Increasing The Efficiency Of Your Fireplace
With soaring energy costs and today's economy it's more important than ever to use your energy dollars very wisely
. This can be done by taking advantage of every chance to save money whether it's with utility rebates, government rebates or home improvements. You can utilize those dollars to your best advantage it's like getting a raise because you are saving extra money after expenses. Sure, there will be some upfront costs, but taking these steps will more than pay for itself in the years to come, if not the first year.
In this time of fluctuating home heating oil, natural gas and Liquid Propane (LP) gas prices, many people are turning to wood heat. If you have a place you can cut or gather wood to supplement your heating bill it would be a wise choice to make. It breaks that dependence on foreign oil which in turn affects the pricing on just about everything else in this world. Withdrawing, processing and distributing natural and LP gas even depends on oil price fluctuations. With wood you also have the advantage of having heat when your neighbors go without because of an ice storm or other power failure.
A Woodstove (Insert) for your fireplace
A woodstove insert is an actual woodstove that's designed to fit into a fireplace opening. These units are designed to provide radiant heat output and most include blowers to circulate the heat. Depending on options and usage, a woodstove insert installation can pay for itself within 3-5 years. Currently, there's also an energy tax credit for qualifying installations. A typical installation includes the woodstove insert and an insulated stainless steel chimney liner. Necessary accessories are a thermometer which helps you regulate temperatures and maintain more efficient burns, a metal ash bucket with a tight fitting lid, and tools such as a shovel, poker and tongs.
Benefits from today's woodstove inserts include a clean air wash front glass, a fairly continuous radiant heat, circulated heat, moisture introduced from a scented steamer or kettle and saving money while maintaining your independence from utility companies.
If you already have a woodstove insert, be sure to check the seals on the door gasket. To test the seal shut a dollar bill into the stove door. If you can easily move it around at any point, then you are losing dollars up the flue and the gasket needs replacing.
Also check the window gasket. You are looking for loose, missing or damaged gasket. This is something a chimney professional can do for you. It is just as important as replacing the worn gasket around your refrigerator door. Damaged or worn woodstove gasket affects the operation efficiency of the stove. It lets in excess air, making the fire hard to control and uses more wood. Your woodstove insert wont be operating at optimal efficiency so you are actually wasting your energy dollars.
If your woodstove insert has a catalytic combustor it may need to cleaned from time to time. This is usually done when your chimney professional does the annual inspection and cleaning. Catalytic combustors need to be replaced when their effect declines. Again, this is something your chimney professional can find and fix for you.
A More Efficient Fireplace Firebox
There's also a way to get more heat and increase the efficiency of your fireplace without losing the effect of an open fireplace design. There are high-temperature refractory firebox replacements on the market that act as a heat sink, soaking up and storing heat that is released even after the fire dies down. In addition, the back wall of the fireplace is sloped forward to direct heat into the room. Overall, these units burn less wood and provide more heat than a traditional fireplace.
Most of these units can be installed in one day. They have to do some demolition work in the fireplace, the damper area above it and sometimes the older clay flue tiles, above. The flue is usually relined with an insulated stainless steel liner and the firebox fitted with the new higher efficiency refractory liner.
Sealing in your "paid" energy dollars
The typical fireplace damper is made of cast-iron and has a metal-to-metal seal. If you put a dollar bill in this old damper and closed it you would probably be able to easily pull it out. Over time the cast-iron rusts, warps and breaks. Then it's like having an open window. Even a brand new fireplace damper still just has a metal to metal seal and can be leaky. There are other alternatives to tightly seal a fireplace damper to save you those costly energy dollars.
A refrigerator is designed to cool your groceries and most have a freezer with a defrost function. If the seal on your refrigerator was deteriorated so it wasnt sealing well you would probably make it a priority to have it replaced before that next big family gathering. Just like a fridge there are top sealing dampers that have the same type of seal. These dampers, when closed, provide a very tight seal preventing heated air from escaping and cold air from entering through the fireplace. Other chimney top dampers either have no seal or they have a flat rubber gasket seal. Could you imagine how a refrigerator with no gasket or a flat rubber gasket would seal? The photo, below, is of an Energy Top Damper, courtesy of www.usfireplaceproducts.com.
A chimney top damper seal is only as good as the two surfaces meeting - the base and the lid. To operate the damper, a stainless steel cable drops down the chimney interior and is secured in a bracket at the bottom. The handle, which is easily accessed through the fireplace opening, secures in the bracket when closed. To open the damper, simply give it a slight tug, then release the handle and the damper pops open. Some top-sealing dampers, like the Energy Top+ shown in the photo below, provide the option of a chimney cap and damper in one. This is the best option for optimum protection. If you put a dollar bill in this top sealing damper, don't count on being able to remove it until you open the damper. Chimney dampers are not for use with gas fireplaces. Photo of the Energy Top+ Damper courtesy of www.usfireplaceproducts.com.
Take the step
Now is the time to start spending your energy dollars wisely. No one can predict the future or what future energy costs will do. The oil market is unstable and affects everything you buy as costs soar. Create some control over this situation by taking charge of your own heating and energy saving measures. Control your energy dollars and spend them wisely.
by: Karen Lamansky
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