Efficient fireplace

[Keith]

I love a fire place, but in reality they are woefully inefficient for heating a room, forget the rest of the house. Especially these dang insert models, seems the brick fireplace I grew up with created more heat.

What designs or system add ons improve its efficiency?

A friend built his house with a wood burning stove next to his return vent for the central heat. All he needs is a generator to run a fan which circulates that heat throughout his house via the central unit ducting.

[Briar Friar]

Ooops forgot to post the link.

https://icc-rsf.com/fireplace/rsf/delta-fusion/

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Thanks MrD.

Itd be interesting to see the varying grades of “wood quality” for BTU output.
As a novice Id shoot from the hip grading the following:
Ash- low
Elm- mid
Oak- high
Dismantled pallets- between super high and better than nothing . Im about to wreck shop on some.

[Anteloper]

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say not very.


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You can feel a little heat off of it. If I crank it up about 25% it seems to produce a decent amount of heat but nothing like a good wood fire burning.

[Mike D]

Thanks MrD.



Itd be interesting to see the varying grades of “wood quality” for BTU output.

As a novice Id shoot from the hip grading the following:

Ash- low

Elm- mid

Oak- high

Dismantled pallets- between super high and better than nothing . Im about to wreck shop on some.

I burn oak in mine. It will get hot enough to be pretty uncomfortable when adding wood. Good thing is that pile I showed a picture of burned all night long 22:00 and still had a bed of red hot coals at 05:30 this morning.

It heated the main areas of the house plus the master bedroom/bath & office all night long.


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[bboswell]

Thanks MrD.



Itd be interesting to see the varying grades of “wood quality” for BTU output.

As a novice Id shoot from the hip grading the following:

Ash- low

Elm- mid

Oak- high

Dismantled pallets- between super high and better than nothing . Im about to wreck shop on some.

Going to be a big swing even in same wood based on moisture content

[Double L]

Mike D's is the real deal. In my previous house we had a masonry fireplace that was built right. I put an Earth Stove insert in it which at that time was the bomb. I heated the whole house with it and usually went thru 2 to 4 cords of wood a year.


The house we have now has one of those prefab things in it and as the OP posted it is a piece of junk. Had vent free gas logs installed. It does a good job....much better than trying to get any heat out of it with wood. In my old age I enjoy not having to stack firewood and clean the ash out. I walk in the room and turn on the remote. Might check something like this out if you are so inclined.

[WyoBull]

Although I don't have one, free standing pellet stoves are very popular up here in Wyoming.

I have two gas fireplaces, the one upstairs is a Heatilator and my downstairs one is a Mendota. The Mendota will heat the entire basement and I like it a lot.

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[Gladesgator]

I have two vent less propane fireplaces one in the main room and one in my bedroom. Basically, all of the heat generated remains in the house, they are very efficient. Propane is supplied from a 250 gal. tank.

The flames around the fake logs look great, glowing embers and all. No wood to haul in or ashes to haul out. Remote control for the bedroom, so I don't have to get out of bed to turn it on or off. The bedroom fireplace is raised about 30" off the floor, so you can see the flames while laying in bed.

Until, this cold weather the fireplaces supplied all the heat for a 2,100 foot barndo with loft, I use two ceiling fans on reverse in the vaulted ceiling area. I put the return air up in the loft, so I can just run the fan and circulate the warm air through the entire house.

[popeandyoung151]

We love ours. Has a blower and it can get the room cooking in a hurry. I’ve been putting on a big log and letting it slow burn all day.


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[LFD2037]

My drop in sucks. You have to be within 5’ of it to feel any heat. I’ve had it going for the last 30 hours since we don’t have any electricity and it isn’t making Micheal of a difference. I think the thing it does best is slightly warms all the objects around it and that casts off a little radiant heat but other than that it’s pretty useless.
When I lived in Colorado we had a big cast iron pot belly coal fireplace that was in the middle of the main area. Get that sucker rolling with wood then add coal and it would glow orange all night long.

[ClayW]

I burn oak in mine. It will get hot enough to be pretty uncomfortable when adding wood. Good thing is that pile I showed a picture of burned all night long 22:00 and still had a bed of red hot coals at 05:30 this morning.

It heated the main areas of the house plus the master bedroom/bath & office all night long.


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Man thats awesome

Do they make any models that can be added to an existing home?

[Dale Moser]

You can feel a little heat off of it. If I crank it up about 25% it seems to produce a decent amount of heat but nothing like a good wood fire burning.

You know that is a log lighter in a wood burning fireplace, right?


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[Dale Moser]

What 99% of you are calling an “insert” is just a prefab fireplace, NOT an insert.

I real insert is more stove like in operation, but goes into an existing fireplace.


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[Dale Moser]

We love ours. Has a blower and it can get the room cooking in a hurry. I’ve been putting on a big log and letting it slow burn all day.


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That’s a T-40 masonry circulator, they are the real deal as well.


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[175gr7.62]

Same here. It’ll run you outta the house.

My fireplace will run you out. Maybe OP has bad air flow issues.


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