Cheap Ways To Make Fireplace More Efficient

The blower pushes heated air out into the room versus letting most of it go up the chimney.

Cheap ways to make fireplace more efficient.

There are two main strategies for improving fireplace efficiency. Since tearing it out can be both messy and costly many homeowners opt for a more cost efficient alternative. Gas fireplaces and fireplace inserts allow less air to be lost outside of the house and are made to operate more simply and cleanly than wood fireplaces. The most efficient but expensive fix is to install an insert into your fireplace essentially turning it into a miniature wood stove.

Chimney cap dampers close the entire top of the chimney so they reduce heat loss when the fireplace is not being used but don t improve efficiency otherwise. Gas burning fireplaces if you re tired of shoveling ashes and hauling wood a gas burning fireplace insert is a more efficient option that also saves space. It s a lot easier than you might think to have an efficient gas fireplace insert installed. The air absorbs the heat and returns it to the room.

This process focuses on updating just the surface of the fireplace. Some fireplaces include a built in heat exchanger channels where room air can circulate around the hot parts of the structure either through natural air flow or forced by a fan. 160 to 400 for a. But if the heat produced by the fireplace is the whole point converting with a gas insert is a good way to keep money from going up the chimney and make your fireplace more efficient.

Blowers can be added to most fireplaces to improve overall efficiency and supplement your home s heating system. Oak for example burns hot and slowly which will reduce smoke and ash as well as the amount of residue that will build up on the inside of the chimney. Most fireplaces convert only 15 of wood s energy into useful heat but inserts can increase the efficiency of a fireplace by a factor of five. Its purpose is to protect the back wall from fire damage and usually features a design that adds to the home s décor.

For more information on these techniques and more including. Install a fireback a cast iron plate that is placed at the back of your fireplace. The first is to use convection as well as radiation to capture some of the heat from the fire. Use aluminum foil to make your fireplace more efficient fireplaces are wonderfully cozy to sit around in the colder parts of the year but they re really not that great for heating your home.

They also generate significantly greater levels of radiant heat.