Advice for my fathers double sided fireplace please

[Moddoo]

Hello everyone,
my dad has a fireplace between a 'sunroom' and the dining room.
It has some type of insert with heat exchanger with a very weak fan.
glass doors on both sides, and a fresh air vent inside.
They really enjoy using it, but it has very poor heat output.

Does anyone make a high efficiency insert for a double sided setup like this?

Or maybe an add on to make it work better?

Thanks in advance

 

[bks]

Did you ever get an answer to your double sided fireplace question? I have the same setup but without a blower. Looking to improve efficiency, actually just to have the ability to harvest some heat would be great.

-Boris

 

[Moddoo]

No,
I never got any advice at all.
Still wondering.

 

[mga]

seems you are not alone...i found several web sites asking about the same issue:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=double+sided+fireplace+inserts

it doesn't look promising. apparently you can add an insert to one side, but the other side has to be blocked off. some suggest using fireplace doors with smoked glass.

 

[Chavez7]

another clash of beauty vs. function. Is the goal to keep it a wood burner? I wonder if the double sided gas fireplaces distribute heat better? Certainly most, if not all, wood inserts are designed to throw heat out the front and have shrouds/heat shields limiting heat out the rear. Nevertheless they will put out the heat which I'm sure with the help of fans or on its own would circulate into the other room. Another idea, if you have the space, is to go with a freestanding stove with a removable rear heat shield so heat can be radiated behind it. Of course, in all these, one side will lose the beauty of the flame. So beauty vs. function - not sure if both can win!