How to Make a Wood Burning Fireplace More Efficient
Your wood-burning fireplace may actually be wasting more energy than it creates. Most of the heat from a fireplace simply goes up the chimney and not into the house. This is why you should consider taking steps to make your wood-burning fireplace more efficient. A number of products on the market today will help you keep the heat emitted from your fireplace stay in your house, and burn more efficiently. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Fireback
- Flashlight
- Newspaper
- Penetrating oil
- Fireplace doors
- Wood stove insert, stovepipe and stovepipe surround
Instructions
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Set a fireback against the back wall of the fireplace. This is a heavy sheet of iron that you sit against the back brick wall of the fireplace. It reflects the heat from the fire back into the room and not up the chimney.
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Inspect the damper, a metal plate that regulates the amount of airflow through the chimney. Shine a flashlight up the chimney. If the damper looks warped, or damaged, contact a chimney service to replace the damper. If it looks rusty, spray some penetrating oil on the gears, covering the brickwork first with newspaper.
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Consider using glass fireplace doors on the front of the fireplace. You can close the doors when the fire is burning, preventing heat loss up the fireplace flue.
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Make the fireplace truly efficient by installing a fireplace insert like a woodstove into the hearth. A fireplace insert burns more efficiently with less smoke. The insert must be connected to a stainless steel stovepipe that you have a contractor install inside the chimney. You will need to replace the damper in the chimney with a sheet metal pan that surrounds the stovepipe and is affixed to the bottom inside of the chimney; this will keep smoke from entering your house.
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References
- Photo Credit fireplace image by askthegeek from Fotolia.com
