Maximizing heat from a fireplace

[FarmerChick]

I have a propane fireplace and yes, I sure do use that ceiling fan. It truly brings the hot air down from the ceiling and circulates it around. Definitely have it on when the fireplace is on.

 

[MorelCabin]

The ceiling fan definitly works

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

The ceiling fan definitly works

That's the truth!!!

 

[reinbeau]

Yes, the ceiling fan does work, but no matter what, you lose heat up the chimney when you use an open fireplace. I have a lovely fireplace in my kitchen, all of the masonry except the back wall is within the perimeter of my walls, and it heats the room up wonderfully, but still, I have to block off the kitchen from the rest of the house because when that fireplace is burning the heat is going right out through the chimney, the furnace cycles on constantly.

My brother had the old Warner woodstove that came out of my parent's diningroom, so we've taken it and are trying to install it into the fireplace opening. We should be able to get it within the hearth so that none of it is off the bricks at the front opening. Our bugaboo right now is getting the flue up past the damper mechanism. One school is telling us we'll have to cut it out, the other says to unscrew it and it'll slide out, we'll see. We do have to replace the firebricks inside, but I remember in its day this stove worked really well and heated a large room similar in size to my dining room/kitchen. Plus it's got a blower, so I'm hoping we'll be able to circulate enough heat to warm the whole first floor. I don't like my bedroom warm, so if it's cold upstairs as a result I don't mind a bit! I'll post a picture when we get the beast installed.

We heat the house up in Maine with wood, two woodstoves, one up on the main living floor and one down in the basement. Once we get both going well, I put a fan in the doorway to blow the heat out into the rest of the house. Takes some time, but we get tree length up there for fairly short money, and hubby loves to split and stack wood (he's got a splitter). We've got enough out there for two more winters of burning.

Down here we took down all kinds of trees about three years ago, so I've got probably three or four cords out there that are prime for burning. When that goes we'll just haul wood down from Maine with our truck as we go back and forth.