Quote:
Originally Posted by Comanche
I have always owned a FP my entire life and would not have a house without one. That said, I am NOT an "expert" FP technician . My following advice is provided with that disclosure in case your house burns down. Please contact a professional prior to making changes.
1. You are so lucky to have a fireplace/chimney! Some people would kill to have one!
2. You mentioned that the temp at the BASE of the FP is 54 degrees. If the problem was simply "radiant", coming through the brick chimney, it should be cold up higher as well as below. Most FPs have a metal box and possibly a metal flue liner that should also provide more insulation separation from the outside bricks. Some FPs have "fire brick" in the box that are more dense than other brick.
3. You said that the problem was better when your entertainment center was blocking the FP. That also seems to indicate that the problem is with the FP opening itself and NOT "radiant" cold from the outside bricks. Have you checked to see if you have a FP damper? This helps to close off the chimney opening going through the roof. You mentioned that the FP had been converted to gas, perhaps they removed the damper when the conversion took place?
4. A leaky or missing fireplace damper can cost as much as several hundred dollars of heat loss right up your chimney. Also, the damper can be manually opened and closed depending upon your needs at any given time.
5. If your entertainment center helped insulate the area, why don't you purchase a glass FP cover for the opening? Some of them are very attractive, have doors that open/close, and can serve the same purpose the entertainment center provided. You can even buy one that has very dark, smoky glass that hides anything behind it (except the fire light). Lose the plywood cover.
6. If it has been converted to gas already, why aren't you using it? Gas fake log fire inserts don't cost very much depending on the quality and they are very nice in the winter. They also provide a nice ambiance during other parts of the year. Alternatively, perhaps you could go back with using wood. Cleaning the ash isn't such a big problem as some have said.
7. I have always owed a wood burning fireplace and I have never experienced the issues you have described.
7. Gas or wood, install a carbon monoxide and smoke detector.
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Long post. Short answers.
It wasn't converted. It was gas and wood from day one when the house was built based on house plans.
It has a damper but didn't stop cold air in the winter. That's why I put up the plywood. Only way to stop it.
I posted pictures earlier in the thread so you can see the current setup.
It also had glass doors that did nothing to stop the cold either. The other reason I opted for the plywood.
Now it's exposed so I need to do something to solve all the issues. I'm never going to burn wood so gas or electric are my only options.