mga
wandering
after living here for 30+ years, I still can't figure out what type of fire place we have. house was built in '58 and the fire place has a thick metal box liner inside and a clay tile flue. there are vents on the sides and the heat really pours out of them.for doors, I put cabinet type doors on and I sealed the sides and bottoms with rope seal. and, altho not recommended, I do burn with the doors closed and they also radiate heat. I also use some thing called an Arvin heat stream (no longer available) cold air if forced thru the pipes that the coals and wood sit on and blows out under the doors. I get air temperatures of 175 blowing out and often constant at 130
this set up really works well and has no problem heating our home, often too much. as for wood use efficiency, I use slightly more wood each year than my neighbor who has an air-tight stove ( we all burn 24/7)
anyways, what type of fire place is this that has this thick metal box inside? it's almost like an insert without the doors.
