Hi-
I am a first time fireplace owner, so I apologize if my question is fairly basic and obvious, but I have searched the internet for answers and cannot find anything that addresses exactly my problem.
I have a wood burning fireplace that is located inside my living room den. As far as I can tell, the fireplace is surrounded by interior walls only, not exterior walls. It is NOT a traditional brick fireplace, but rather appears to be an metal chimney (probably aluminum) that is boxed in by ordinary sheetrock. The chimney exhausts through the slate roof immediately above the den. There is a flue at the bottom of the chimney that I can open and close, and there is also a decorative glass door on the fireplace that can be opened and closed.
My problem is this: The fireplace is a source of tremendous cold in the den. The entire area around the fireplace is noticably colder than the rest of the room. The marble stones on the floor and around the fireplace are very cold to the touch (I have taken measurements and they are sometimes as cold as 50 degrees!), and some parts of the sheetrock surroundign the chimney also get very cold.
As a result of all this cold air, I have to spend a fortune heating my den. But I am at a loss to understand where this cold air is coming from, because the damper is closed at all times, and so is the glass door on the fireplace. Why is the flue damper not blocking the cold air? when I put my hand to it, there is NO obvious air or breeze coming through the damper, so where is the cold air coming from?
Is it possible that the fireplace is not adequately insulated? Do interior fireplaces even need insulation? As far as I can tell, none of the walls surrounding the fireplace are exterior walls, so where is the cold air coming from?
I know my question is quite vague, but this is a real problem for us, and on cold winter nights we can no longer enjoy sitting in the den, because it is uncomfortably cold/
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I am a first time fireplace owner, so I apologize if my question is fairly basic and obvious, but I have searched the internet for answers and cannot find anything that addresses exactly my problem.
I have a wood burning fireplace that is located inside my living room den. As far as I can tell, the fireplace is surrounded by interior walls only, not exterior walls. It is NOT a traditional brick fireplace, but rather appears to be an metal chimney (probably aluminum) that is boxed in by ordinary sheetrock. The chimney exhausts through the slate roof immediately above the den. There is a flue at the bottom of the chimney that I can open and close, and there is also a decorative glass door on the fireplace that can be opened and closed.
My problem is this: The fireplace is a source of tremendous cold in the den. The entire area around the fireplace is noticably colder than the rest of the room. The marble stones on the floor and around the fireplace are very cold to the touch (I have taken measurements and they are sometimes as cold as 50 degrees!), and some parts of the sheetrock surroundign the chimney also get very cold.
As a result of all this cold air, I have to spend a fortune heating my den. But I am at a loss to understand where this cold air is coming from, because the damper is closed at all times, and so is the glass door on the fireplace. Why is the flue damper not blocking the cold air? when I put my hand to it, there is NO obvious air or breeze coming through the damper, so where is the cold air coming from?
Is it possible that the fireplace is not adequately insulated? Do interior fireplaces even need insulation? As far as I can tell, none of the walls surrounding the fireplace are exterior walls, so where is the cold air coming from?
I know my question is quite vague, but this is a real problem for us, and on cold winter nights we can no longer enjoy sitting in the den, because it is uncomfortably cold/
Any help would be greatly appreciated!