Do you have a fireplace?

[Zedtom]

I do, but I never use it. I have a metal bar wedged under the damper to keep winds from opening it as well as squirrels or birds from getting in. I used to light it the first few years that I lived here, but I felt like the air in the house was being sucked out even though it has a glass screen.

The fires in Reno, Nevada made me think about the ashes and their disposal. An elderly man admits that he took some ashes out behind his house on a windy day and they started the fire.

If you have a fireplace- Does the disposal of ashes really have to be done after you extinguish the fire or it burns out? Why is it such a danger if you have a screen or glass door?

 

[Sixguns]

Have one and never use it and plan on removing it this summer to give us some more space in that room.

 

[Doppel]

but I felt like the air in the house was being sucked out even though it has a glass screen.

It was. The fire's combustion needs oxygen and as the heat is moving air up it has to come in from the bottom, although it's still a net-heating of your environment.

And it shouldn't be much of a surprise that ash still smoldering can start a fire. You can have quite a few fires between cleanings, though. It takes many hours to build an appreciable amount of ash necessitating clean up.

Really seems to me that wood burning fireplaces are going away. Only quite expensive homes seem to bother with them anymore. Gas is just tons easier even if not quite as romantic.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I have wood one that was "disabled" and an electric fireplace insert was put in. I'm thinking of eventually upgrading it to gas. I don't really use the electric one, it only puts out like 500 watts. I'll turn it on to get the edge off if I'm about to sit down and watch a movie, but that's about it.

I've thought of going back wood, but it's messy, and not really efficient because you may be heating the immediate area but all the sucking of air for combustion would make all the other rooms cold. Even modern wood stoves work this way. I don't know why they can't have an intake, it would make them more efficient.

 

[BoomerD]

We have a fireplace but rarely ever use it. It's a gawd-damned "heat vacuum," because it sucks the heat from the rest of the house up and out the chimney.
Fireplaces like ours are more decorative than functional. I was going to pipe natural gas to it and put in gas firelogs a few years back, but that was just about the time that the big natural gas price spike hit (Enron causes IIRC) and I decided not to do it. (the area is now all covered with concrete, so it's no longer feasible)

 

[lxskllr]

I have an insert in mine. You can't beat the ambiance of an open hearth, but they suck for heating. I dump the ashes every day, live embers or not. II spread them on the yard. It's not especially dry around here, so the fire hazard is almost non-existent.

 

[nageov3t]

nope.

my parents have one in their house, but growing up, it was never used.

it's only notable because every dog we've ever owned has loved laying in front of it (I'm assuming the glass is a nice cold surface in the summertime)

 

[waggy]

we have a cast iron wood burning stove. its great! we usually use it all winter and it helps offset the cost of heating.

Last winter the door broke and i have had a few people out to try to fix it. nobody has the skill anymore. So i might get a new one this spring when they go on sale.

though trying to decide if i want to get a pellet stove and attach it to the heating ducts. Though a few people say they don't like it and it does not heat the are like the stove i have now.

 

[lxskllr]

though trying to decide if i want to get a pellet stove and attach it to the heating ducts. Though a few people say they don't like it and it does not heat the are like the stove i have now.

I like heat that radiates from a central source. It isn't as efficient, but it's more "cozy". I still have fond memories of my first apt, and its gas fired space heater. I used to sleep on the floor in front of it sometimes, and it was good for drying wet clothes :^)

 

[waggy]

I like heat that radiates from a central source. It isn't as efficient, but it's more "cozy". I still have fond memories of my first apt, and its gas fired space heater. I used to sleep on the floor in front of it sometimes, and it was good for drying wet clothes :^)

lol you should really see how a cast iron wood burning stove is then. it gets the basement hot. in the winter it feels great sitting near it and reading or drinking heh.

wich is why im conflicted. i don't see a pellet stove being the same. but i haven't seen many cast iron stoves around either.

 

[pcgeek11]

All the properly designed fireplaces I've seen have a ash pit in the bottom where the ashes are swept and are held until they are dead under the fireplace. It should have a door outside the house to open and scoop out the dead ash when it is full.

http://www.yeoldechimneycompany.com/cut_away.html

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I have a wood burning fireplace that I use daily. It has a blower on it that will start blowing once the temperature reaches a certain level. I have kept my electric bill very low since I basically heat my house with wood. It is an old masonry fireplace and it's beautiful. I just had the chimney touched up by a mason.

It really has become a pastime for me to collect firewood, split it, then burn it. I especially love using my Stihl. Nothing like firing it up and felling a tree. Love the sound of the tree cracking then the thud once it crashes to the ground.

 

[Zedtom]

I've thought about getting a gas insert but it seems like a home improvement that I don't need. I have upgraded the windows and have plenty of insulation in the attic, so my furnace doesn't seem to run very often since it's usually at 68°.

 

[Leros]

I have a gas fireplace. It doesn't put out much heat which is great since it rarely gets too cold here. I rarely used my old wood fireplace because it generated too much heat.

I just like the ambiance of the flames, so its all good to me.

 

[BornStar]

I have a fire in mine right now at my wife's request. Unfortunately it's the first of the season since it's been so warm this year.

 

[0roo0roo]

i think mythbusters tested it, normal fireplaces are cosmetic, fire for the lulz..special occasions, cuz it sucks air through all the rest of the house and makes it colder in the other rooms.

 

[0roo0roo]

btw this is the replacement now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omDbvPOJgaQ&feature=related

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Its a gas fireplace. Can't roast marshmellows: (

 

[shortylickens]

Yeah. Gas. It leaks. Gives us headaches. We shut off the line.

 

[Stifko]

I have a wood burning insert with a blower (fan) in the fireplace. I try to keep it under 600 degrees and my heating bill has been less than half so far this year. It puts out very dry heat and I have 2 pots of water on top of it to try to help with the lack of moisture. I have bought around 2 cords of wood this winter and will probably need another cord or two. I will buy a chainsaw in the future and get my own wood for next year. A neighbor of mine has a log splitter that he said I could use. I just have to learn what wood is good hardwood for an insert. I should not put pine in it, but oak, maple, locust and ash are all good. I just got the stove and I am still learning about it obviously. It is much more efficient than the fireplace was.

 

[drquest]

We have one but converted it to gas a couple of years ago. Easy to use and warms up the room nicely too.

 

[waggy]

btw this is the replacement now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omDbvPOJgaQ&feature=related

lol my dad has that playing on his tv every christmas. they used to have a fireplace but the new place did not.

 

[rh71]

had one in the old house and never used it in 7 years. New house had one and we just had it removed when we added the 2nd floor. Would've cut through a 2nd floor bedroom anyway. I've heard that it's not a good source of heat and it also creates drafts.

 

[Zedtom]

We have one but converted it to gas a couple of years ago. Easy to use and warms up the room nicely too.

How does the gas usage compare to before you converted? Does your furnace run less? Was is expensive to install and did you do it yourself?

 

[Gooberlx2]

Have a gas fireplace, but I wish it was a proper brick-n-mortar wood burning fireplace. I just miss the smell and, another poster said it best, romance.

I occaisionally think about knocking it out and having a the walls, tiling and venting redone to support something like a wood burning stove....and then I snap back to reality after looking at the cost of doing all that.

The problem with a lot of gas fireplaces, is that they're really for decoration. The insulation, tiling, etc just isn't setup well to really put out a lot of heat in to the room.