Is there anything i can do with my fireplace to make it more efficient?

[bfunk13]

I would guess a small insert would solve the problem and cost about as much or less than tearing out the fireplace.
Also in my opinion, its either a fireplace or an entertainment center, not both.
My 2 cents.

 

[begreen]

The 19" height is the gating factor. It restricts choices almost down to zero. The alternative is to put a qualified stove on the hearth and install a hearth extension in/on the floor in front of the stove.

 

[humpin iron]

I've installed over 1000 Majestic FP, you DO NOT have a class "A" chimney in there. An insert would be very difficult to install, very limited choice and only the smallest of units would fit and be a super pain to install. If other things were compromised in finishing the house, do you want to guess if clearances were obeyed? Save your pennies, limp through this season and next summer look into pulling that unit (and chimney) and putting in a far better heating FP, Quad 7100 is a good choice. Also DO NOT remove the grate, this will cause too much heat in the floor area of the unit. These are bottom line fireplaces, not heaters

 

[jcims]

I've installed over 1000 Majestic FP, you DO NOT have a class "A" chimney in there. An insert would be very difficult to install, very limited choice and only the smallest of units would fit and be a super pain to install. If other things were compromised in finishing the house, do you want to guess if clearances were obeyed? Save your pennies, limp through this season and next summer look into pulling that unit (and chimney) and putting in a far better heating FP, Quad 7100 is a good choice. Also DO NOT remove the grate, this will cause too much heat in the floor area of the unit. These are bottom line fireplaces, not heaters

Thanks for the input everybody. At this point the money is going to go into a quality stove for the basement and we'll rip this thing out after the deck, patio, barn, and pond are done...by then maybe we'll have nuclear fusion logs or something.