Solution for my Fireplace--heating

[Krackle]

Hi folks, glad I found this place. 1st post here..

I have a Fireplace that is two sided..one side opens to the kitchen and one side opens to the living room.

But..We glassed over the kitchen side because we were having smoke bleed issues..the firebox is fairly large..so is the entry to the flu..whatever you call that..sort of like plunum in the HVAC world..but not. the glass solved this problem nicely..so we see the fire, at least..comfortable feeling.

The dimensions of this fireplace are:

Opening (s) kitchen and Living room = 30" high X 30" wide

Depth of the box from opening to opening = 36"

The Chimney is a pretty large, round, heavy gauge steel Duct/tube approx 15" in diameter and it spreads out a bit to for the opening of the flu. This Chimney pipe exits the building horizontally and then turns vertically and goes up 3 short stories, well above the roof line (10 feet or so)

Again..the kitchen opening is glassed off

We're looking for something to make this fireplace more efficient as a heat source.

An insert would be ideal but Im feeling, as I search, that nobody has created a product that will do this nicely..Maybe in the custom world it exists? This would be an option depending on price.

I can envision a custom insert that has glass doors on both sides etc..Im sure we'd lose some efficiency from the loss of the heat exchangers in the rear of the box..anyhow..Im only visualizing this and I don't really know what I'm talking about in the first place..keep that in mind : )

We're hoping for something that will preserve the ambience of the two sided fireplace thing..and give us some decent heat as we burn..

Something that's not a total "kludge"..meaning a clumsy solution that looks horrible.

Thanks in advance..hoping for some brilliant ideas.

: )

Pete

 

[Spletz]

Hi folks, glad I found this place. 1st post here..

I have a Fireplace that is two sided..one side opens to the kitchen and one side opens to the living room.

But..We glassed over the kitchen side because we were having smoke bleed issues..the firebox is fairly large..so is the entry to the flu..whatever you call that..sort of like plunum in the HVAC world..but not. the glass solved this problem nicely..so we see the fire, at least..comfortable feeling.

The dimensions of this fireplace are:

Opening (s) kitchen and Living room = 30" high X 30" wide

Depth of the box from opening to opening = 36"

The Chimney is a pretty large, round, heavy gauge steel Duct/tube approx 15" in diameter and it spreads out a bit to for the opening of the flu. This Chimney pipe exits the building horizontally and then turns vertically and goes up 3 short stories, well above the roof line (10 feet or so)

Again..the kitchen opening is glassed off

We're looking for something to make this fireplace more efficient as a heat source.

An insert would be ideal but Im feeling, as I search, that nobody has created a product that will do this nicely..Maybe in the custom world it exists? This would be an option depending on price.

I can envision a custom insert that has glass doors on both sides etc..Im sure we'd lose some efficiency from the loss of the heat exchangers in the rear of the box..anyhow..Im only visualizing this and I don't really know what I'm talking about in the first place..keep that in mind : )

We're hoping for something that will preserve the ambience of the two sided fireplace thing..and give us some decent heat as we burn..

Something that's not a total "kludge"..meaning a clumsy solution that looks horrible.

Thanks in advance..hoping for some brilliant ideas.

: )

Pete

Hi folks, glad I found this place. 1st post here..

I have a Fireplace that is two sided..one side opens to the kitchen and one side opens to the living room.

But..We glassed over the kitchen side because we were having smoke bleed issues..the firebox is fairly large..so is the entry to the flu..whatever you call that..sort of like plunum in the HVAC world..but not. the glass solved this problem nicely..so we see the fire, at least..comfortable feeling.

The dimensions of this fireplace are:

Opening (s) kitchen and Living room = 30" high X 30" wide

Depth of the box from opening to opening = 36"

The Chimney is a pretty large, round, heavy gauge steel Duct/tube approx 15" in diameter and it spreads out a bit to for the opening of the flu. This Chimney pipe exits the building horizontally and then turns vertically and goes up 3 short stories, well above the roof line (10 feet or so)

Again..the kitchen opening is glassed off

We're looking for something to make this fireplace more efficient as a heat source.

An insert would be ideal but Im feeling, as I search, that nobody has created a product that will do this nicely..Maybe in the custom world it exists? This would be an option depending on price.

I can envision a custom insert that has glass doors on both sides etc..Im sure we'd lose some efficiency from the loss of the heat exchangers in the rear of the box..anyhow..Im only visualizing this and I don't really know what I'm talking about in the first place..keep that in mind : )

We're hoping for something that will preserve the ambience of the two sided fireplace thing..and give us some decent heat as we burn..

Something that's not a total "kludge"..meaning a clumsy solution that looks horrible.

Thanks in advance..hoping for some brilliant ideas.

: )

Pete

krackle,

Welcome. Also new here, but we share the same geography. I'm in Kzoo. Have you contacted Sacketts in Kalamazoo? They may well have good ideas for your dilemma. Three generations of Sacketts have been very good in our area.

 

[Spletz]

krackle,

Welcome. Also new here, but we share the same geography. I'm in Kzoo. Have you contacted Sacketts in Kalamazoo? They may well have good ideas for your dilemma. Three generations of Sacketts have been very good in our area.

That's Sacketts Fireplace in Kalamazoo.

 

[bholler]

what kind of fireplace is it? It sounds like a prefab which could possibly take the insert idea totally off the table

 

[Grisu]

Welcome to the forum!

I am not aware of any EPA-approved fireplace inserts that are double sided. And if your fireplace is indeed a prefab/zero clearance unit that may make such a solution even more difficult. If you want to keep the double-sided look and have an efficient heater you could take a look at the Supreme Opus and Duet: http://supremem.com/duet.php However, for those you need to tear out your current fireplace including the chimney pipe and install one of the Supreme's units in its place. That may cost more than you were anticipating. Have you thought about putting a wood stove somewhere else with its own dedicated chimney?

 

[begreen]

What is troubling is the chimney description. Chimney pipe is not supposed to be installed horizontally or with an angle greater than 30 degrees. A single sided insert might be installed if it were not for this anomaly. I like the idea of having a pro come out and look at this.

 

[Krackle]

Spletz,

Im about 45 minutes from Kzoo..I'm gonna for sure check Sacketts out..thanks for that.

Bholier..not a prefab. This is a sort of a peninsula who's great structure is made of cinderblock..when it gets to the firebox it's a yellow heat rated brick of some sort..

This "peninsula does not reach the ceiling..{kids like to climb on it}. It's basically a big old rock covered with knock down plaster finish.

Begreen..theis Chimney is fairly robust..we've been using it for 40 years with no issues. Yes, it probably doesn't meet a code somewhere..they might not have been as rigorous back then, but, it works very well and draws nicely. that's about all i can say.

I'm gonna get someone out here as soon as I get back from Thanksgiving..

Grisu..that Supreme unit is SO SO SO close to what we need. Im just not sure it's sized properly for us..I mean..that's the exact solution I had in my head...the basics woiuld fit in our box..not sure about height - at a glance..I have to look at that little bit longer..thanks for that!

thanks folks!!

 

[Snotrocket]

Post up some pictures.

I slid a wood stove into my double sided fireplace. Mine has one side open to the living room and the other to the kitchen.

 

[HardWoodW]

In the two sided insert world there is fuego flame that can be installed as an insert
(broken link removed to http://www.fuegoflame.com/PDF/fuego%20see-through%20brochure.pdf)

And there is acucraft that can custom make one to fit your needs ($$$). I've communicated with an acucraft owner who tells me his works great- clean burning and puts out a ton of heat but not officially EPA certified. Check out their Facebook page to see examples of their work. Below is a picture of an acucraft unit.

There is also don- bar out of canada.

That's all I've found. There are many options in Europe but not as many here in the US for two sided units.

 

[DougA]

Have a look at this, they have 2 models that are see-through.
http://www.supremem.com/duet.php

 

[Krackle]

Snotrocket..

I will post some pics. Im at my Folks for the Holiday right now..Ill snap some later over the weeekend.

Hardwood,

I looked at that stuff just now..that's exactly what I was thinking..very cool. Both of those companies are pretty close to what i need..Im a little worried that Acucraft is going to be the one because of it's custom services.



Doug..

Saw that up higher in this thread..Those are nice but the sizes wont work for me.



Folks keep the ideas coming..I knew these things existed. Awesome