It seems that house over the last few decades do not include real fireplaces. Gas logs, which are considered ‘visual appliances’ are typical. Direct vent units can put out heat but have to be behind glass and a screen (per EPA). Does anyone see real fireplaces going in homes, or are these just energy losers? What’s happened?
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yelk
When the fireplace was the sole source of heat they were stoked and tended 24/7. When we evolved into other forms of heating the home, they indeed changed to secondary, visual, or emergency heat source.
efficiency is not great, fuel cost is high and one isn't going to provide warmth to an entire home.
There's only so many trees left and the fireplace is not automatic.
if you want visuals and a more efficient burn there's some wood stoves that fill the bill. Masonry heaters are something to look at. One or two HOT burns a day can heat a couple thousand s.f. open well designed floor plan home, radiating heat long after the fire goes out. Take a look at the masonry heater association website.
then there's wood furnaces, no visuals.
times have changed.
Keep in mind that the people buying homes now were not raised in homes where fireplaces were a big deal. Yes, there may have been one, but it was maybe lit once a year on New Year's Eve. Currently the fireplace is more important for it's dramatic appeal than for actual use, and a stone-covered wall without the fireplace does this better than a bare fireplace without the stone..
Air Polution
Many jurisdictions do not allow wood burning fireplaces or stoves in new construction.
And the ones that do allow them dont see many true wood burning fireplaces because insurance policies skyrocket when you have one.
I don't understand the insurance thing. Probably 80% of the homes around here have fireplaces. And probably 30% of those get used at least a few times a season. (The houses on either side of us use theirs once-twice a week.) House fires are rare, and the only chimney fires (or other house fires due to fireplaces) we get (maybe 2-3 a season in a population of 25,000 for the area) are in homes out in the country where overheated (and improperly installed) metal flues are usually the cause.
Nothing to merit the insurance companies getting their shorts in a knot about.
Why should that
DanH wrote:Nothing to merit the insurance companies getting their shorts in a knot about.
stand in the way of their charging customers additional premiums because they have wood-burning equipment in their properties? They're in business to increase their bottom-line after all.
Insurance...
Man dont think you want to hear my thoughts on that scam...my comment is based on quotes we got for our current home. Old 1918 home with 2 large fireplaces and 4 boxes, 2 1st floor 2 on the 2nd floor. When we were discussing between relining one of them to make it a wood burning fireplace vs 'gas insert we spoke to our agent and i want to say there was a $300ish difference per year on the policy.
+1
for example, WA codes basically prohibit classic fireplaces.
must either be cerified insert or built by member of certain guilds, forget which ones were the successful lobbyists.
The house my parents bult in 1957-8 has a classic fireplace. My brother and I own the house now and not only is a fire beautiful, but the heatalators really help heat the room.
Not all are so fortunate. Most old fireplaces are just energy suckers.
I have heated my own houses with woodstoves for over 30 years. Current stove has glass doors. I will NEVER live in a cold climate without a wood stove.
Just Sold a House with a Fireplace
Sold an inherited house last week, with a fireplace, that raised the price significantly. According to my listing Realtor, a major plus worth significantly more than the house would have brought without one. Far as I could see, he was correct. House sold for near asking price in a reasonable amount of time, considering the weather. A small house, 2/3 median price for that market.
You apparently know that many fireplaces are net heat losers. Pretty sure the one I sold was. Didn't slow down the buyers who definitely wanted a house with one. I doubt my explanation of what it would take for them to get effective wood heat ever made it from my agent to the buyers, who apparently wanted that.
Fireplaces are not unusual for median and above homes here.