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There has to be a good solution to keeping the fireplace intact with it's original mantel and tiles while preventing air from escaping through it.
They do have product that you stick in top of fireplace and it inflates, don;t know how well it works or durability.
If it were me I put some insulation and some plastic in the top of the fireplace out of view. Put a sealed cap on top of it and you should be good to go. If you ever decide to use it or get it relined there isn't any work to undo what you have done to seal it.
I know wood burning stoves are messier and less efficient than pellet stoves but if you live in a cold weather climate and lose electricity due to an ice storm, it renders the pellet stove useless for lack of electricity while the wood stove keeps working.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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What really odd is in Indiana (maybe other areas) most older homes have chimneys but no fireplace, it went to a coal furnace in the crawl space / basement.
I don't trust the fireplace in my house. When I remodeled, anything I opened up had glaring problems so I expect the same is true with my chimney and fire box. My intention is to install a gas insert rather than a wood stove. It's a small house with excellent insulation and EnergyStar doors & windows so I don't care a whole lot about wood as an inexpensive heat source.
I know wood burning stoves are messier and less efficient than pellet stoves but if you live in a cold weather climate and lose electricity due to an ice storm, it renders the pellet stove useless for lack of electricity while the wood stove keeps working.
Very true. Of course, if you have an electric fan as part of your wood stove/insert, that helps spread the heat easily and with very little cost. But the fan won't work during electrical outages...we have a non electric Ecofan - have you seen those? We aren't sure if it works or is just a cool looking device.
There are really wonderful inserts that go directly into a fireplace, so you have efficient wood burning - they really do heat the house!
Very true. Of course, if you have an electric fan as part of your wood stove/insert, that helps spread the heat easily and with very little cost. But the fan won't work during electrical outages...we have a non electric Ecofan - have you seen those? We aren't sure if it works or is just a cool looking device.
There are really wonderful inserts that go directly into a fireplace, so you have efficient wood burning - they really do heat the house!
That will be what I will probably do if I buy a house with a fireplace that actually works but between fixing an old fireplace and buying an insert, it sounds like it will cost a small fortune.
In most cases, it's probably because the fireplace or chimney was in need of expensive repairs. I've seen this in many homes in New Orleans. How many times a year will you need a fireplace in New Orleans? Probably very few, so it's not worth it to repair the fireplace.
On another note, I find gas logs to be almost as useless as a bricked up fireplace.
I was in Olympia Washington several years back when temps were in the single digits after it rained for 30 days... power was out for a week all over.
Having a wood burning insert in the Living Room and a pedestal stove in the Kitchen Area made things bearable...
Even it you hardly ever use it I would still find having one part of emergency planning.
Also... a masonry chimney that has not been used in a very long time is most likely damp and cold... so draft could be a real problem with the initial season lighting.
The idea is warm air rises and it takes enough warm air to overcome the cold in the chimney....
Coalman... I've seen Victorian homes with an open shallow hearth and a very shallow grate burning coal... all is open and exposed... I have a home that had one but never used it functionally...
You can use a hair dryer to get the draft going better before lighting it....
Heating chimney worked once. Had a nice roaring wood fire that night. Three days later....it didn't work. We didn't always want a roaring fire...sometimes we wanted a small fire....wouldn't draw at all. The chimney was not designed for wood fires.
And those firelogs are gross....when the smoke and smells goes into the house...
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