fireplace died

[jcurtis934]

Well, fireplace quit working during the night two days ago. No heat, no fan. Pulled the unit, opened it up, and finally noticed a small bi-metallic device on the end with the black wire and yellow wire. The device took a dump and will require a new heating unit which is also part of the sqirrel cage fan assembly. Figured that it seriously overheated due to the fan running slower than normal...my best guess. Powered the fan directly from 120vac and while it does run, it is nowhere near what it used to run out. So, if your fireplace blower seems to be dragging and not putting out the air it used to...you can count the days till it bites the big one. Unit was still nice and clean inside from my last cleaning, so at least I don't have to do that as well. Will post what dimplex of canada charges me when I call them on Monday to order the new assembly. John

[Rondo]

John-- We don't run our fireplace all night to keep the unit warm. We carry two smaller space heaters in the Monte and if it gets cold enough the furnace is turned on and thus keeping the underbelly warm also. We don't set it high, just high enough to kick the furnace on every so often and circulate some warm air both inside the unit and into the belly and basement. We only use the fireplace for some extra heat to warm up the unit in the morning and possibly during the evening while we are watching the flat screen or on our computers then turn it off when heading to bed. Sorry to hear about your fireplace problem and hope you find a cure for it.

[Art-n-Marge]

I have run my fireplace all night but I don't recall if it was 100% full blast (maybe 75% at the most). And I also ran the propane furnace AND an additional EdenPure heater, to try and keep things warm during 0 to 20 degree nights. Come to think of it, I don't believe I've ever run full blast just to avoid overheating it.

I worry more about freezing plumbing but so far no issues. I believe a fireplace should support overnight running unless it's written otherwise somewhere. My manual does not specifically state this is a no-no.

[bigskyjimmy]

yep we use our Dimplex fireplace alot and love it and clean it out every once in a while but we do not keep it on at night when we are at sleep, we use one of those infrared "amish" heaters on low at night to keep the chill off in the living area at night they are nice and safe and our cats even sleep on top of it at night

[DQDick]

We also use space heaters and the furnace at night and the fireplace in the day time.

[biznsa]

I have used the fireplace on high for over 24 hours straight with no problems. On a side note, prior to 2010, there was a problem with Dimplex overheating and shutting the fan down. Dimplex replaced my heating unit at no cost. Haven't had a problem since.

[jcurtis934]

When I took it apart, I noticed that there is no electronics to switch fan/heater on and off, just the normal bi-metallic at the front bottom that you use to set the desired heat. And they have it wired so that the fan only runs with the nichrome wire heater. Just the way they did it for cost purposes. Given that we are fulltimers we use it a lot when we are out of florida and encounter cooler weather...so it isn't being overworked. With the exception of their stupid bi-metallic that they inserted inside one end of the nichrome wire heater, this unit should be able to run for ages. The exception is accumulation of dust, pet hair, etc inside. And it could well be that I got the one unit that used a heating unit that didn't meet specs. Love the fireplace and will love it again when I get done repairing it. John

[jcurtis934]

Cost of the fan and nichrome wire heater assembly, part number 2000330100RP for my model number nbdf2608 fireplace, was $181.41 including shipping to port charlotte, florida. Dimplex was great to deal with on the phone. john