Reno suggestions

[Mr. Canoehead]

Hello there,

I have a fireplace in the basement of my 1968 raised bungalow. Inside the firebox is a gas line and burner (see pictures). The firebox has multiple cracks, and when I bought the home I was advised by the home inspector not to use the fireplace until the cracks were fixed. That was more than 10 years ago. Now I am planning a basement reno.

I live in a cold climate (Calgary Alberta) and winter nights of -20C / 0F are common here. The fireplace is a major heatsink in my home, and on cold days it's not uncommon to have frost buildup on the brickwork around the fireplace inside of my home. This is one thing I would like to remedy.

I have thought about putting a gas insert into the space. However this would not solve the heat sink issues of the surrounding brickwork.

Do I knock out the firebox and try to get insulation behind an insert? With proper clearances and materials of course

Any suggestions about where to start with this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[2fireplacesinSC]

are you only interested in gas? not thinking about wood or pellets? Sounds like something to have a local sweep inspect and give you ideas.

 

[Mr. Canoehead]

I have thought about it. A gas insert came to mind because one would run a flue pipe inside of the chimney, so that the cracks in the chimney brickwork wouldn't be an issue. But wood or pellets would be nice too. Either way I'd have a source of heat if the power goes out. I suppose the advantage of a gas insert is that it's easy to light, so it probably would get used more often.