Increasing heat capture efficiency in a gas fireplace.

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DMS50

New Member
Jan 25, 2024
2
San Diego
We purchased a house in San Diego built in 2005 that has a gas log fireplace with glass doors, combustion air inlet from outside, and flue to exhaust combustion products. It is hard to see the heat disappear up the flue just for the esthetic of a fire behind glass, so I am wondering if there is a way to capture more of the heat without replacing the entire unit.
 
Please post the manufacturer & model numbers of what you have. If you could also take some pix and post them, that would help, too.
 
Hearth and Home Model Nr. G19 A42R Please see pictures.

IMG_3584.jpg IMG_3586.jpg IMG_3585.jpg
 
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot you can do with that system, heat wise. It’s an inefficient Zero Clearance wood burning fire place, with tempered glass doors, with a decorative gas log set installed. The efficiency of a wood burning fire place is about -10%, due to the size of the venting & the fact that air which you have already paid to heat flows out. To make matters worse, you HAVE to burn the gas log with the glass doors open for safety reasons. The only way to get gas heat from what you have, is to pull the log set & have an insert installed.