 Quote:
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Originally Posted by samclem
Very few fireplaces in modern homes are really designed to give off heat. They are almost always neautral or "heat losers" when operating. They typicaly give off very little heat to the room, and they send a lot of the already warm air from the room up the chimney when they are operating.
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I disagree with this statement.
I built a home in Minnesota about 8 years ago and we have 2 natural gas fireplaces and a furnace. We only use the furnace in the mornings year round. Once the house is up to 67 degrees we turn on either the upstairs fireplace or downstairs fireplace and they will easily bring the temps up to 70. Then we shut them off. The fireplaces have blower fans, but we never need to use them. Keep in mind that this works just fine for temperatures down to zero degrees here in Minnesota and our house is 3600 square feet. The furnace never turns on. When the upstairs fireplace is running, I can go down to the lower level and the Temps are usually in the low 60's.
The Fireplaces are sealed units with glass fronts and are more efficient than the furnace. Sitting about 10-12 feet in front of the Fireplace on a cold January night the temps are easily in the high 70's - very cozy.
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