You’ve got a fire going in your working fireplace, a nice warm fire for a chilly night. The lights are low and everything is cozy. It doesn’t appear that you need anything else to add to this relaxing scene. But really a relaxing night by the fire isn’t complete without fireplace doors. Why?
To get the answer we turned to Ray Repasky. Ray is the vice president of Thermo-Rite, a manufacturer of glass fireplace doors. “If there are not glass doors on the fireplace, most of your heated air goes up and out the chimney,” says Ray.
Let’s go a little deeper into that by-the-fire scene. Eventually the fire dies down, and you’re tired. But the embers of the fire are still glowing and producing smoke. So you can’t shut the damper or your room will be full of smoke the next day. But if you leave the damper open, your heating system will be pumping out hot air that will promptly escape up the chimney. So what are you going to do?
This is where fireplace doors come in. With the price of keeping your home warm rising, many homeowners find that installing fireplace doors helps reduce heat loss. “Most people are anticipating the shortage of gas and the expense of gas, so they’re trying to get more heat out of their fireplaces to keep bills down,” Repasky says. “And they’re finding that energy-efficient fireplace doors reduce air flow from the heated room.” The tempered glass doors can easily withstand up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit so you can close them once the flames have died away. The smoke will escape up the chimney but heat from your room will not.
Another way fireplace doors save energy and preserve heat is by keeping cold air from blowing down the chimney when you don’t have a fire going. “If you have a glass door on that fireplace, it acts like a storm door,” says Ray. “It’s a proven fact that the room will stay warmer when the door is closed.” Fireplace doors also provide peace of mind during the hot summer months. You’ll know that your cool air inside isn’t going out and the hot air outside isn’t coming in.
Homeowners with vented gas logs can also benefit from a glass door addition. “If you use glass fireplace doors on wood-burning or vented-gas fireplaces, you can make the room feel warmer than normal.”
Fireplace glass doors are a great way to “go green.” Increasing the energy efficiency of your room helps the environment, and lower energy bills keep more “green” in your wallet!