Starting to think open face fireplaces ARE USELESS

I am really starting to think open face fireplaces are the biggest waste of money. I had thought for years since I was new that my open face fireplace wasn't putting out heat because of the wood not being dry and all.....I have seasoned my wood for years now and i still feel it puts out no heat like wood stoves do. Its good oak/maple cherry wood to

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My experience with open fireplaces is that the heat mostly goes straight up the chimney. Way more points for atmosphere than for heat.

 

I tried to get ours to heat the living room when we first moved in. Even bought special grates and everything. It was worthless. You could feel air being sucked into the fireplace and the rest of the house would cool off. They just aren't efficient.

We haven't used the fireplace in two years. In fact, it still has wood prepped and ready to go in it from a mood setting fire that we didn't burn.

 

Ya I grew up loving the feel of my open face fireplace but now that I'm knowledged and older I realize they are hands down 0% efficient compared to wood stoves


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And don't but the Grate Wall of Fire. Waste of money. And a heavy iron plate to "deflect and absorb the heat". Also a waste.

Gratewalloffire.com | High Efficiency Fireplace grates

 

You have a keen eye for the obvious!!!! Most folks never figure it out!!!

My 1.8cu.ft. stove heats my house (1100sq.ft.) in all but the bitterest below 0 weather.

Get a wood stove or an insert. Wood stove would be better.

 

Yep, pretty much! Heat goes right up the pipe and unless you can close the damper at night so does any heat from your furnace. The best thing about a fireplace is you can install an efficient insert in them!

 

Ambiance!!!

- I feel your pain....

 

Oh yeah, parents had a fireplace like that when we were kids. Toasty warm.
Heated a beach cottage the same way for two Winters. First Winter with busted up skids. Trunks full of boards. Trunk was a yuge 1976 Dodge Royal Monaco though.

 

Agree with your assessment. Fireplace insert or wood stove...they rock!

 

Toasty warm tonight!

 

Wow Brett that window is biggest I've ever seen what brand stove is that

 

Time to look for a black friday stove or an insert sale

 

Woodstock is having a Black Friday sale at the moment.

 

We had an open fireplace growing up. It was really good for getting rid of all the wrapping paper christmas morning, but that is about it.

 

Had a fireplace growing up and used it to heat the house. Explains why the house was always cold from 10 ft out. We had something called a heat-a-lator(sp?) Two vents sucked in cool air from the floor. Air was brought up by the fireplace, warmed up, and shot out two vents up top. Air was warm. I believed back then it worked.

 

Winner winner chicken dinner!

 

An open fireplace actually results in negative efficiency. They use air in the house(assumed to be heated) for combustion, then sends all of the combustion heat along with the allready heated air for combustion up the chimney. Very little radiant heat makes it back into the house resultin in a net loss.

The only gain is the light show... Get an insert. Enviro makes some really nice inserts that REALLY put out some BTUs