On 29 Mar 2006 10:45:03 -0800, "cthorne" wrote:

Hi,
We just installed a Majestic BC36 fireplace and I'm not very impressed
with the heat output. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? The area being

What kind of wood are you burning, and how much of it?
Is there any kind of air-intake that lets it suck air
from in the room and throw it up the chimney? Does
the circulator fan have variable speed settings? Is the
air coming out hot, or just warm? I'm thinking that 800 sqft,
half of which has a 16' ceiling is probably more volume than
the fireplace is capable of heating well, and you may have
to switch to an actual stove. If you blow smoke in the
room, where does it go? You may be circulating air
unintentionally through the rest of the house, or just be
pumping heat through an uninsulated interior wall
or floor. What are temperatures like in the rest of
the house, and are you running any other heating plant
for them?

Wood, depending on type and dryness, should generate
somewhere between 5 and 9 BTU/pound. (or 18-24 million
BTU/cord) I'd be surprised if a fireplace managed to
deliver more than 40% of that to the room, I'd expect
it to average closer to 25%.


heated is about 800 square feet (living room, dining room, and kitchen)
and has a 16' cathedral ceiling over the living room. We have blocked
off the rest of the house either by curtains or shutting doors to keep
the heat in that one area, the house is only 10 years old and well
insulated. But I can only get the temperature up to 58F in the living
room with the fireplace burning full tilt (it is about 32F outside
today). I have the fireplace vented to outside air and it has glass
doors on the front, the damper is supposedly non adjustable (all the
way open or closed). There is also a circulation fan installed in the
fireplace that evidently draws air in through the top vents of the
fireplace, circulates it around the firebox, and puts it out in the
bottom vents, but it is a meager air supply. I've even tried putting a
small fan in front of the lower air vents and it does seem to draw more
heat through, but not enough to make much of a difference. Does anyone
have any tips or suggestions, or was my expectation for this fireplace
just too high? Perhaps if I could modify the damper to keep it
partially closed it would make a difference?

Modifying the damper might improve your efficiency, but unless
you're somehow getting indoor air into the combustion box and
throwing it up the chimney, restricting airflow should LOWER your
total heat output.