12-03-2019, 03:10 PM
Best idea I’ve seen is the kind that treats the chimney as merely a conduit for two air tubes. One for intake and one for exhaust. Heat stays in the house (yes, with a fan and it’s enclosed.) Open-flame fires are for outside only, now that we know better.
People talk about the obvious heat loss traditional fireplaces cause, but you really want that insert to use outside air to burn. Some have an intake that’s on the bottom or back and doesn’t need a dedicated tube going all the up top, so long as you can cut a hole in the back of the chimney.
The other issue with air intake is poison. Carpet/rug fibers and more chemicals inside your house are generally OK to live with until the dust and whatnot they give off get BURNED up in fire. That chemical reaction isn’t something you want to breathe.
Optionally there’s a way to seal chimneys from the inside by dropping a special spreader trough down on a rope. Pour sealer down the chimney and the trough catches it and spreads it into all the cracks as you lift it up and out from the top. Slick.
People talk about the obvious heat loss traditional fireplaces cause, but you really want that insert to use outside air to burn. Some have an intake that’s on the bottom or back and doesn’t need a dedicated tube going all the up top, so long as you can cut a hole in the back of the chimney.
The other issue with air intake is poison. Carpet/rug fibers and more chemicals inside your house are generally OK to live with until the dust and whatnot they give off get BURNED up in fire. That chemical reaction isn’t something you want to breathe.
Optionally there’s a way to seal chimneys from the inside by dropping a special spreader trough down on a rope. Pour sealer down the chimney and the trough catches it and spreads it into all the cracks as you lift it up and out from the top. Slick.