insulating existing prefab fireplace?

[supturb89]

Hello everyone,

Moved into this house a year ago. House was built in 2008 and has a prefab fireplace (Heatilator) in the living room. Now that it is cold outside when you walk up to the thing within 5 or six feet the floor is freezing cold. Is it possible to pull the fireplace and insulate around it? Has anyone done this and what are the steps involved? Thanks.

 

[DAKSY]

Hello everyone,

Moved into this house a year ago. House was built in 2008 and has a prefab fireplace (Heatilator) in the living room. Now that it is cold outside when you walk up to the thing within 5 or six feet the floor is freezing cold. Is it possible to pull the fireplace and insulate around it? Has anyone done this and what are the steps involved? Thanks.

If it's located in a bumped out chase or "doghouse, the easest way to insulate might be from the outside...Before you do that tho, take a look underneath the unit & see how many holes are coming thru the side of the box into the valve cavity. Household wiring, thermostat wiring & gas line all have to get in there somehow. You can eliminate SOME of the cold air for this winter by using aluminum tape on the smaller holes & by stuffing unfaced insulation into the larger ones...Once the weather breaks, like next Spring or Summer, you can remove the siding & sheathing & insulate the crap out of the wall. Also build a deck above the box & insulate that. I can can get more descriptive in the future if you need it, but try the quick fixes I cited first...

 

[supturb89]

DAKSY,

Yes it is in a doghouse. I will try the quick fixes for now as there are some holes in the valve cavity that I can definitely feel air coming through. This spring I may try to tackle the job of insulating it further, however I would like to install a wood burning insert in the future. I know that would require quite a bit of modification to my current setup, the most being extending my doghouse up past the roof-line. Thanks for the reply.

Aaron