Sadly my fireplace IS an open one but it's 4.5 feet wide and 3 feet tall (This used to be a tavern) so it actually throws off a lot of heat. Not as much as we'd like and certainly not enough to heat the 9 rooms we have but a few fans placed just so and we could take the chill out of the house....
We talked about putting in a wood burning stove but there is a cast iron swing arm built into the brick that holds a cookpot and I don't want to loose that. It's one of only a handful of things original to the house (1790's) and I just cannot part with it.
I tried to upload a picture of the fireplace but I can't seem to do it for some reason. Trust me- it's bigger then most average fireplaces and the swing arm is WAY COOOL! Especaially for an ex-pilgrim who misses cooking over the fire!
~If you look closely you can hear the souls of those who came before you
Trevi, if you don't want to put in an insert or close up the fireplace (I wouldn't either) then I'd say just make sure the damper, if there is one, is in good condition and will close tightly when it's not in use.
A while back we looked into getting our fireplace into working condition and while it didn't happen because the chimney ended up falling on our roof (don't ask) I do recall reading something about some new type of damper that goes at the top of the chimney and is some type of blow up jobby that is controlled from inside. It might be worth looking into upgrading that part of the fireplace as it could make a big difference for heat loss.
Rebecca
1820's Urban Farmhouse in Eastern Ontario
(The picture is the "before" picture... before the PO's bought it and destroyed it. We're still trying to get it back to that.)
I think I figured it out.... Maybe?... YES!!!
This is before we moved in. You can see the swing arm there...
And trust me- I USE IT
We got some beautiful, HUGE, old andirons at a local auction for 5$- I'll have to take a picture of those in the fireplace now that the paint is all gone and the cedar fireplace paneling is shiny and new looking!
~If you look closely you can hear the souls of those who came before you
Just checking in... It's been a while since I've done anything Old House related other than living in the darned thing. Life is good that way some times. Anyways, here's a breakdown of gas consumption since I took on the wooden storm window project. I think I may have paid for the materials already.
We had part of a ceiling opened up for the better part of the fall and winter of 2008 due to an unfortunate plumbing emergency. The storms were built and installed over the 2004-2005 time period. I think I can do even better when I get the last two remaining ones built. Anyways, seeing is believing.
My big heat loss right now is the darned doggie door. Seeing as how my wife's two Maltese dogs and our cat, Lucille, kind of like to take it out doors I'm willing to live with that. Lucille likes to leave it hanging partially open.
This is Georgia, she's trying to decide whether to ruin the hardwood floors as career right now.
"Pure Stinking Genius, that's what that is. Hey, can someone get me a fire extinguisher?"
Maybe you need to get one of the doggie doors that lock & only allow pets with collars to go in & out. I'm not sure but I would think their design would ensure they are completely closed after each entrance/exit. Your storm window information is impressive; that's great! Don
That is a nice improvement with the storms. This house sure needs some new storms. We have the old aluminum ones and they don't seem to do much of anything any longer.
jeepnstein wrote:
My big heat loss right now is the darned doggie door. Seeing as how my wife's two Maltese dogs and our cat, Lucille, kind of like to take it out doors I'm willing to live with that. Lucille likes to leave it hanging partially open.
I have one (in my basement door; my cat stays indoors) that is magnetic, so it always closes completely. It's a little noisier, but not too annoying. Might pay for itself pretty quickly in your situation.
1911 Dutch Colonial Revival