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02-19-2021, 06:32 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-19-2021, 06:47 PM by TyG.)
I have a large bricked-in, traditional fireplace. Concrete floor. I've been researching firebacks to help with the heat efficiency. Now, would it also help to have a steel floor? Would it be a benefit if I made a floor and fireback out of 3/4" steel.
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All of the firebacks I have seen were cast iron, and thicker than 3/4". I don't know if that would make a difference in effectiveness
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(02-19-2021, 06:32 PM)TyG Wrote: I have a large bricked-in, traditional fireplace. Concrete floor. I've been researching firebacks to help with the heat efficiency. Now, would it also help to have a steel floor? Would it be a benefit if I made a floor and fireback out of 3/4" steel.
Even with that, you'll still loose most of your heat out the flue.
Are you just trying to get more heat from it or use it to heat your house/room? It's hard to do without some sort of forced air/hear exchange system and a good set of doors. Fireplaces are pretty inefficient because most of the heat goes out the flue. Ideally, a wood stove insert will allow you to retain heat and control of the intake and exhaust so a lot less wood and a lot more BTUs.
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Our last house had a fireback. I took it out and put in a wood stove insert. The insert made a huge difference - it would sweat me out of the room even with a small fire in it.
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(02-19-2021, 07:18 PM)crokett™ Wrote: Our last house had a fireback. I took it out and put in a wood stove insert. The insert made a huge difference - it would sweat me out of the room even with a small fire in it.
We had that setup in the old house. It saved our bacon when we lost power after an ice storm. Had no power for a week. This is before we bought a generator. I connected an inverter to my van and ran an extension cord from it to the blower in the fireplace insert. Not great but we made it through the week... we moved the bed into the family room that week.
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Traditional fireplaces had their use before central heating. Now they are for ambiance. Burning material consumes a lot of air and must create a draft up the chimney. It must pull air out of the room and that means outside air must enter the house. Unless your fireplace was installed with an exterior makeup air source, you will send warm room air up the chimney and pull in cold air. In the end, your furnace will run a lot.
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If you want heat get a woodstove insert. Anything that leaves it as an open fireplace is a waste of wood (and money) beyond ambiance.
John
