I have a seven year old home that came with a Heat-n-Glo electric fireplace installed on an exterior wall of the living room. Looking at the installation instructions, it seems to plug in to an outlet behind the unit. It features a marble tile surround. Outside, there is a chimney-looking structure that is raised off the ground by a foot or so. The house is built on an insulated crawl space.
Problem: Cold air streams from the bottom vents of the firelplace when it is not in use. When the outside temp dips below freezing, I register temperatures 10 to 15 degrees colder than the ambient room temp. And that is with a down blanket hung by a tension rod in front of the unit and pillows covering the marble hearth.
I had my builder add granite countertops to my kitchen a couple of years ago and mentioned the problem. They took the metal frame off the front and added a little more insulation, but to no real avail.
Is this normal? Am I going to have to pull the unit and add insulation? Is that safe? The bottom of the exterior is finished. I am a single mom with some basic home improvement skills. Any advice would be appreciated.
Problem: Cold air streams from the bottom vents of the firelplace when it is not in use. When the outside temp dips below freezing, I register temperatures 10 to 15 degrees colder than the ambient room temp. And that is with a down blanket hung by a tension rod in front of the unit and pillows covering the marble hearth.
I had my builder add granite countertops to my kitchen a couple of years ago and mentioned the problem. They took the metal frame off the front and added a little more insulation, but to no real avail.
Is this normal? Am I going to have to pull the unit and add insulation? Is that safe? The bottom of the exterior is finished. I am a single mom with some basic home improvement skills. Any advice would be appreciated.
