball - 1/10/2010

Question
Our house was built in 1978 and we moved here 2 years ago. We have a stone fireplace with
a blower built into the side of a raised hearth. There are 2 vents at the top of the
chimney. First the blower had been idle so long that it did not work at all. We replaced
it with a new blower the first year, but still got minimal heat through the vents. This
year we discovered 2 round knobs in the corner of the fireplace which we believe control
dampers within the ductwork. We opened both of those and turned on the blower, but still
a minimal flow of warm air. Is there anything else we should be checking? Can the problem
be fixed even though the ducts are built into the stone wall? We called a local repairman
from a list supplied by a reputable fireplace specialist, but the repairman has not
returned my calls. Any help would be appreciated! thanks!


Answer
Hello Sharon, not sure what set up you have but it sounds like a Heatolator fireplace (metal surround in the fireplace and 4 vents 2 on top and 2 on the bottom that some one put a blower into of some kind. I would have a local Certified Chimney Sweep www.csia.org, there you can look up by zip code to find one near you) take a first hand look at what you have they should be able to help.
Hope this helps
James