Do Fireplace Doors Increase Efficiency? 5 Fireplace Doors Benefits

You may be wondering, what are fireplace doors? Just as the name suggests, they are doors you add to your fireplace. The primary function of the fireplace door is to increase the efficiency of a fireplace by working as a barrier between your chimney and the room. 

When the fireplace is open, the warm air generated in the fireplace would escape through the chimney. Through the use of fireplace glass doors, you can now minimize the amount of air lost and heat the room even better. 

Benefits Of Fireplace Glass Doors

Below are the reasons anyone would consider getting fireplace doors. 

  1. Experience increased energy efficiency 

An open fireplace will lose a lot of heat. However, the moment you have fireplace doors designed to fit on the fireplace, then you can improve its heating efficiency. On the overall, you can find that it will be able to keep you warm during winter. 

  1. Better style and beauty 

When seeking fireplace doors, you will come across different designs. The doors are generally better designed since they can be part of improving the look of your fireplace. Most companies selling such fireplace doors are likely to have hundreds of finishes you can consider. 

  1. Improved fireplace protection 

In regards to wood-burning fireplaces, you may experience sparks from the logs or even the logs themselves tumbling out of your fireplace. This is not something you want to experience. It is why you have to consider the fireplace doors to keep the sparks inside the fireplace. 

  1. Improve burning efficiency 

The glass doors you use for a fireplace can enclose the fireplace leading to better burning of the logs. Improved burning efficiency also means that the fireplace can generate more heat. In turn, the fireplace doors will absorb this heat and radiate it into the room. 

  1. Keeps the smoke away
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One thing about fireplace glass doors is that they work great to keep the area around the fireplace comfortable. This includes keeping the smoke from getting into the room. The smoke would now enter the chimney while you get to simply enjoy the heat during winter. 

What Controls The Efficiency Of A Fireplace?

The efficiency of a fireplace is mostly controlled by the design and type of a fireplace. An example is when you have a wood-burning fireplace that must be vented, then expect it to be less efficient compared to electric fireplaces or gel fireplaces that do not need venting. 

Studies show that wood-burning fireplaces are the least efficient in the sense that they only convert 15% of the energy into heat. Most of it will be lost in the chimney. That is why you have to consider going for the energy-efficient models. 

If you want to add a wood-burning fireplace to your house, it is advisable to avoid the standard designs. Consider a design in line with the EPA recommendations. 

New models can now pull the outdoor air to use it for combustion and then circulate the room air in the firebox too before releasing it into the room. This ensures it can generate as much heat as possible while at the same time leading to less air pollution. 

Those are some of the ways to use on how to increase the efficiency of a wood fireplace. There are more as I get to discuss them below. 

How Can I Increase The Efficiency Of My Fireplace?

Increasing the efficiency of your fireplace helps you get the most out of it. Here are ideas for you to try. 

  • Invest in a fireback or fireplace insert
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A fire insert will be a great choice for increasing the fireplace efficiency. Expect it to increase such efficiency by up to 80%. The fireplace inserts are placed inside the masonry fireplace box and have an insulated glass to improve the fireplace efficiency. 

When the fireplace insert is in position, it will keep the heat from the wood trapped and then have it radiated into the home thus improving the overall efficiency. 

These inserts work with different fireplace types. Ensure you are buying the right fireplace insert made for your specific fireplace type. 

  • Get a damper 

A damper is simply a metal placed in a chimney to help in regulating the airflow. Dampers will fit snugly while still new, but they can warp in a year or two. At this point, they will allow the air to leak easily past them. 

When the dampers fit loosely, you end up with less heat. It is best to invest in a new damper to improve efficiency. The estimated cost is $75 up to $300. 

  • Buy fireplace doors

The work of fireplace doors is to reduce the air that would escape through the chimney. When set up on the fireplace, it will help in absorbing the heat and radiating it into the room. 

Fireplace doors can be made of tempered glass or ceramic materials. You should go for the best quality to avoid having fireplace doors that easily break. The estimated cost for such doors is $200 to over $800. 

  • Use seasoned wood 

If you own a wood-burning fireplace, you should definitely consider the type of wood you are using in the fireplace. Go for the seasoned wood. This simply means it is well-dried wood. 

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The fresh-cut wood will contain a lot of moisture making it hard for them to burn efficiently. Give it around six to nine months for the logs to dry properly before using them in your fireplace. 

  • Clean the chimney 

When the chimney is clean, then the wood in the fireplace can burn better and faster. When soot builds up, you can expect it to hinder the efficiency of the wood-burning fireplace. It is at this point you can get that the fireplace struggles to keep the fire going. 

It is advisable to have the chimney inspected and cleaned annually to keep the fireplace in good working condition. 

Conclusion: Do Fireplace Doors Save Energy?

Yes. Fireplace doors are good at saving energy and radiating it into the room. Anyone who has used fireplace doors before can testify that they helped in improving how the fireplace works and the amount of heat generated. 

I can also recommend that you always go for inserts approved by the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA. Such fireplace inserts have been tested and their efficiency is the best. 

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