I have been doing lots of research and found lots of similar topics, but thought I would also ask about my specific topic.
I have a house built in the 1980's that has a Heatform box for the main fireplace. The previous owner had already decommissioned the fan system and covered up the inlet/outlet openings in the masonry face of the fireplace. Our home renovation involved refacing the chimney inside the house. After a full season of using the fireplace last winter, it was obvious that the hollow shell of the Heatform prevents much heat from coming into the living room. I know that fireplaces are not efficient for home heating, but having grown up in houses with wood burning fireplaces, I know that it can still get quite warm in the area near the fireplace and warm that room up. For my current home, there is very little heat coming off the fireplace. I feel that without a solid masonry firebox, there is nothing to absorb and radiate the heat out into the room.
My eventual plan is to cut out the inside wall of the Heatform box and have a mason rebuild the firebox with firebrick masonry. Not sure how he would tie the new brick into the upper portion of the metal firebox. From what I read, the chimney should not be supported by the Heatform, but I have not confirmed this. I initially thought that maybe the inner metal wall could have holes drilled up high, and then fill the cavity with some kind of grout/mortar, but no one seems to have tried this before, so I don't know if it creates other problems.
Does anyone have experience in doing a conversion like this to a Heatform fireplace?
I have a house built in the 1980's that has a Heatform box for the main fireplace. The previous owner had already decommissioned the fan system and covered up the inlet/outlet openings in the masonry face of the fireplace. Our home renovation involved refacing the chimney inside the house. After a full season of using the fireplace last winter, it was obvious that the hollow shell of the Heatform prevents much heat from coming into the living room. I know that fireplaces are not efficient for home heating, but having grown up in houses with wood burning fireplaces, I know that it can still get quite warm in the area near the fireplace and warm that room up. For my current home, there is very little heat coming off the fireplace. I feel that without a solid masonry firebox, there is nothing to absorb and radiate the heat out into the room.
My eventual plan is to cut out the inside wall of the Heatform box and have a mason rebuild the firebox with firebrick masonry. Not sure how he would tie the new brick into the upper portion of the metal firebox. From what I read, the chimney should not be supported by the Heatform, but I have not confirmed this. I initially thought that maybe the inner metal wall could have holes drilled up high, and then fill the cavity with some kind of grout/mortar, but no one seems to have tried this before, so I don't know if it creates other problems.
Does anyone have experience in doing a conversion like this to a Heatform fireplace?
