Enhancing my fireplace

[ReD-BaRoN]

Hey folks,

New member here. My wife and I are looking to make some minor tweaks to our fireplace.
We don't use it as a primary heat source, but we are looking to have it pull less warm air out (my wife claims she feels a draft behind her when the fire is going). We're not interested in replacing with an insert. We realize that a fireplace is not an efficient heat source and in our case it's more for aesthetics.

One of the articles on this site (https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/upgrading_fireplace) suggests a number of options, and I'd like to get some opinions of these.

For active heat exchanges, does anyone have experience with either the Stoll Heat Exchanger and the one on fireplaceraditor.com

http://www.stollfireplace.com/heating/HeatExchanger
http://www.stollfireplace.com/static/files/manuals/Instructions-HeatExchanger.pdf

http://www.fireplaceradiator.com
http://www.fireplaceradiator.com/pages/video

What about combining these active products with passive products like Grate Wall of Fire and a fireback? In theory, I'm guessing you could use all three.

Thanks in advanced for any guidance!

 

[webby3650]

Still makes a nice heat grate and they make what's called the Heat Champion. It's kinda like new doors with a heat exchanger built in.
I relined my firebox with soapstone, it really cranks some heat!

 

[rwhite]

I monkey'ed around with different gadgets and grates for 3 years on my fireplace and IMO you will be disappointed in the end if you expect to heat with a fireplace. Although you can make a decent heater out of a fire place you are doing nothing to prevent heat loss. There are insert doors that kinda make your fireplace into an insert but they are expensive and in the end you end up with a sub-par heater that looks like an insert (might as well have an insert IMO). There are different grates and blowers you can play with but they all require you to leave the doors open during a burn which ends up sucking more air out of your house while burning than you are probably creating. I had one of those header looking grates with a blower. It did blow out heat for sure but I was just blowing the heat out that I had just robbed from the room anyway. I would have been better off to seal the doors and just leave the heat in the house. Don't get me wrong here as I totally get why people like fireplaces (I loved the asthetics of mine) but it was not a heater other than standing next to it to get warm. So I suggest that if you like to have a fire a few times a week and stare at the flames then just leave it as is and don't waste your money. If you want a heater spend the money on an proper stove.

 

[tcassavaugh]

webby, nice fireplace! almost too nice to burn wood in. how hard is it to get it clean again after a burn.

 

[webby3650]

webby, nice fireplace! almost too nice to burn wood in. how hard is it to get it clean again after a burn.

It's not, it cleans up real nice with a hot fire!

 

[webby3650]

I monkey'ed around with different gadgets and grates for 3 years on my fireplace and IMO you will be disappointed in the end if you expect to heat with a fireplace. Although you can make a decent heater out of a fire place you are doing nothing to prevent heat loss. There are insert doors that kinda make your fireplace into an insert but they are expensive and in the end you end up with a sub-par heater that looks like an insert (might as well have an insert IMO). There are different grates and blowers you can play with but they all require you to leave the doors open during a burn which ends up sucking more air out of your house while burning than you are probably creating. I had one of those header looking grates with a blower. It did blow out heat for sure but I was just blowing the heat out that I had just robbed from the room anyway. I would have been better off to seal the doors and just leave the heat in the house. Don't get me wrong here as I totally get why people like fireplaces (I loved the asthetics of mine) but it was not a heater other than standing next to it to get warm. So I suggest that if you like to have a fire a few times a week and stare at the flames then just leave it as is and don't waste your money. If you want a heater spend the money on an proper stove.

There are some doors that can be closed while burning, even with a heat grate. It must have ceramic glass, not tempered. It's very common.

 

[xtrordinair]

i got a friend of mine one of the stoll heat exchangers ,he claims it heats a good portion of his house, but that it does not have very good burn times is its main downfall.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

There are insert doors that kinda make your fireplace into an insert but they are expensive and in the end you end up with a sub-par heater that looks like an insert (might as well have an insert IMO).

I've never heard of these. Do you have a link? Are they more than just glass doors?

 

[webby3650]

Here is one from Stoll that we did. It actually makes a respectable amount of heat! They are expensive, and aren't as good as an insert. ?

 

[ReD-BaRoN]

Here is one from Stoll that we did. It actually makes a respectable amount of heat! They are expensive, and aren't as good as an insert. ?

Yeah, that's the Stoll Heat Champion. That's more of a renovation than I'm looking to do.

I've essentially narrowed it down to either the Stoll Grate Heaters of the Mr. Flame Fireplace Radiator, which both allow you to use the existing doors. Still doing research between these two systems. They both essentially work the same way, but the Mr. Flame looks like it has a fireback

 

[webby3650]

Yeah, that's the Stoll Heat Champion. That's more of a renovation than I'm looking to do.

I've essentially narrowed it down to either the Stoll Grate Heaters of the Mr. Flame Fireplace Radiator, which both allow you to use the existing doors. Still doing research between these two systems. They both essentially work the same way, but the Mr. Flame looks like it has a fireback

But unless you have doors with cerimac glass, it will need to be used with the doors open. Often this is an issue because the blower pulls smoke into the room.

 

[ReD-BaRoN]

But unless you have doors with cerimac glass, it will need to be used with the doors open. Often this is an issue because the blower pulls smoke into the room.

I see. The doors I have are from the previous owners, and I don't know whether they are ceramic or not, is there any way to tell?

 

[webby3650]

I see. The doors I have are from the previous owners, and I don't know whether they are ceramic or not, is there any way to tell?

If they are traditional bi-fold doors then its highly unlikely. Most ceramic glass doors are double, swinging doors like the heat champion.

 

[rwhite]

If they are traditional bi-fold doors then its highly unlikely. Most ceramic glass doors are double, swinging doors like the heat champion.

I have heard of one other brand besides Stoll that make fireplace doors that can be burnt closed. Other than that everything I know of has to be burned with doors open.