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We bought this house three years ago and I love this real stone fireplace and chimney. The only thing I hate is this ugly, old heatolator vent stuck right in the middle. It doesn’t work anymore and the only way to get rid of it is to bring in a stone mason and redo the whole thing.
Which I have no heart for and my husband even less.
So I’m looking for an idea to cover it which may look even worse in the long run but just thinking about it.
This room is the dining room and used everyday. No formal DR in the house. (Thank God)
The decor is a bit of a homage to our New England roots so I’d thought about maybe a primitive painting on a panel but I think it will take away from the real painting over the mantel and just look too busy.
Some heat does come out of that vent so I need to be careful but it’s now a gas log fireplace so not as hot as a wood fire would be.
It's probably a passive radiant type system. No fan but probably a heat chamber behind the firebox. As the air in the chamber heats up it rises and comes out the vent. I have something similar with our fireplace.
Are there openings somewhere towards the bottom of the fireplace, maybe either or both sides of it.
It's probably a passive radiant type system. No fan but probably a heat chamber behind the firebox. As the air in the chamber heats up it rises and comes out the vent. I have something similar with our fireplace.
Are there openings somewhere towards the bottom of the fireplace, maybe either or both sides of it.
It is most likely a passive type vent- however, you probably shouldn't cover it with combustibles. Which would leave with adding stone. Or, fill the hole with some other type of non-combustible, then cover that with what would amount to an "apron". Add some corbels to it and you'll have a pretty nice looking fireplace that has some visual interest.
It's probably a passive radiant type system. No fan but probably a heat chamber behind the firebox. As the air in the chamber heats up it rises and comes out the vent. I have something similar with our fireplace.
Are there openings somewhere towards the bottom of the fireplace, maybe either or both sides of it.
Yes, there are. And a switch. The fireplace guy said it was some kind of thing popular in this area in the. 80’s like a heatolator and the switch powered a fan that threw the heat out. Which no longer works.
The vent doesn’t seem to throw out much heat at all without the fan.
I know it was a custom home built by the builder for her own family back in 87. I’d love to track her down and ask a few questions.
Yes, there are. And a switch. The fireplace guy said it was some kind of thing popular in this area in the. 80’s like a heatolator and the switch powered a fan that threw the heat out. Which no longer works.
The vent doesn’t seem to throw out much heat at all without the fan.
I know it was a custom home built by the builder for her own family back in 87. I’d love to track her down and ask a few questions.
OK. Even with a nonoperating fan it will function as a passive system. It won't have the force of airflow a fan powered system would. Ours will move the mantle sash when it gets going and you can see the waves of heat rising.
Put a longer mantel up instead of the afterthought that is there, and as another poster mentioned, have an apron hanging down enough to cover. I'd consult a fireplace guy to know how best to block the vent. Repaint because it looks dirty, to blend with the stonework. I'd keep the new mantel simple.
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