Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We have a fireplace that we never use. I dislike fireplaces so much that one would be a deal-breaker on any future house we might buy. Which is funny, because I loved the idea of a fireplace when we bought the place.
We used it a few times when we first moved in. Even had the obligatory house-filled-with-smoke-because-I-forgot-to-open-the-damper experience. (Fun!!! Not.) Had to have it relined (relined with stainless steel) and also had to have the chimney rebuilt. Not cheap, but I don't remember the exact cost. At least the cap keeps the critters out now. We had bees in our living room during our first spring in the house. They had nested in the chimney.
Next-door neighbors had a chimney fire a few years ago. Having survived a fire ourselves (electrical), the experience of seeing their house in flames was enough to insure that we never even contemplate using the fireplace again.
We keep our fireplace covered with a glass and metal set of doors that fit inside the opening nicely. At least that minimizes the heat loss.
This is what we did with ours. We cleaned the inside of the fireplace and then used a rag and paint to get sort of a weathered look on the inside bricks and painted the floor of the fireplace black.
The stove was designed to be free-standing with a flue on top, and when we installed it we used sheet metal to seal off the chimney except for a hole for the flue, which extends up a few feet.
This is a modern stove so it has a reburner which completely burns the wood. There is nothing left but fine ash. Many times we burn a Firelog, which gives enough heat (and silence) for an evening of watching television. If I load it completely it will heat our 2000 square foot home almost all night.
We could just have easily used the gas model.
The fan control can be seen on the lower right, and that white mass is actually the reflection of Morgan, our dog.
It has been installed for about 8 years. We look forward to those cold rainy nights.....
We have a fireplace that we never use. I dislike fireplaces so much that one would be a deal-breaker on any future house we might buy. Which is funny, because I loved the idea of a fireplace when we bought the place.
We used it a few times when we first moved in. Even had the obligatory house-filled-with-smoke-because-I-forgot-to-open-the-damper experience. (Fun!!! Not.) Had to have it relined (relined with stainless steel) and also had to have the chimney rebuilt. Not cheap, but I don't remember the exact cost. At least the cap keeps the critters out now. We had bees in our living room during our first spring in the house. They had nested in the chimney.
Next-door neighbors had a chimney fire a few years ago. Having survived a fire ourselves (electrical), the experience of seeing their house in flames was enough to insure that we never even contemplate using the fireplace again.
We keep our fireplace covered with a glass and metal set of doors that fit inside the opening nicely. At least that minimizes the heat loss.
A pretty thing to do is to have pillar candles (electronic ones) set up and lit at night in the fireplace. Some of them are remote operated...
I have cats, and cats are too curious for real flames. Smelled burnt whiskers a few times. Not fun. And if you use the electronic candles you can also shove a piece of insulation up the chimney area to make it tighter. I like the cuttable Styrofoam kind.
I could certainly see making them as efficient as possible even if you don't use them so you don't lose heat. I guess I just hate the thought of a beautiful old fireplace which is often the focal point of a room, sealed off with bricks. 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. If they could send people to the moon in the late 1960s, they should be able to figure that out in 2016.
I love my gas fireplace. When it's cool enough in the winter, I put it on every night. I have those brass-trimmed glass doors when it's not lit to seal the opening. they work just fine.
You can't burn coal in a typical fireplace. Ideally something that burns coal is closed system like a stove and is going to have deep firebox with all the air from underneath. If you are not in the northeast they may be made for burning soft coal which can burn more easily
Do you mind posting your general location and some pictures?
Truthfully you will probably get more efficiency out of a wood pot belly type stove
Any stove is more efficient because you have more control over the air flow. I don't see many fireplces like ours, see the grates on either side? There is lot of heat that comes out of top grate, no fan required. That grate will get hot enough it's uncomfortable to touch.
Pics are from when we bought it, wallpaper and carpet was first thing to go....literally got the keys and tore it out.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In the first pic it's sleeping on top of the coal in the hopper. 
