Anyone know about Fireplace heat reflectors?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) Preparation Forum : One Thread

Have a fireplace but can't use an insert in our rental apartment. I heard a heat reflector helps put out more heat and isn't too expensive.

Would appreciate any info. on where I could buy or make one.

-- FOX (ardrinc@aol.com), November 21, 1999

Answers

http://www.paragrate.com/ and http://www.texasfireframe.com/ you can fabricate these yourself but just be aware that the heat from the fire will tend to melt/deform your creation.

Actually most fireplaces will put out a lot more heat if you just remove the grate that comes with the fireplace. You can build your wood fire directly on the firebrick, assuming that the firebrick is built as per code. You really only need a grate if you are burning coal. Please note, and try this out as an experiment, by building the fire without a grate and using two large short logs placed in a "V" with the top of the V facing out into the room, put a large log or two on top of the V making sure that all of the logs are firm against the back. Then you make your fire in this little "shelter" you've made and more of the heat will go into the room.

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), November 21, 1999.


i think the improvements catalog has them fairly cheap. but you might want to check out www.texasfireframe.com for a grate that increases your output from 10% up to 30%. i believe that would be more efficient than a fireback.

-- tt (cuddluppy@nowhere.com), November 22, 1999.

My inlaws always lines their fireplace with tin foil, shiney side out.

Had to replace every few weeks but it seemed to work hor them.

-- Art Welling (artw@lancnews.infi.net), November 22, 1999.


You guys are great! What wonderful ideas! Thanks a bunch

Fox, hoping to keep warm this winter.

-- FOX (ardrinc@aol.com), November 22, 1999.


I've just ordered a fancy-schmancy heat reflector from Plow and Hearth. The blurb says it radiates up to 80% of the heat back into the room. If it works only half as well as promised, I figure it's still a great improvement. I presume it's tempered steel to withstand the heat from the fire.

http://www.plowhearth.com/plow/dept.asp?dept%5Fid=681

P&H also has those stick thingies for putting out chimney fires.

Ken, although I'm sure you're right, for my paranoid self I'd be too afraid logs would roll out of the fireplace the minute I had to leave the room for something.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), November 22, 1999.



Old Git, I wonder if you could build yourself a "wall" a couple of bricks high at the front of the fireplace to keep logs from rolling out? Or maybe out of the kind of concrete block that has the holes in it - with the blocks set so you can see through the holes to your logs - so that air circulates but you still have a barrier. You could cover the concrete block with some metal mesh/screen if you're concerned about sparks.

Just an idea . . . . don't know if it's a good one or not. ;-)

-- peg (peg@futureandahope.com), November 22, 1999.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ