The picture of the perfect American family room includes a couch, recliner, TV and fireplace burning brightly. People love to sit by the fireplace watching the flames lapping at the logs. Not only does the fireplace add warmth but it adds atmosphere. Unfortunately a fireplace in a home is not perfect. There are many issues that make a fireplace very inefficient.
When a fireplace is burning, it radiates warmth into the air around it. But it also creates a current that actually pulls that air out of your room and up through the chimney. So because warm air is escaping and your fireplace has to work even harder to warm your room. Yes, there is a damper on a chimney that supposedly keeps the inside air from escaping and the outside air from coming in. But most are not constructed adequately and the seal around the edges of the damper still allows air to escape.
There are some things you can do to fix this problem. There is a piece of equipment which you can get which is installed at the top of the chimney. This damper works just like a storm door in your house which is sealed so no air can get around it. You can obtain such a product on the internet and you can install it yourself if you're comfortable going on top of your roof.
Another option you have is to change your wood burning fireplace into a gas fireplace. You can get a gas fireplace insert which looks just like a regular wood burning fireplace. These heaters use artificial logs that look and feel as if they're burning. Dependant upon your home construction and budget, you have several options on how to install and vent the fireplace. Most gas fireplaces use propane or natural gas sources. Many people like this option better because you don't have to keep chopping wood and cleaning up ashes. A gas fireplace eliminates that need.
You can replace your fireplace with a portable electric heater that looks just like your fireplace. You can buy an electric fireplace heater that has a fan which can very efficiently heat a whole room quickly. Electric heaters are considered energy efficient. 100% of the electricity that is used is turned into heat and put back out into the room.
A catch-22 is that the fireplace is frequently in the room with the thermostat. The room with the fireplace becomes very warm so the thermostat turns off the heat. Now because the heater is off the rest of the house is cold because the fireplace can't heat all the rooms. This may lead you to check into getting a portable room heater for other rooms in your home.
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If you want to get a portable space heater or fireplace insert, get all the information you need to make an educated choice on which portable space heater is the best for you. Reduce costs on your utility bill and stay comfortable by choosing your heater wisely.
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