I own an Opel2 fireplace by RSF. I am happy with the Opel2,.. except for,.... the !$%&* blower!

The blower keeps breaking! This will be the third time I have had to remove and repair or replace it. Each time it costs between $250 to $300, plus tax! Not to mention the time it takes each time. The factory warranty is 30 years (prorated) on the fireplace, but only 1 year on electrical parts, including blowers!

I have owned the RSF fireplace and blower for four heating seasons. I burn a lot of wood. During the heating season my fireplace runs about 16 hours per day.

I was told, when I was buying it, that the blower unit is expected to last for 15 years or more, just like a furnace blower. As it turns out, NOT AT ALL the case! The problem is that the motor that runs the blower is of poor quality. It is surprising to me, because it is made by a Germany company. The exact problem is that the armature is glued onto the main shaft, and the glue does not stand up to the heat and torque that this unit must undergo.

Without the blower the amount of heat that comes off of the fireplace unit is massively cut. Late last season, when it failed again, I limped throught to the end of the burning season by turning a floor fan onto the face of the fireplace. This was ugly, in-efficient, noisey,.. but cheap.

Now, the heating season is upon me again, and I have to spend upwards of $300, plus tax,.. again!

If I had it to do all over again, (I built my home from scratch) I would only consider a free standing old style stove, on a nice stone footing, with a natural brick back wall. A friend has exactly this set-up, and his unit burns less wood, produces more heat, and his ceiling fan quietly and efficiently circulates the air!

If it's not too late, reconsider the fireplace insert. If you buy an RSF wood burner, put their tech support number on your speed dial. 450-565-6336, International calling charges apply to Quebec, Canada. Dan, the guy who is their tech support man, is friendly, honest, and straight forward. I just wish he had better answers for my blower problems!

Thanks for the RSF blower update. It's too late - we have ordered the delta with blower. Hope it all works out. We are a little worried because we are putting in this big fireplace - will look great I'm sure. But, for 10 years we have had a regency wood burning stove that heats our 1100 sq ft home no problem. Efficent and burns well. We chose the delta fireplace because our new build is 2400sq ft and that much again of basement. It's get's cold where we live so hope the Delta keeps us warm!!

Hi - xyte21 - did you get the fireplace, any thoughts. I am thinking of getting this one too.

Thanks

Just got the Delta fireplace installed today - what a beauty. Had our test fire tonight and it was a success. Beautiful flame and the 3 windows look amazing. Can't wait until the stone and finishing touches go on.

xyte21 - How do the stone finishes look? What did you do? We want to install this fireplace, but think the space between the fireplace and the upper louvers is very ugly as well as the upper louvers themselves. Just wondering how easy it is to make the area above the fireplace look nice.

Purchased the delta2 with the optional 3 zone option with remote thermostat.It heats the whole house evenly. So far it seems to be a great product.

For anyone looking at the newer model RSF Delta Fusion that launched in 2016 (the one with the big bay window)...We have had this fireplace for 2 years and we are extremely unhappy with it. The "single burn rate" sounded like a great idea but in reality has been nothing but a pain in the rear. You can't get the fire to stay lit unless you open and shut the door for the first hour. If you leave the door open the box won't heat up enough to open it's interior airflow, and if you close it the fire goes out. We have followed all the directions exactly and that is still the result - no matter what kind of wood we burn or how we stack it. If you burn anything less than 4 logs at a time the whole glass is covered with soot after one day. BUT it puts out so much heat that if you burn 4 logs at a time you can't stand to be in the same room with it after it's been going for 5-6 hours. (we have it in a 900 sq ft great room with vaulted ceiling) There is also no way to bank it overnight so that you don't have to start the fire from scratch in the morning. It doesn't matter how many logs you put in (we have tried everything from 1 to 8) before bed (at midnight) and still you get barely warm embers that won't take and have to start from scratch the next morning (at 6 am). Very disappointing all around.

Delta, with stuccoed rock by my wife, this unit has ducts into the hallway, our fan has came un glued twice, cleaned it up and used high temp epoxy. We have issues keeping the fire going.

I have the exact same issues as heardafrog2. This is not a fireplace for long burns,overnight burns or efficiency.

I am looking at buying a 2020 Delta Fusion fireplace. Reviews are quite mixed regarding the lack of controls, starting the fires, keeping the fire lit, length of burns, etc.

I also wanted to put the TV above it, but the bay window shape doesn’t seem conducive to that thought. I would love to hear any further reviews on this model. Thank you.

Well you're definitely doing something wrong, I've owned mine since 2006 And yes sometimes the glass will get black However it normally Burns off when you're burning dry wood. The easiest way to clean the glass is with exactly blade that has a handle, its easy to clean with very little clean up and looks like new when your done!

They did not start making them with the new "EPA friendly" flue until 2016, so this is not the same as the one you have.

Fourth winter for our Delta Fusion 2. Can be hard to light if wood is at all wet. we typically use some birch bark and keep the door open for the first 10-15min (hanging on a auxiliary fire screen) which gets it going pretty fast. Love the large multi angle view. It does go thru wood pretty fast as there is no way to slow down the burn. We have the 8” auxiliary dump into the furnace otherwise it would drive us out of our livingroom. Great look but wood stove may be more efficient.

Al