Glass doors for old fireplace?

[jim_arnau]

I have an old masonry hearth with what was identified to me as a heatilator fireplace surround. Basically, I have steel lining the inside of the fireplace and a couple of vents above and below the mantle to let the heat out. See the attached picture for details.

I like the open fireplace and I have oil heat that I use as my primary heat source. The fireplace had a damper integrated into this heatilator setup years ago, but it rusted out and disintegrated and I've been told I can't get another one. As you can see in the picture, I have the fireplace opening blocked with a piece of foam insulation when it's not in use. I would like something more attractive. Can anyone recommend some sealed glass doors that I could use in this application?

I know the fireplace insert would be the most energy efficient option for me. I may go with a flush mounted unit down a couple years down the road, but for now I would just like to stop the hot air from being sucked out of my house when I'm not using the fireplace.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Shane]

Check out Thermo-rite or Portland Willamette. I would HIGHLY recommend a top sealing damper. It's a damper that mounts to the top of you flue tile (broken link removed to http://www.northlineexpress.com/category/top-sealing-dampers.asp) it will save alot of heat.

 

[Hogwildz]

No offense, but every time you burn that fireplace, your doing exactly that, sucking the house heat up & out the chimney.
For what radiant heat your getting off the front of it, your losing 2x as much up & out.

 

[jim_arnau]

Check out Thermo-rite or Portland Willamette. I would HIGHLY recommend a top sealing damper. It's a damper that mounts to the top of you flue tile (broken link removed to http://www.northlineexpress.com/category/top-sealing-dampers.asp) it will save alot of heat.

So, could I put one of these top sealing dampers on and leave the fireplace open? No glass doors needed?

 

[jim_arnau]

No offense, but every time you burn that fireplace, your doing exactly that, sucking the house heat up & out the chimney.
For what radiant heat your getting off the front of it, your losing 2x as much up & out.

Is this completely unavoidable with an open hearth? If so, why would anyone ever build an open hearth?

 

[Hogwildz]

No offense, but every time you burn that fireplace, your doing exactly that, sucking the house heat up & out the chimney.
For what radiant heat your getting off the front of it, your losing 2x as much up & out.

Is this completely unavoidable with an open hearth? If so, why would anyone ever build an open hearth?

You might help with the glass doors on the front. But they won't, shouldn't, can't be air tight. The fireplace is not designed to be air starved.
Fireplaces at one time were a sole source of heat. There was no inserts back then. Now they are more for aesthetics and short range heat.
That old heatilator you have is the exact same thing I have, cept I tossed an insert in mine. They served their purpose back in the day. Keep in mind before there were stoves & inserts, fireplaces were it. Back then it did its job. Its not so much how inefficient they are, its how much more efficient a new stove or insert is. New technology.
Not to mention most the new homes today come with builder's specials as fireplaces. Which they charge a few grand for, and it costs them lil cash.
And back when, you didn't have heat from a furnace to worry about wasting up the chimney.
Most folks that get their first home with a fireplace in mind, whether new or old house, just have a picture in their head of a toasty fire, romance etc.
I was the same way. Then I decided to research. And found just how wasteful and heat robbing a regular open fireplace is. I then learned of folks heating all , most or some of thier homes with newer more efficient stoves & inserts. Thats when I made the switch. I am literally heating a 2400 sf home with my insert. Cost of wood for me this year. $300.00, Cost of 1 tank of oil which will last what ? a month, month & a 1/2? $600.00+ per each fill. Now think of it this way, Your heating with oil, NG, propane what have you. Its running, and your burning in the fireplace. Now your spending cash on firewood & heating fuel and both going up & out the chimney. Your almost better off to just run the furnace and keep the fireplace blocked up. If you want the ambiance, I am not meaning to rain on your parade. So be it and enjoy. But you are not going to heat much more than possibly the room its in if that. And no way can you heat 24/7 with an open fireplace. Ambiance is cool, but don't expect supplemental heating. And possibly the furnace running more due to the heat from the rest of the house drafting up the chimney.
Not what you want to hear, but its how it is.

 

[builderbob]

Check out Thermo-rite or Portland Willamette. I would HIGHLY recommend a top sealing damper. It's a damper that mounts to the top of you flue tile (broken link removed to http://www.northlineexpress.com/category/top-sealing-dampers.asp) it will save alot of heat.

So, could I put one of these top sealing dampers on and leave the fireplace open? No glass doors needed?

You can for the times when you are NOT burning a fire. Keeps you house heat from escaping out the top of the chimney. Glass doors or the fluetop damper, either would attempt to address that problem when NOT burning.

Of course when you DO burn a fire, you have to open the damper (the ones on flue top open via a chain down the flue), then there goes your fire heat plust your house heat out the flue top.

These days, high efficiency inserts with airtight glass doors, into exisiting masonry fireplaces, let you actually provide some heat into the home, keep exisiting house heat from going up the chimney, and let you enjoy the ambiance of the view of the fire.

The inserts will not give you the large open fire view of traditional fireplaces, but they will give you a view--toasty at that.

 

[JimWalshin845]

I don't know who told you 'you can't get another' damper for your setup, but I would call a local mason or pay a visit to a metal service supply company, you would be surprised what you "CAN'T DO"! :coolsmirk:

Welcome aboard,
Jim & Kathy

 

[Todd]

Yah, a top sealing damper will work, mine does. And you could purchase some cheap glass doors at Home Depot or Lowes. I've seen them for about $200. There are air tight doors, but they are very expensive, over $1k. And they aren't 100% airtight.