Fireplaces

[lordkenmore]

For some reason, I thought about fireplaces tonight. Maybe because it's a snowy, cold night where I live. (Cold by my area standards.) It would be nice to sit by the fire, sipping hot tea, while I <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">annoy everyone on AW.org</span> post on AW.org. Alas, though, there is no fireplace here.

 

I grew up in a couple of houses that had fireplaces. One apparently inspired my parents big gift for themselves one Christmas: a screen and tools. (First year in that house.) I don't remember it, but we lived in a house later on that had a fireplace, and one happy  memory was using that in winter. It was hugely saddening when we stopped using it--some concerns that chimney cleaning was overdue. My mother and I talked about getting it done the last couple of years we lived there; however, the budget was tight, and we never got around to it... Although I did sort of revive the main fireplace by tossing in yard sale find set of electric logs. So we had "a fire" the last winter (including the last Christmas). 

 

I miss fireplaces, and think "someday" I'd like to have one again...although I suppose they aren't the best things for the environment, or the wallet, if used. (Although I suppose gas fireplaces would be better on both counts. But there is something about real wood fires I still like.)

 

So how about others here? Does anyone else have and use a fireplace?

 

[goatfarmer]

We have one, that we put a fireplace insert into. Equipped with a blower, it keeps the living room toasty warm this time of year.

 

[appnut]

The house I grew up in had one.  All 3 of my houses have had them and I have used them.  My current house featured a "heat-a-lator" blower in it and particularly enjoyed how well it kept "the common area" warm.  I haven't used mine for 20 years due to being laid off in 1997 and subsequent financial issues.  And unless a huge financial windfall is bestowed on me, I probably won't as I would need the chimney to be inspected and cleaned before I even purchase wood. Neighbors around me still use them.  I kind of enjoy the smell outside when it gets really cold and the fireplaces are used. 

 

[frigilux]

I have a wood-burning fireplace but never use it. The former owner used it all winter and put a few logs in it for show when selling the house. They are still in there 14 years later, LOL.

I burned down a barn when I was 6 and since then cannot imagine having a fire---even a controlled one---inside the house. If western civilization collapses I suppose I can knock down my backyard fence board-by-board and keep warm.

 

[panthera]

We use a sealed combustion chamber fireplace with blower

And big quartz glass doors. It can warm the house by itself in the transition period and cuts the gas bill by more than half in the sub-zero periods. 

I don't see how burning wood contributes to pollution, the sequestered CO₂ just gets returned.

 

The sad thing - it used to take us at least two hours to cut down the dead treas and load a cord.

Thanks to beetle kill, the last run wasn't 45 minutes from start to finish. I put my hand on one 5" tree and said, 'let's cut this one...'when it snapped.

 

The local forest service was pretty nasty about letting us cut wood even 10 years ago. Today, they're so glad to get the dry, brittle, burns at a glance stuff out of there they even smiled at us when they checked our permits.

 

I love a wood fire. The animals adore it.

[this post was last edited: 12/9/2016-09:00]

 

[iheartmaytag]

I wanted a wood burning fireplace.  It was on my list when I bought the house, because a few years back there was a big ice storm where power was out for up to two weeks; I wanted a back up. 

 

In an 80 year old house I got a former Coal burning fireplace that had been converted to gas.  It's cleaner, works to make the room toasty, and there for an emergency.  Just doesn't quite have the ambiance of warm flickering flames.

 

[wayupnorth]

I have a big fireplace in the center of my house with a heat-o-lator. It is absolutely worthless for generating heat into the house as it all goes up the chimney.

 

[panthera]

Tim,

Something isn't working right, if that's the case.

 

[wayupnorth]

If I keep a hot fire going for 3-4 hours, there is some heat coming from the heat-o-lator vents but I feel it is way too much work when my small Hearthstone propane "woodstove" gives instant heat and is powerful enough to keep the entire living space comfortable in the event of a power outage when my oil boiler wont work.

 

[panthera]

Tim,

There is definitely something wrong. You should be getting strong heat output as soon as the draft is established. You might want to check that out.

You won't get the level of efficiency our sealed combustion chamber does - outside air in, not room air, but there should be a good return of heat. Perhaps a former owner closed a draft or something fell across a duct? You'd be surprised how many stupid things happen. My parents' first house in the US was ice cold in two rooms whilst the rest was very well balanced. After many attempts to 'fix' it by various furnace people, it was an Italian cousin visiting in February who solved it: The previous owners had stuffed a pillow into the cold-air return line to those two rooms. Pillow out, whole house balanced and comfy.

 

Take a good look, do a smoke test, I bet something's blocked.

 

[ea56]

Tim

if all the heat from your fireplace with the Heat-o-lator is going up the chimney try installing a glass fire place enclosure on the front. This way when the fire is dying out the heat will still be relected back into the room.

We live in 35 yr old two story, 1250 ft townhouse. The only heat source we had when we bought it were electric, hydronic baseboard heaters with thermostats mounted on the wall and there was also a manufactured fireplace installed in the living room. The first winter here I hit the ceiling when we got the electric bill. Using the fireplace as it was wasn't much help unless we kept a roaring fire going all the time, because with out an enclosure all the heat went up the chimeny as the fire started to die out. We had an Avalon woodstove insert installed with a blower and that worked great. But the fire box required that the wood be no longer than 15" to 16", and to get it started it took a lot of babying with using progressively larger pieces of wood as the fire got going. And the wood had to be really seasoned and dry, or the fire just smoldered. Since I was still working full time it was a real hassle splitting wood all the time. So we switched to pressed logs, like the old Presto logs. These were wonderful, but expensive. Our next door neighboor, who's unit is identical to ours got a Whifield Pellet insert and she loved it. So we went back to the dealer we bought the Avalon from the year before and he gave us a great deal on a trade in for the Whitfield insert which we had installed the day Princess Diana died. This pellet insert is the bomb! It's easy to start,(although the self started never worked very well). I use Sure Start fire squares to start it. The pellets are easy to store, not too expensive and the stove with its blower warms the entire house in about 15 mins. Its cheerful to watch and easy to maintain. I've never regretted this purchase. We still use the electric heaters too, but the pellet insert helps to keep the cost of heating under control and really warms a cold house quickly.
Eddie

 

[wayupnorth]

I have glass doors, damper works fine but wood is just too much work. I have a few neighbors with pellet stoves but are useless in a power outage.

 

[twintubdexter]

Fireplaces in the Southern California Desert...

The area I live in is relatively new. Wood burning fireplaces are illegal. I have a gas fireplace which I occasionally use when I have company. Most of the heat produced goes up the vent (chimney) so it's really just wasting gas. Fortunately gas is not expensive here. I often smell mesquite burning in the evenings. Maybe it's a BBQ, although I wouldn't be surprised if some yahoo is trying to burn wood in a gas unit. I suspect the vent on top of the chimney would be tell-tale black. I'd report it to the fire department if I spotted one...just call me a mean old man, even at this time of year. Scrooge was right, Christmas is a humbug.

 

My vote for the best "A Christmas Carol" ever...

 

[foraloysius]

Woodburners and fireplaces are a curse for a lot of people with asthma. Inside and outside. Whether the wood is dried well enough or not. It creates a lot of fine dust that is a nightmare for sensitive lungs. I will never be able to have something like that and would get serious lung problems if neighbours would use one with little wind or wind from the wrong direction.

 

[appnut]

Tim, is your fan blower motor working correctly? On mine, once the fireplace really heats up the metal, I turn on the blower and it pumps out the heat. 

 

[wayupnorth]

I have 2 fan blowers on either side and both are working fine. I think the problem is the fireplace is in the middle of a 16'x40' room with a cathedral ceiling and all the generated heat goes up to the top of the ceiling and ceiling fans really dont help alot.

 

[lordkenmore]

I don't see how burning wood contributes to pollution, the sequestered CO₂ just gets returned.

 

I've heard the argument in Mother Earth News more than once that wood is ahead of other fuels. In order for the system to work, we need to plant trees, which clean the air. Meanwhile, fossil fuels carbon content is locked deep within the earth...until it's pumped or mined and then burned. And when burned, there is usually nothing to compensate, like a brand new tree.

 

One can also argue that a fuel spill involving wood is a lot less devastating than petroleum.

 

Another factor to keep in mind: newer wood stoves and inserts are much cleaner than had once been the case. Indeed, there is evidence of that in my state. In the Tacoma area, there has been real concern about air quality (and I think it's a national concern, probably EPA). During certain periods when air pollution can be a real problem, there would be burn bans. The first to be banned would always be plain fireplaces and older stoves. I think it reached a point where wood stoves in one area now legally must be a low emissions design. I have mixed feelings, because I can see having an antique stove, and wanting to use it, but the area has had the pollution issues.

 

[foraloysius]

Here's an article that explains how woodburners and fireplaces can be a threat to your health.

http://www.healthguidance.org/entry...Burning-Stove-May-Be-Harming-Your-Health.html

 

[mattl]

I've got 2 real fireplaces and one fake.  The real one now both have gas logs.  I put a gas log in the living room fireplace last fall, and that room got a lot more use, especially when company was over.  Had stopped burning real wood in there decades ago simply because of the mess of cleaning out the ashes.  The other gas log is in the library and get a moderate amount of use in the fall.  I can light it and run it very low and get a good deal of heat out of it and delay starting the furnace for weeks, if not a month by settling in there for the evening.  That gas log dates back to the mid 60's and is not as decorative as the newer unit in the living room, but it is still enjoyable to watch.  I newer one in the LR has a serpentine burner that generates quite a realistic flame, plus the embers glow much like a wood fire.  The design certainly has come a long way.

 

Got to agree with the OP, a cold snowy evening by the fire is something i look forward to, especially after all the holiday prep is done and the trees are up.  Sit back, sip some good red wine and enjoy the flames flickering.

 

[rp2813]

My parents had the original tall & shallow (but not a "Rumford" type) 1927 fireplace here converted to gas over 30 years ago.  

 

My dad could build a roaring wood fire, but I never got the hang of it, and can do without having to tend a fire once it's going anyway.  Now that it's gas, all I need is a long lighter or match, and there's no need for a screen -- a big plus for aesthetics IMO.  We only light it when entertaining.

 

Earlier this year, the Bay Area Air Quality Management group announced it was pursuing a complete ban on wood burning fireplaces.  It would have required a retrofit whenever a home with a wood burning fireplace was sold.   There was a serious uproar from the community and realtors, more about the costs involved than the desire to burn wood, and the plans were dropped.  I'm sure that if a retrofitting incentive plan could be funded, opposition to something of that nature would be minimal.

 

In the meantime, we have "Spare the Air" days declared when stagnant conditions cause particulate pollution to build, and on such days burning wood is not allowed.  People generally tend to observe them because they can't hide what they're doing.

 

The guy around the corner from me burns wood every chance he gets, and regularly on weekends.  I don't know if his chimney has draft issues or if he just likes to let his fires smolder, but the smoke sort of wafts instead of billowing upward, then drifts over the surrounding homes during the better part of the day, making it hard to be outside.   I can even smell it in my basement because it enters through the foundation vents.  He does observe the Spare the Air alerts, though.   Maybe he knows there are lots of neighbors who would be reaching for their phones if given the chance to lodge a legitimate complaint.

 

One thing I wouldn't mind if I had a different kitchen configuration and more room is a vintage stove with a trash burner.   I've had a couple of mid-'30s Wedgewoods in the past that had trash burners, and it was a cinch to start a fire in them and keep them going.

 

[ea56]

We have Spare the Air Days too in most of Sonoma Co. We also have two neighbors that consistently burn on the no burn days. For the first two years I let it slide. Then when it was freezing cold and we were always observing the no burn days and as a consequence had much higher PGE bills I finally reported them. They kept burning and I kept reporting. Finally, I called the Bay Area Air Quality Control Board and asked why there had been nothing done to stop the violations? The guys response was, "Do you get a ticket every time you speed?" To which I replied, "Then why even ask people to report violations if nothing was going to be done?" He said they would eventually get around to it. Oh well, And poeple are wise to it and on no burn days anywhere I walk in town there is always fire wood smoke in the air.
Eddie

 

[philr]

In a few weeks, I'll move in a house with wood fireplaces, they haven't been used for years and the one downstairs had a flat screen TV over it... The fire bricks inside that one should be replaced too.

I do not intend to use it but I'd like it to be safe to use in case there's a power outage. I'd like to put a gas insert in the one upstairs, it's an open fireplace without doors and I'd like to have something mostly decorative in it but I'd also like to have at least some of the heat staying in the house.

It won't be the number one project as there are quite a few things to fix and take care of and my budget for upgrades will be very limited!

One of the first things after I get an insurance coverage for the house (that's a lot more complicated than I thought it would be!) will be to try to fix the heating in the garage. The thermostat still works and the relay for the garage circulator clicks but there's a wire that's cut on it and I'm wondering why. It could be from normal wear or? I guess I'll find out soon enough. I got spare Honeywell relays today and I hope the trouble won't be too complicated to fix.

 

[tolivac]

Have a fireplace with a Fisher wood burner insert -but don't use it.Too much trouble and the insurance rate would go up if I did.Other folks around me use their wood burners and sometimes the outside is intolerable.Wood smoke IS harmful!Remember years ago flying into Denver Stapleton airport around Chirstmas.The plane flew thru a lot of smog-the pilots commented it was from woodburning appliances!Also at my place used to be a woodpile in the garage-got rid of it because it was a "condominium" for mice and snakes!

 

[vacerator]

After January

7th. Then we'll be ready, in zip code 85379.

 

[vacerator]

I mean,

get all the creosote off the fireplace interior so you don't have a chimney fire.

 

[panthera]

We live

in a state roughly the size of Germany.

With a population less than half-a-million.

And a 24x7 stiff breeze.

And the best air quality of any city in the US because of that stiff breeze.

I'm not the least worried that my fireplace is hurting anyone's health here.

 

Now, I can remember visits to Berlin before the wall fell which left me gasping for breath.

 

It's all about the concentration of fires in a given space - we couldn't do this in Munich. Actually, the last fireplace I had in Munich ran through a scrubber and a catalytic converter. 

 

 

[vacerator]

nothing worse for me

than a 2 cycle snow blower, not using the new lower smoke oil.

 

[foraloysius]

Keven

I'm not cocerned about the environment in your state but more about the air quality inside your home.

 

[perc-o-prince]

2 fireplaces here. One in the more-used living room downstairs and another in the more semi-formal living room. Both get used. There's a heat-o-later in the downstairs one, but it doesn't throw much heat. Each side of the fireplace has a lower vent for intake and an upper vent for heat exit. Odds are something was wrong with the installation or something happened in there years ago. Tried positioning a blower fan on one of the intakes but it didn't help.

We burn at every gathering, small or large, during the cold weather. For the larger ones, both fireplaces are going. When Rich's grandparents and uncle were alive, many was a time that the downstairs fireplace had a fire going most every weekend, all weekend long, in the winter.

After having a cap put on (after 40 years of trouble-free burning), the main floor fireplace draft wasn't what it used to be, and we'd get smoke in the downstairs if burning upstairs. Finally had a separator put between the flues under the cap, and voila, no more problem.

Chuck

 

[panthera]

Louis,

That's sweet of you. The closed combustion chamber means just that - outside air intake (forced when needed) and sealed Brennkammer with sealed exhaust, forced when needed. The blower's have zero contact with the combustion byproducts. There's a sophisticated temperature sensing sudden and an integrated CO monitor which not only sounds alarm, but cuts the blower's while forcing the draft. Never gone off, though.