While many people enjoy the aesthetics and ambiance of wood-burning fireplaces in their homes, they are not very energy efficient. In a large room, a fireplace can make the room cooler instead of warmer because it uses the air in the room to keep the fire burning. However, you can make the fireplace more energy efficient with these tips.
Open Damper Completely
To help wood burning fireplaces in Sandy, UT warm your house, you should open the damper as wide as possible. This will allow the outside air to fuel the fire instead of the air in your home.
Pick Glass Doors
Select a fireplace with tempered glass doors to increase the temperature in the chimney and keep the warm air in the room. You will find a variety of fireplace styles, including those with tightly-fitting tempered glass doors, at stores such as Degrees Above Fireplaces.
Burn Seasoned Wood
Seasoned wood has been allowed to dry out for a year or a season and burns more efficiently, producing more heat. If recently-cut or green wood is used in wood burning fireplaces, it will burn inefficiently and produce lots of smoke.
Install Fireback
To get more warm air from wood burning fireplaces into the house, have a fireback installed. A fireback is a heavy metal sheet, usually made from cast iron, that reflects heat back into the room. It can also protect the masonry in the back of the fireplace.
Keep Chimney Clean
The chimney needs to be cleaned once a year to remove creosote build-up, which restricts air flow. Not only does it allow more air in to fuel the fire but removing creosote makes fireplaces safer to use.
These tips will make a fireplace burn more efficiently and you will get more enjoyment from it when the weather turns cold.
