Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with fireplace

Help me close my fireplace vents

gfrobe — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:36:23 -0800

How do I close my fireplace vents? There is a really cold draft coming in through our fireplace even though the flue and the glass doors are closed. Some of the draft is coming in around the outside edges of the glass doors (which I assume I can't do anything about) but there is also a lot of cold air coming through the vents above and below the glass doors. There is a little wheel at the bottom of the door that unscrews a bit and looks like it's supposed to move left and right but it feels like a spring inside is keeping it from moving to the left (it's all the way to right at the moment).

I found this online but cannot seem to locate any security tabs anywhere. My landlord isn't sure how it works.

There's a sticker on it that says Sears and Roebuck model 114 but unfortunately I haven't been able to find any directions online.

Any suggestions?

Something Seems Missing...

thisperon — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:46:11 -0800

Why do new homes in California seem to lack a fireplace? As I look at relatively new homes on the market (less than 10 years old), I find that quite a few of them do not have a fireplace. Does anyone know why this is? I would think most homeowners would really want one (at least those of us in Northern Cal or in the colder parts of the state.)

Help me stay warm with a broken furnace.

Stewriffic — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:16:27 -0800

Yesterday I woke up to my furnace screeching like a banshee. Turned it off, and called for service, but they won't be able to get out for a while. I'm not sure when, because the service will be through my home warranty. I have a fireplace and wood, south facing windows that let in lots of sun, and a very small, not-so-awesome electric space heater. I have some questions about the combination of heating sources I should use until the furnace gets repaired. I live in North Carolina, US, so it's relatively mild, but it is getting down near freezing at night.

Today will be fine; it's getting up to 67ºF/19ºC this afternoon. However, here's a question about today specifically. Which will give the better bang for the buck: opening up the house, or using passive solar to warm it up without opening windows?

Secondly, the forecast for the rest of the week is going to alternate between sunny and rainy, with typical temperatures of about 54º-56ºF/12º-14ºC for the high and lows kind of all over the place, from 32ºF/0ºC to 47ºF/8ºC. See here for the full forecast.

I'm planning on closing off unused rooms, but I have a pretty large space consisting of the kitchen and two living spaces (one of which has the fireplace) that are all open to each other.

What combination of fire, space heater and sunlight will maximize heat gain and minimize heat loss for me until the furnace is repaired?

Also, any other suggestions about keeping the house warm will be gratefully accepted!

Propane, propane products and fireplace inserts.

mecran01 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:14:56 -0800

We have a normal fireplace in our 1968 rambler that has never been used. We would like to put in a gas fireplace insert, but it would cost about $1200 to have a gas line installed (we use natural gas to heat our home). The fireplace has a small door in the rear for cleaning--is it possible to install a propane-fueled artificial fireplace log? Could we convert an existing insert? The fireplace would not be used intensively.

Outside Air Filter

ulotrichous — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:07:52 -0800

We want to add a wood stove to my wife's studio, currently under construction. Is outside combustion air a must or a maybe? The studio is framed and roofed, and it's on a 2nd story above the garage. The place where we'd like the wood stove to go is above the garage, so we could do a vent through the floor and duct it to the outside.

I've read differing opinions as to whether outside combustion air is a good idea or not. I understand if the house is tight, it can draw exhaust down the water heater flue or in through bathroom fans, etc, but there won't be any other exhausts to back draft in the building. It's not super tightly-sealed but it is new construction; however there are french doors which are always going to let some air in, ventilated soffit, etc.

One thing I read said that outside combustion air is more efficient because your house becomes positively pressurized, which sucks the warm air towards the envelope of the house (and out?) which distributes the heat better in the space for greater efficiency.

But I also read this near-rant on the myth of outside air but it's very axe-grindy and seems like it comes from a guy who used to sell wood stoves that didn't offer outside air options... but it makes some good points.

My builder is a little worried about additional fire code requirements for the garage ceiling if the outside air vent comes through there, and it's always possible that the outside air could be added later, but I don't want the kit to become unavailable, or have to redo the ceiling as part of it, etc.

The stove is a Drolet Eldorado. It's Canadian, so you know it's good. The studio is about 600sf with a 200 sf office below in the back that I am calling "geekland".

So, do you have experience with outside air supplies for wood stoves? Do you think we should do this now, or maybe plan to do it later, or not worry about it?

How do you deal with a squirrely tenant?

dinger — Sat, 09 May 2009 06:39:05 -0800

How do I coax a squirrel out of my fireplace flue? I think he likes it in there. A sqirrel has fallen down the fireplace flue. I've taken off the glass cover of the fireplace, opened all the doors, and left him alone in the room for hours. In the past couple of instances, this has always resulted in the little guy becoming emboldened after about an hour, tentatively inching out of the flue and onto the top of the firebox, then making a sudden break out of the fireplace and straight out the nearby open door.

This guy is different. No matter how long we leave him alone, he just sits in there. Sometimes he makes a few dove-like squirrel sounds, and sometimes he shifts positions, but he ain't leavin'. He isn't hurt, as I can clearly see to confirm there's no blood or other sign of injury, and when we approach he can climb a few inches up the flue by grasping a seam, so I know he hasn't got a leg stuck.

Here's the geometry: it's a gas fireplace insert, with about a two inch space between the top of the firebox and the bottom of the flue. The flue opening is covered by a grate, upon which our little guest is sitting. The grate is a flexible, slotted metal affair, welded on at the back and attached at the front with two sheet metal screws. I've removed the screws, bent the grate down at the front, and wedged a piece of scrap lumber in there to hold it open. So, imagine a squirrel in an inverted, one-gallon paint can, with the lid hinged on one side and open about two inches on the other side. And he just sits on the open lid, refusing to come out.

I know the opening is big enough, because I can see his whole head. He's not full grown, perhaps a yearling gray sqirrel about eight inches long with an eight inch tail. I've placed some peanuts and dry dog food a few inches from the opening, but he doesn't seem hungry enough yet.

Have you ever dealt with this before? What are your ideas about coaxing, or forcing, him out? I should add that I'm unwilling to hurt or destroy the little guy until such time as it appears to be the only humane option to prevent a slow death from starvation and/or dehydration. It appears that could be days off.

No roast swan for me, thanks.

orange swan — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 20:08:19 -0800

I would like some tips on how to find or make a fireplace screen that is no wider than 23" and no taller than 27" for under $100 or so. I've resolved the problem of what to put in my fake fireplace, and bought a gel fuel firelog set. Now I need a screen for the fire place. Gel fuel doesn't spark, but my concern is that if I leave the fire "open", especially when it's in such a shallow opening (6"), it will be all too easy for something like a skirt hem to swish in there. But I can't seem to find a screen in my budget and price range.

I've called and visited the main fireplace stores in Toronto and been told that standard screens are 30" inches wide or larger and that I can't even get one of those for $100, much less have something custom made.

So I'm thinking perhaps I could make one. Surely it would be possible to get some kind of decorative grill and clamp/solder it into some kind of "feet" so it's free standing? Alternatively, if I could get three small decorative grills, the could be fastened them together to make a folding free standing screen. I do stained glass and although a stained glass screen would look gorgeous with the firelight behind it, I do worry about extreme likelihood that it would get knocked over and smashed sooner or later.

So I turn to you people. Any thoughts on how to make or find a 23" fireplace screen for under $100? Where can I find decorative grills? I scoured Home Depot last night for naught.

Removing a Fireplace

bananafish — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:30:02 -0800

Fireplace removal. We just bought a house (an Eichler if your familiar with that style) and it has an outdated, ugly big red brick fireplace in the middle of the room. We really hate the way it breaks up the room, but we're not sure who we would even call to have it removed. It's an especially difficult removal since there's a hole in the roof for the stovepipe. So: 1. who would you call to remove the fireplace and 2. how much would something like that cost (ballparking it)?

Chestnuts roasting on an open HDTV...

SamuelF — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:02:06 -0800

For the past two years, I've come across a TV channel broadcasting a looping video of a fireplace with Christmas music. I have no idea what channel it was on, or how/why it exists. All I want for Christmas is answers.

How do I fix my fireplace?

haikuku — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:42:30 -0800

When I burn a fire in my fireplace in the evenings I have to leave the damper open all night so the house won't get smoky. This causes all the heat in the house to get sucked up the chimney. I suppose I could extinguish the fire before going to bed, but I was hoping that I might be able to close the front off somehow. Does anyone know of a solid fireplace screen made for this purpose?

Are outdoor fireplaces prohibited in San Francisco?

yizzle — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:47:24 -0800

Are there any laws prohibiting outdoor fireplaces (sometimes called chimineas) within the city of San Francisco? I am thinking of getting one for my back porch, but don't want anyone calling the cops/FD on me. I've checked the SFFD website, but couldn't find anything.

Do I have something to worry about and if so, what can I do about it?

10ch — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:13:41 -0800

What to do about the woodstove and our new kittens? We've recently added two kittens to our home (one's 5 months, the other's 11 weeks). One of their frequented hiding spots is under and around the woodstove.

I've only ever had one cat and she wasn't very frisky. She didn't go near the stove very often... and I didn't have her when she was a kitten.

What is your opinion? Are cats/kittens smart enough to realize the stove is hot or should I barricade it somehow? (I have no idea how I'll do that at this point... suggestions are welcome, here is a pic of the area.)

We're obviously discouraging them from going under there every time they get near it, but they're going over there at dozen times a night, at least.

Opinions/advice?

Help me jump from gas to fire

lpsguy — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:36:11 -0800

Jumping from the gas into the fire? I live in a house that's about 40 years old. It has two gas fireplaces: one in the living room; one directly below it in a den. They share a chimney stack with our home gas furnace. One big wide chimney; three separate channels. I want to convert the den fireplace to a wood-burning one. Both fireplaces are masonry and in great shape. Both have working flue closures above them. I thought this would be easy. I call a fireplace tech out to look it over and tell me what this will cost. He says he's not sure. Goes back to the shop to confer with senior guys. Calls and says, they can take out the gas workings but I need to have the chimney 'certified'. So we call a chimney service. They say they'll come out and certify the chimney for about $200 with a process that drops a camera down in it and all that. My sense is that this is appropriate if you suspect there is some kind of damage, or if you're buying as home and want to be sure of the chimney's integrity, but this is overkill for a guy who wants to do what I want to do. So I'm looking at spending $300 (for the gas guy and the chimney guy) just to find out if I can do the conversion. I'll have to spend more to have it done. So I ask:

1) The gas guy says that if the chimney was only ever used for gas (which is true) the chimney doesn't have to be cleaned. Is this true?

2) Is there any benefit in spending $200 to get it 'certified' when I have no reason to believe there is anything wrong whatsoever with the chimney?

3) Any reason why I shouldn't just ignore any sort of certification, pay a sweep $65 to clean it out just to make sure there aren't any nests or obstructions, have the gas guys cap the gas lines remove the works and burn away?

What seemed like an easy thing is turning out to be a lengthy time and money suck. Any help I can get to make this simpler and cheaper would be greatly appreciated.

Fire! Fire! Don't try this at home.

26.2 — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:24:40 -0800

My house had two fireplaces which were walled over by the prior owner. I'd like to reopen them and possibly retro fit them to be gas fireplaces. How horrible (read expensive and time consuming) of a construction job would this be? House is stucco from the 1920s. Raised foundation which makes running the gas lines easier. My house is in San Diego and does have a floor furnace in one room, but the house gets chilly/clammy in the winter. Also, would this renovation add any value to my home at resale?

can I use my fence for firewood?

rudy26 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:53:18 -0800

I have wooden fence that I would like to take down and burn in an indoor fireplace. is it safe? I've asked many people, and gotten many answers. The fence is at least 11 years old, probably more. Do you think it was treated, and if it has, would that make it a bad idea? The fence is a 6 foot tall privacy fence, most probably cedar.

Let's conspire so I can dream by the fire

orange swan — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:23:29 -0800

I would like to find something to put in my fake fireplace. In the living room of my semi-detached house I have a mantelpiece for a fake fireplace. Inside the mantelpiece is a 24” w, 6” d and 30” h opening for a fireplace insert (it’s dug back to the brick of the shared wall). There is a ceramic tile surround between the mantelpiece and opening, and part of the parquet flooring has been cut away and a tiled hearth fitted in. I would like to find an electric fireplace insert to install in this mantelpiece (I do have gas in the house, but there's no flue for a gas insert). The problem is, there doesn’t seem to be anything out there that will fit that space. Canadian Tire, Home Depot and Sears only carry this one.

It’s almost the perfect width, but it’s 10” d and 20” h. Will it look okay sticking out of a fireplace and how will I cope with the 10” gap at the top? I’ve searched the websites of several Toronto-area specialty companies without finding anything that will do. I really, really do not want to rip out the mantelpiece. I like it (it’s nice wood, and has a bevelled mirror set in the panel up top) and it would be such a job to repair the wall behind it. Besides, I do need another heat source in the room. I would be open to ripping out the tile surrounding the fireplace hole as it is not very well done (though the tile on the hearth is well done). What are my options?

Toasty toes and hot toddies

MsMolly — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:54:59 -0800

Where's the best place in Chicago to sit in front of a nice fire and sip drinks? Boy and I are planning a weekend in Chicago next month where we'll play at being tourists and do all the stuff we never get to do when visiting friends and family. We'll try to get a nice hotel through Priceline and stay somewhere near either Water Tower Place or Grant Park. I'll be combing the other Chicago threads for fun things to do, but one thing that I didn't find that would be especially nice is where to go if we want to sit in front of a warm fire. This could include hotels/B&Bs with fireplaces in the rooms, restaurants, bars, hotel lobbies, whatever. Where would you go in Chicago if you wanted to toast your toes and relax with a drink? The only event we have planned so far is the Magnetic Fields show at the Old Town School of Folk Music on the 15th, and we're willing to go anywhere in town, although accessible by El is better.

Fire in the hole!

mosk — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:51:48 -0800

Tell me about gas fireplace inserts: What do they cost (approx.), what are the good-to-better brands, and what features are nice to have. We're in the SF Bay Area, so this is primarily for aesthetics and some cozy-ness, not the primary heat source for the house. Our house has a 1960-era masonry fireplace that we use very rarely. The plan is to re-face the fireplace/hearth (which is ugly, stained brick), and while we are doing that, we thought it would be nice to also install a more efficient gas fireplace insert, since our area has restrictions on particulates. Overall goal is something that's clean, efficient, generates heat when needed without pulling heat from the house, and won't fall to pieces after a few years of use (I don't mind spending a bit more for quality.)

My initial visit to a dealer in my area got me a quote for $3500/installed (not including running gas and power to the fireplace). As a ballpark figure, is this good, bad, or otherwise?

Anyway, that's the gist of the request. Tell me what I should know/be aware of/expect when looking at these beasties, and which brands are good or better-than-average.

Give me a fire by Christmas, please!

bunnycup — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 13:24:09 -0800

What, if any, are the effects of express warranties by landlord and landlord's agents under New Jersey landlord tenant law? Okay, yes, I am a lawyer, but I'm out of my zone of comfort and in a brand new state. Please take pity on me!

Prior to renting my home, the landlord's property agent (not my agent) represented that the fireplace and chimney were safe for use as a result of passing inspection. Further, during lease negotiations, as a part of an attempt to persuade my husband and I to accept liability for all repairs of any kind, two employees of the landlord represented that full inspections had been done within the last 12 months, the house had passed, and thus we could forsee no actual risk under such a clause. We nevertheless declined to agree to accept that liability.

Prior to using the fireplace, my husband would like us to obtain confirmation of its safety for use. My written query to the landlord was responded to as follows:

"You are correct that the standard NJ home inspection was done. However, that was only a visual inspection for any structural damage to the exterior, as this was the only inspection we were required to do. "

I feel that I received an express warranty that that the fireplace was safe from the realtor (a designated agent of the landlord), who used the use of a fireplace as a selling point, along with a more general (but also express) warranty from the property managers that a detailed inspection had taken place. I rely on no implied warranties of any kind, and do not assume that because the stove is in the house, it is safe to use.

I am not familiar with NJ law; I do not (and will not in future) practice in NJ. My prior education is with NYS and NYC property law, which as you may know is often quite different from other states. Without asking that anyone do in depth research here, any quick thoughts on an argument that I've got an express warranty as to the fireplace, or whether there is any wiggle room whatsoever for a contractual promissory estoppel type argument? I realize this is a fairly technical question, and am asking solely for the purpose of determining whether further research on my part would be worthwhile. If someone knows I am wasting my time, hearing that would be useful. I will not be relying on your answers as the basis of further correspondence, etc.

Thanks in advance for saving Christmas!

Will I get a crick in my neck from watching a TV over the fireplace?

adverb — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:43:37 -0800

My wife wants to get a plasma/LCD TV and mount it over the fireplace. That just seems way too high to watch comfortably, though. Does anyone have any experience with a TV mounted that high? Will the kids be able to watch it if they're sitting on the floor? Does angling it help?

Yucky smoke from neighbor's chimney makes my home stinky. Please help.

susiepie — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:53:08 -0800

What can we do to stop our smelly neighbors? We live in a rural-suburban area in the south. Our across-the-road neighbor keeps their fireplace burning 24/7 beginning in October and throughout the cooler months and into March-April. Even on days when it's 60-65 degrees outside, they'll have their fireplace going full blast, with smoke constantly puffing into the air. Seriously, sometimes it looks like their house is on fire, there is so much smoke. It permeates the air around our home and gets inside through our air vents. It's not a clean smoky smell, either (if there is such a thing).

So basically, all winter long our home/clothes/hair smells like burnt hot dogs. And that description is putting it lightly; it really is a terrible odor. And it seems to be getting worse every year (we've lived here 7 years). It even draws us out of our sleep in the middle of the night sometimes when the smoke gets especially strong. We've tried burning candles and oil warmers, but that is only temporary and does not help that much anyway. We've also tried other odor-eliminating measures, to no avail.

Besides being ultra-annoying, it surely can't be healthy to breathe in all of that smoke for several months out of every year, right? Is there anything we can do to stop this? Are there air quality control laws we can cite? Do they need to have their chimney swept/cleaned and would that even help the problem? How would you suggest we handle this dilemma?

Thanks in advance for any advice. Our noses and lungs thank you, too.

I want a fancy pants fireplace.

stormygrey — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:16:39 -0800

I need to find a giant metal sheet, yet I am not rich, help? I want to wrap my historic fireplace in metal. I like the look of copper, but I am flexible. I want one big sheet that is pretty easily molded so I can use a press to make the corners, attach it to a basic armature and just slide it over the fire place without any additional attachment. It probably also needs to be a place that would custom cut it. It needs to be 8 feet by 4 feet 1 inch if that helps.

I really want a nice clean look, so I don't want to try and fit several pieces together or anything.

Does anyone have any experience in this or know of some trick I could use that I wouldn't know about?

I found a place that could get it for me for in copper for about $550, but if we make any mistakes we are so screwed.

I am in Atlanta and have a pickup, so I can drive to get it.

Making a wood burning fireplace more efficient.

jaythebull — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:26:27 -0800

Fall is right around the corner. These chilly mornings have me thinking about lighting a fire in our fire place. I love the look, the smell, and everything else that goes with a fireplace. But efficiency wise? It sucks. What are my options for getting more heat in to the room than letting it all go up the chimney? At this point I do not want to consider gas logs. Trying to stay with wood. Also it is worth noting that this is not our main heat source. Just a supplement and backup in case we lose power.

question about aesthetic of gas fireplace

seekingsimplicity — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 19:15:35 -0800

Should I take out my gas fireplace insert? My DH and I put a gas fireplace in our 1920's craftsman bungalow about 10 years ago. It cost approx $2000. I wonder now if we should remove it so we can have a real fire in the fireplace.

It seems the aesthetic of the gas fireplace is not as good as a real fire.

Also, whenever we use the gas fireplace (which is on the main floor) our upstairs master bdroom is freezing. This same thing happened when we used the "real fireplace" before we put the insert in.

Should I just leave the gas one in? or are gas fireplaces soo ugly that it would look much better without it? Ours is an older model that has a fan (too loud) on it.

My DH likes building a fire, but when he is not home I do not know if I would go to the trouble of building a real fire.

What would you do?

Can we get rid of these ugly glass doors on our fireplace?

mmf — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 20:42:16 -0800

Fireplace glass doors: Necessary evil or unsightly decorating no-no? We have three brick fireplaces. The house was built in 1968 or so and the folding glass doors on the fireplaces appear to be from the same era. I grew up in a 100+ year old house with no fireplace doors, and the hearths were much more attractive than these. Questions: can we/ should we remove the doors? If we leave the fireplace au naturel will there be freezing cold air flooding into the house? All my searches about his have led to sites talking about REPLACING the doors, but we want to be rid of them. ANy help from people who know more about chimneys, etc. than we do would be most welcome.