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charliesummers

Hearth Heaters - anyone have any experience?

CharlieSummers
18 years ago

We're looking at having the wood fireplace stretch out the heating budget a little bit, at least in the late fall/early winter and again in late winter...with the price of fuel oil, I'm looking at it as a little more than keeping my wife happy with a few crackling flames...

I've seen basically two types of user-installable hearth heaters; the "bent pipe" type (where the glass doors need to be left open and heat is exchanged from both the coals and the gasses) and the grate-only type (heat picked up from coals only, but doors can remain closed - both carried by Northline, and other places on the Net). I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with either type and might be able to make a recommendation...it'll be at least a year, and possibly more, until I can put a "real" insert into the thing, so these are pretty much my only options for the near-term.

Seems to me the "Fireplace Hearth Heater" would probably pump more heat into the room, but with the doors open, more would escape up the flue, too (the main reason we currently only use the fireplace in spring/fall, and more for decoration than getting any heat out of it). The "Wood Burning Cozy Grate Heater" allows the doors to be closed, but it's only capturing heat from the coals, and has no radiant reflector as does the "Fireplace Hearth Heater." (*sigh*) I'm wondering if either one of 'em would actually add any heat to the room. (I dismissed the "Emberair Grate Heater" - that device doesn't look like it would pull in much heat at all, even if it is substantially less expensive...)

(And yes, I know if I'm serious about extending the fireplace use deeper into winter I'm going to need to deal with getting an outside source of combust air into it, but that's going to require discussions with a mason, so I'm tabling that for the short term.)

Anyway, any experiences/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Comments (40)

  • Xanndra
    18 years ago

    There have been some discussion on older threads about these.

    I have never heard them referred to as "hearth heaters" before.

  • CharlieSummers
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    > There have been some discussion on older threads about these.

    Actually, my searches haven't turned up any comments from people who have actually _used_ them.

    > I have never heard them referred to as "hearth heaters" before.

    I use the term because that is the proper name given to one (I am avoiding giving direct links, as I have no way of knowing if our hosts may sell like devices now or in the future - searching on the proper names I gave in the initial post should turn up the devices easily enough), and I adore alliteration even if "grate heater" would probably be more technically accurate.

  • Xanndra
    18 years ago

    I sold a couple of them before, only because I got them really, really cheap.

    Here's my thoughts on them though: If they really worked as great as they say they do, then everyone would have one and you wouldn't have a hard time finding info on them.

  • CharlieSummers
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    I appreciate the reply, but it is not very helpful...

    > I sold a couple of them before

    But you have no experience _using_ them, which is what I've specifically asked.

    > If they really worked as great as they say they do

    "Work" is a relative term. I'm not looking to heat my home in the dead of winter with the goofy thing; I am only looking to extend the use of the fireplace a few degrees (external temperature) lower than currently comfortable. Good grief, at the current price of fuel oil, it will be impractical to have _any_ fires in the thing once the external temperature drops low enough for the furnace to actually come on, so I might as well brick over it or only use it in the summertime. If the ~$400 for this unit gives me enough heat in the room to overcome the heat _loss_ of the flue by increasing the efficiency even to 15% from the current 10% or less, it would "work" for me. But I'm not interested in listening to "they" (I assume you mean the marketing drones), which is why I'm looking for people with real-world experience.

  • MarkJ61
    18 years ago

    I had one of the bent pipe ones for 5+ years before a few tubes burnt out (it came with the house).

    Never had the fan/motor. Only used it in "manual" mode. Worked on convection where the tops of pipes would get hotter and draw air thru bottom. It actually did help throw more heat for the first hour or two of a fire. After that the whole deal seemed to heat up and any air flow seemed to cease.

    With fans, these should work great, altho Ive seen some older ones that were noisy. You will get more heat and some of the claims that are made could actually be real.

  • Jeff
    18 years ago

    I looked into these last year. I am surprised at the price jump this year, it looks like they have gone up at least $100.00. Looks like the fireplace companies are trying to capitalize on the oil crunch as well.

  • Xanndra
    18 years ago

    The price increase could be the effect of a lawsuit(s) brought against them or some other large expense like that, such as having to refund or replace many units.

  • garyg
    18 years ago

    I agree with Xanndra. There are many people looking to get some extra BTU's out of their existing open fireplace without spending $2500 for a quality insert. If these grate heaters worked as well as the manufacturers claim, many people would own them. As Xanndra stated on another thread: save the $400 that you would waste on a grate heater, and put it into a savings account for a quality wood insert. If you choose to disagree because we do not have actual experience with the grate heaters, then go ahead and buy one, use it for a while, and post your experience.

  • CharlieSummers
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    > If you choose to disagree because we do not have actual experience

    I do not "disagree," I simply note that you admit you cannot answer the question I posed and proceed to answer the question you wish to have been asked. I thank those who have responded, but it is clear my question insults the sensibilities of some folks here, so I respectfully withdraw it.

  • Flowerkitty
    18 years ago

    Naw, you don't have to withdraw a respectfully placed question. It didn't bother me at all. I hope you leave the question out there. You never know when it might snaggle an answer.

    I don't have experience with those products but markj61's remarks about the convection stopping when the pipe becomes uniformly warm sound consistent with my own experiences trying to solve flue and draft problems. In general air moves best when you have a good pathway between two different temps, no competition, and the hotter exit higher than the colder entrance. I think it is really tricky to tune just like it is tricky to build an acoustically great theatre. The engineers know all the theories, but it still takes tweeking.

    You may think there are no competing draws on an air supply but you can be fooled. Like the moment I discovered the only way to air out a certain room in my house was to block off the floor cold air returns.

    With fuel prices this winter even a small savings is worth it. Like you, I can't afford big fixes either, so it os well worth investigating. I go to sites like Epinions a lot to read other peoples experiences with products and it has helped me with many purchases. Too bad those sites don't review these types of products. Best wishes

  • Switching2Wood
    18 years ago

    Seems to me that 400 bucks on one of the bent tubes is a waste of 400$ and wood.

    I'd think, if you have the wood, that you could make most of the cost of an insert back by the end of winter.

    Your delta is about 1800-2200, depeding on the insert and assuming you put it in yourself.

    If you can even heat 1/2 of needs with it, that's likely about a grand in oil, and you made back 1/2 the cost of the unit by Spring. If you can heat more than 1/2, then better yet.

    Hey, I'm a planner. Buy the insert now, even on credit, and you'll make it back within a two year window.

  • mcharkowski
    18 years ago

    How about these reflectors that Plow & Hearth sell. They aren't all that expensive and if they work, I think it would be worth it. I can't seem to find any reviews of them anywhere.

    Also, maybe some advice. I have a fireplace in a fairly new home and this is one of these fireplaces that is metal with "Masonry Panels" on the back and sides. The one in back was cracked when we bought the place, so I filled it with fireplace masonry mortar and it looks pretty good right now. I used it all last year and had no issues. But I'm now considering something like that "Grate Wall of Fire" above that would keep the fire right up against that back masonry wall. Would this be dangerous? Are those things only made for "real" masonry fireplaces?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Plow & Hearth Reflector

  • Xanndra
    18 years ago

    mcharkowski:
    You should really start your own thread.

    What you have is a cheapie pre-fab fireplace. It isn't even safe to use under the best of conditions.

  • fpogoda
    18 years ago

    Charlie is in the same boat as many of us: walking the line between efficiency and aesthetics. So the idea of a "hearth heater" is compelling -- we wish they really worked, so we could keep the natural appearance of the open fire but get some heat out of it as well.

    MarkJ61 wrote about one without a fan -- but hearth heaters typically have fans -- that would continue to pump hot air into the room as long as the coals stayed hot.

    Is there anyone out there with experience with a "hearth heater" (with a working fan) that can help? thanks,
    FP

  • thornofcrowns
    18 years ago

    My parents had one that was identical in design to the Cozy Grate Heater (can't say if it was the same brand, but likely). Anyway, it really put out heat, to the point that you would sweat if you were anywhere near the fireplace and the fan was on high.

    They also tried one of the bent pipe things, but it didn't work very well at all and often blew smoke into the room.

    I stumbled on this thread because I was trying to find out who made them so I could buy one.

    Hope this helps!

  • gw:rodster-1
    17 years ago

    Hi,

    I came across this thread looking for opinions on the Fireplace Hearth Heaters that have the bent tubes which supposedly super heat the air and use convection to put
    it back into the room. I pasted in 2 links to shops I've seen online that sell them. I'm considering it but I'm still not completely convinced.

    One thing that concerns me is that at least one of these models uses aluminized steel. I'm not a material science major but some research I've done suggests that this material isn't as fire resistant as some of the "ads" make it look. I don't want to buy something for almost $500 (a model with the fan) only to have the thing burn through in 3 to 5 years.

    I guess I'm in the same boat as some of you: I love my fireplaces, I don't want an insert-(been there, done that), and most "burn something on this to make it hot and vent the heat" units I've tried have been diasappointing. I had a heat and glo grate heater with glass doors and the whole thing but the heat output was lacking.

    If I take the plunge I'll let you know how it works out.

    http://www.northlineexpress.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=5GS-FHK&source=froogle&kw=5GS-FHK

    http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Fireplace-Accessories/Fireplace-Heaters-Blowers?gclid=CJqhpdzdtYgCFTaVFQod2XqFhQ

  • jasper1_2002
    17 years ago

    I bought a DIAMOND D PRODUCTS heat exhanger in 1996. It's the kind with the motor on the inside and my glass doors rest on the manifold. It is extremely well built and sturdy AND it really added extra heat to the living area. The only problem is, the motor finally gave out and I've just emailed the manufacturer to see if I can get replacement parts. The company seems only to make inserts, doors etc. now. I paid about $400 for it and would gladly do it again. I had another brand previous to this one where the blower sat outside the fireplace. It was VERY noisy. I would not get another like that. If I can't get replacement parts I will try to find something comparable. I hope this helps.

  • garyg
    17 years ago

    Jasper:

    See if you can take the motor and fan out as a unit. With it in hand, you may be able to find a replacement. I replaced my fan/motor unit from my fireplace insert (no longer made) with a unit from Grainger (www.grainger.com), an industrial supply store. It wasn't an exact match, but close enough where I could do some doctoring to make it work.

    Good luck.

  • withstylecmc_gmail_com
    17 years ago

    Hello, I have experience with "hearth heaters"

    The hearth heater really is just a "grate heater"- a specialized grate made of hollow tubes and an electric blower which pushes heated air from a woodburning fire into the room- but with one difference, it has a heat reflector that absorbs heat and radiates it back into the room.

    My suggestion is to NOT buy a hearth heater. They are poorly made and are cheezy. Instead get an old fashioned iron Fireback with a high quality grate or grate heater. A fireback is a large sheet of iron that decoratively sits at the rear of the fireplace. The bigger one you get the better. Basically it absorbs heat like a sponge, and once it gets really hot it radiates heat into the room. It is a big heat reflector that projects heat that would otherwise be lost up the chimney. They run from 150 up- a great company is Pennsylvania Firebacks.

    Grates are NOT all the same. They all look kindof the same, but you should find one made of iron and not steel (they retain more heat and will not warp from really hot fires), on that is slightly curved in the front (technical reasons)- and small holes instead of large gaping slots. The small holes allow only ash and small embers to drop through. This way the embers stay in the grate and burn longer and more completely than if they dropped through and cooled down. You can get a fantastic grate for 150. So a fireback and grate solution probably be about 300 plus

    If you want even more heat, you might like the Grate Heater-thought I'm not a big fan. I think traditional equipment works almost as well and is for more beautiful. It looks a little odd, but they really do work. I don't suggest the Cozy Heat model. I suggest getting a Heat-n-glo grate heater- it is much higher quality. They very recently discontinued them because they weren't making enough money, so you might have to check local retailers to see if they have extra in stock. They pump out a lot of heat! The cost is 500 dollars and cheeze.

    Lastly-

    By far the best option is to get a Fireplace Stove Insert. This BY FAR THE BEST THING TO GET. They burn wood at extremely high efficiency so almost no smoke and ash goes unburned. Your ashpan will be virtually empty unless you constantly burn it. They can be expensive- always 1000 plus unless you get a used one. But they burn very slowly and beautifully. They don't need to be tended. They can often burn 5 or more hours on a single load of good wood- and when you reload ith with hot embers inside it almost instantly reignites in a blaze.

    downide- must burn with the stove door closed, so you don't get the sound of a fire. But its worth that loss.

    Hope this helps.

  • schmattanawtrout
    17 years ago

    One more thing.

    If you go traditional and get a fireback, a high quality grate made of iron, or a good wood stove, it will last almost indefinitely- unlike the grate heater.

    They look better and last forever.

  • pbel
    17 years ago

    Yes, unlike others here, and it works great. Have a Cozy Grate Heater and it blows out a lot of hot air. Built realy well. Fan comes on automatically when grate reaches proper temp. Fan can also be adjusted and it is not loud at a medium setting. Heats up my living room. Nice warm fire with great ambiance without the high costs. Fireplace inserts can get expensive and you need a special flue liner. I have glass doors which I close to allow the fire to simmer out overnight without losing room heat while the damper is still open. I don't burn fires frequently nor rely on this for primary heat, so this works great for me. My comments are based on actual use and not speculation like some so called experts here.

  • cyberbian_aol_com
    16 years ago

    I'm looking too. Just switched my plans from an insert.

    I think maybe there are shills in this forum. An insert for 2K, I'll take it!

    Everywhere I go that's not even the start! More like
    $ 2500 for a bottom of the line.
    600 install, 600 for pipes, A couple of bills for delivery. Oh you want some trim or options with that so it dosen't look like a train wreck in your living room?

    I can get a decent set of air tight doors for 1.5k and the heat blower for 500. 2K With full air tight big beautiful glass doors. The high temperature glass doors! Full visibility, not the little porthole of a cast iron behemoth!

    OK what do I loose in efficiency. In my little fireplace I put an insert in and get about 2 Cubic feet of burn space for 8 hours burn.

    Thats out of a 33 X 33 X 20 opening = 12.6 Cubic feet which I can stoke for an all day burn with a good set of doors.

    The inserts claim 50k BTU.

    The blowers claim 45k BTU from the blower.
    I'm going to be magnanamus and believe everyone today.

    Add the radiant heat through the quartz glass, and I figure its even.

    Most inserts don't claim better than 70% efficiency. That's in a controlled lab test. I presume thats comparable to the Prius getting 65 MPG in the lab, and 40 on the road?

    I just want to add one thing more to this scenario, Some kind of flue fine tuning control. Then there is not reason I could not truly match the efficiency of the insert.

    I really doubt they get better than 10% more efficiency from airtight doors and blowers.

    I have done enough reviews and such to know that these things have a way of disappearing if you say the undesired.
    Please let this stay!

    I promise I will come back with the results of my adventure. I hope it sticks.

    Lets keep it real people!

    Oh and I would like to hear more from the fellow at the start who was talking about an outside fresh air source. That is new to me. Interesting, I have never heard of it being done. Sounds practical, even preferable.

    Question: Why isn't it standard practice?
    Is there a valid reason, or are our standards just archaic?

    Cyberbian

  • garyg
    16 years ago

    Cyberbian:

    You are making a "poor man's" insert with your glass doors and a grate heater. However, $2k for your set-up isn't cheap. You are about $1k from a real insert, which you can install yourself if you had help moving it into place. You can install a stainless chimney liner yourself if so desired.

    You are missing a big point. A new, quality fireplace insert is basically a woodstove that fits into your fireplace opening. It is designed to burn the wood efficiently and completely. In your set-up, it is still open at the top. You may get some good btus but your burn times will be short and you'll go thru a lot of wood. There are limitations to your device but it will work.

    How will you provide combustion air to the fire thru the air tight glass doors? How will you regulate the supply of the combustion air? Cutting back the exhaust vent too much may back up combustion gasses into the house.

    I stick with my comment from 2 years ago: If these grate heaters worked as well as claimed, everyone that wants heat from their masonry fireplaces would have one. They do not take the place of an insert as far as being able to provide overnight burns or burn efficiently, but they can put out heat and warm a small room.

    I have a similar set-up in my masonry fireplace that you are attempting (not a grate heater w/doors but something of that idea). I have been using it for almost 6 years. It will warm my below-grade family room but I get short burn times, go thru a lot of wood, have a lot of unburned pieces left after the burn, and can't regulate the supply combustion air thru the doors. Don't get me wrong, my poor man's insert does put out decent heat. Last February, I measured a max of 348 degree air at the vent, 280 degrees at 1 inch from the vent, and 148 degrees 2 inches from the vent. I have tempered glass in the doors which does not allow for radiant heat to pass thru and provide extra warmth like the ceramic glass does.

    Providing combustion air for a fireplace using an outdoor supply pipe is common. Warmed house air is not used for combustion. This minimizes the amount of cold outside air drawn in thru windows and doors to provide supply air to the fireplace.

    Best of luck to you.

  • skitter_pop_mac_com
    15 years ago

    I'm a mason. And yes outside air is an option for most fireplaces. My local brick company sells the kit to add the outside air. It's just a metal pipe with a sliding door that you usually install at or near the back of the fireplace. If the fireplace is on an outside wall, it would probably be pretty simple to get it in there after the fact.
    I have two all masonry fireplaces in my house ( that I built) The one upstairs has never had a "real" fire in it. Only gas logs (per the wife's wishes) The fireplace in the basement has had a great woodstove insert in it. But I got a good deal on two sets of quality Schaefer doors and a couple yrs ago took out the insert in favor of the sound and site of a fire. But my doors in the basement don't seal very well. They are almost too short and let a lot of air in at the top. So I am considering getting a heater grate too now. I'm just looking for the best one around. The Cozy Grate would lift my doors to a point that I could seal them off and pretty much get an airtight set-up. My fireplaces are both in the middle of the house where I benefit more from the radiant heat stored in the masonry long after the fire is out. I'm like some of the other posters. I love the full view and sound of the fire. But you do lose some efficiency> I'm losing too much right now , that's why I'm looking at the grate heaters> I think the pipe type are kinda cheapo, but the Cozy might work. Anyone know of any other brands ...maybe cast iron, or super heavy duty types. I build a hot fire and don't wanna have to replace it any time soon. I also wonder how well that motor will hold up inside the fireplace. Even though they say it is insulated. And if the power goes out the heat may be higher in there since the motor would be not working. That's the biggest drawback I see is no fan w-out power, but that doesn't happen that often around here anyway. Just an occasional ice-storm some winters. I'm gonna keep looking an see if there are any more options for well built grate heaters. Let me know if anyone finds one. If I try the Cozy I'll try and post the results.

  • garyg
    15 years ago

    Wow. I replied to this post originally in 2005. Time flies.

    If you combine the Cozy Grate Heater, or similar, with a set of glass doors, you are making a "poor man's" insert. You should be able to get useable heat out of this set-up provided that the fire gets a regulated amount of intake air for combustion (the face of the doors should have openings for supply air). The side, back, and bottom brick of the existing fireplace also need to be in good shape. Since the flue is typically all the way open, the wood will burn much faster than a sealed insert, but you should be able to crank some heat.

    The glass in a set of glass doors is tempered safety glass. It will crack if a burning log lays against it. Ceramic glass is used in a real insert to resist the higher temps without cracking.

    You definitely need the fan running to cool the hollow steel frame of the Cozy Grate. During a power outage, you could always hook up a car battery to a power inverter and plug the cord from the grate heater into the inverter. This is the set-up I use for emergency power to the blower of my fireplace insert.

    Take care.

  • ol-pothead
    15 years ago

    I think the logic behind "If they really worked as great as they say they do, then everyone would have one " is the same as "If a million people do a silly thing, it is still silly"

  • mark94544
    15 years ago

    It is very easy to underestimate the negative effects of the huge draft going out an open fireplace. Keep in mind that when open fireplaces were truly used, the alternative was that without the fire it wold be as cold inside as it was outside, so no matter how inefficient the fireplace, you still came out ahead. With central heating, that is no longer so, and the open fireplace usually increases your heating bill due to the furnace coming on more. So, you can put glass doors on the fireplace, but now the aftermarket heat tube grate can't work right because it is stuck inside the hopefully airtight glass doors. Also, most masonry fireplaces are built into an outside wall these days. This is not where they should be built and not where they were built back when people relied on them to heat the house, but it is where they are now do to cosmetic reasons. Masonry is a poor insulator and so half the heat from the fire goes to the outside.

    A modern fireplace insert, which is functionally equivalent to a modern woodstove, deals with these problems with its overall from the ground up design. They eliminate the huge draft sucking everything up the chimney. They have fans to capture the heat and deliver it to the room. They have carefully designed primary and secondary combustion air circuits so that you can choke the fire back to low levels and still burn the smoke cleanly, all because they are built from the ground up as a complete unit. I am with the camp that says you will never get a regular masonry fireplace to give you the return you would get with a proper insert. If the cost of wood locally would make it worthwhile to mess with the old fireplace, it will definitely be worth your while to invest in an efficient insert or freestanding woodstove.

  • elphaba_gw
    13 years ago

    We live in Houston, TX and doing major remodeling regarding our house and fireplace. Don't need a lot of heat but we have an old house and our tv room is on north side. For those few nights when it is cold (16 degrees last winter), I'd like the option of a toasty fire which would also add heat to the room. Seems like a cozy grate would be ideal.

    We looked into a gas inserts (because we are serious). Forget the initial cost, the fireplace guy we talked to who I've dealt with before with a problem with our chimney so I have some respect said that the manufacturers recommend that you do an annual maintenance on inserts.

    To do this, he said, his company charges $500 (per year), because to do the checking required, they have to totally uninstall the insert, check and then re-install.

    YUK! That is a deal breaker for us - even if this were done every 3 years, seems way too complicated for our minor heating needs.

    The Cozy grate sure looks better and better. Only problem, finding someone here in Houston that is reliable and who will install - we don't do hands on work very well - ...

    Thanks to the original poster since I had never heard of this until I did an internet search and also for all the great input on this thread from others. I'll post if we do come up with something.

  • bob_the-calders_com
    13 years ago

    We had a cozy grate and loved it. used it only to warm up a 22' x 16' great room and when you step into the room you would immeadiately feel a big difference in the room temperature compared to the rest of the house. loved the hot air coming out of the blower. we had this thing for probably 20 years and never had a problem, sold the house and it stayed and so now we plan to buy another. I definitely not a techno wizard. all I know is it really warned up the room and that's what we wanted.

  • spamketch2010_gmail_com
    13 years ago

    I find all this supposition most interesting. Everyone talking about and forming opinions about things they have not even tried. Talk about arm chair Physicists! A couple people here seem to have some kind of vendetta against anything that improves the efficiency of a fireplace, unless it is a perpetual motion machine.

    OK, enough with the flaming of those who form opinions without a control group or proper experimentation.....

    In my home we have a large arched masonry fireplace, the nicest thing about it is how my wife likes to snuggle up on the couch and watch a fire burn. As with most open masonry fireplaces it is an attractive mantle which is the centerpiece of our grate room, however it is not all that good at warming up the house. (yes it drafts lots of air out of our home). I wanted to get an insert or something for it to improve its heating efficiency, but my wife insists on having an open fireplace, she likes the sound of the popping pitch pockets, and the smell of a wood fire lightly wafting into the house.

    While looking for an insert I ran into this youtube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lGifCvp7Yo

    I really liked the inserts this place http://www.hastyheat.com custom fits, but I could not talk my wife into a set of glass doors.

    Facing the fact that I would not win at closing off the fireplace to reduce the draft it pulls into the house, I did the next best thing. After discussing my options with Brent at Hasty Heat, I ordered a custom fitted fireplace grate heater, that they carefully arched in a double row of tubes to fit my hearth. If you want to see the quality of their work, I have a photo album of our hearth posted at http://www.dropshots.com/bp2010#date/2005-12-23/16:00:02 to view put in passwd = bpalbums

    We could not be happier, our home is kept significantly warmer despite the draft of the hearth, I am burning about 1/3 less wood and finding a greater level of comfort throughout my home.

    So in summary, yes a open fireplace drafts cold air into the home (so do leaky windows and door jambs). For those who do not want to destroy the elegance, nor permanently alter their fireplace hearths; fireplace grate heaters are a very good option to try. Ours can raise our great room from 60F to 70F in 1/2 hour, We have had to open windows and doors until we learned how to build more sane sized fires in this thing. We have gotten our great room into triple digits on more than one occasion. We are very happy with the collaboration and custom fitting done for us by hastyheat.com and can heartily recommend them for anyone who is interested in keeping warmer (unless you prefer to take the arm chair opinions of the naysayers that abound on the internet.)

    Try it you will like it....
    Brian

    Here is a link that might be useful: passwd = bpalbums

  • johnnymack
    13 years ago

    Brian (previous posting) � what is this crap being spewed here. I checked the links you provided: your fireplace pic, Youtube and Hastyheating. You posted this note in Mar -11, the youtube you stumbled upon was posted 2010 but your pic was taken 2005. Also I contacted that hasty guy via ebay back in 06 about his product (didn�t buy his) and as I recall he was using the same pic you posted as yours as his in advertising.

    This is total bull� sellers (or their agents) shouldn�t contaminate public discussion forums with ADVERTISING - posing as honest, normal folks sharing helpful information and experience. IT�S WRONG, DECEPTIVE AND IN VIOLATION OF THE BUSINESS USE OF THIS FORUM POLICY...

  • johnnymack
    13 years ago

    Brian (previous posting): What is this crap being spewed here. I checked the links you provided: your fireplace pic, Youtube and Hastyheating. You posted this note in Mar -11, the youtube you stumbled upon was posted 2010 but your pic was taken 2005. Also I contacted that hasty guy via ebay back in 06 about his product (didn't buy his) and as I recall he was using the same pic you posted as yours as his in advertising.

    This is total bull, sellers (or their agents) shouldn't contaminate public discussion forums with ADVERTISING - posing as honest, normal folks sharing helpful information and experience. IT'S WRONG, DECEPTIVE AND IN VIOLATION OF THE BUSINESS USE OF THIS FORUM POLICY

  • garyg
    12 years ago

    Posted by Brian Paytas(spamketch2010@gmail.com) on Mon, Mar 7, 11 at 12:29:

    "We have gotten our great room into triple digits on more than one occasion".

    I call BS on this statement. Triple digits in the great room from a hearth heater? NFW.

  • deke
    12 years ago

    My cousins girlfriend's brother's mailman's sister's boss knew someone who had one and it worked well, but then didn't, but then did.

    Hope this helps!

  • Daveywb
    12 years ago

    I have a 5 tube grate heater w/blower & have used it for 7 years now-- $250 brand new off Craigslist. I would never use it without a blower, not enough passive output. I used to use 3 tanks of oil a year to heat my 2,000 sq ft house. Since using t he grate heater the most I have used is 1 3/4 tanks of oil in a cold year. Normally use 1 1/4 tanks to 1.5 tanks of oil. This year with a warm winter I have only used 1/2 tank of oil so far. In 15 years & 2 houses partially heating with wood I have yet to BUY any wood - ALL FREE. And I have had the house up to 79 on a warm day in the winter. Normally 70-74 with a fire going, 70 in other rooms. After 7 years of use 2 tubes have now rusted out & I am buying a new 5 tube system for $300. I easily save $300 in heating costs in 1 year alone, let alone the 6+ years I have used this without a problem. Not everyone likes the work of heating with wood, and many new houses do not have fireplaces
    They work, plain & simple - from a long time user
    -Dave

  • sillygoosegirl
    10 years ago

    I know this is an old thread, but it still comes up on google, so I'm going to add my 2 cents.

    The house I grew up in had a fireplace heater system with glass doors and a blower. It was custom made by someone my parents knew before I was born, but functionally seemed pretty similar to the Cozy Grate. It always worked really well and one winter when we had an extended power outage, we plugged it into the car using an inverter (and long extension cord) and were able to keep the house warm. Well, habitable anyway.

    I had budgeted to get a insert for my fireplace, since I know they are more efficient, but I have been unable to find any that aren't ugly and provide a good view of the fire. If I'm not going to be enjoying my wood fire, I'd rather save myself the effort and burn natural gas in my furnace.

    I'm really surprised that it is harder to find information on the internet about these door/blower systems. I would believe the claim that they would be easier to find if they really worked, except I have personal experience with them. I know from experience that they do work, if not as well as a wood stove. Our fireplace was never as effective at heating our house as my neighbor's Franklin stove (the only source of heat for his house). On the other hand, a masonry fireplace is more attractive, many of us already have them, and not all living rooms have space to add a wood stove anyway.

    I'm still looking for sources to buy good glass doors. Most of the doors I find for sale say to always burn with the doors open. Obviously, this is not a good choice from an efficiency standpoint. I know they make glass that can stand the heat, but it seems like they don't put it in most fireplace doors.

  • Seamus121
    10 years ago

    Hearth heaters can play a good role if your fireplaces is too small. If you have a small fireplace then you can get one. You can fit them in front of your fireplace. A medium size of hearth heater can be fitted in front of any kind of fireplace. A medium size unit can heat between 1000 to 2000 sq.ft. area.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Nagle Stoves

  • Matthew Sullivan
    8 years ago

    I know this is an old thread, but it seems to have spurred some interest over the last few years. I, too, wanted to know if these grate heaters worked and came across this thread, but wasn't really convinced one way or the other from peoples' responses. On a whim, I decided to buy one, so I figured I could contribute if there are others like me who are curious. First of all, I went with the Cozy Grate Heater from woodlanddirect.com, and I've owned it for about 2 months (November and December). Granted these aren't the coldest months in New England where I live, but I felt I had enough experience with the unit so far to give my two cents. Here goes:

    - Does the unit put off heat? In short, yes. I keep my thermostat set on 60-62 degrees. Within a couple hours of lighting a fire, my living room (where the fireplace is) is up to 70-72 degrees. It's an approximately 10x20' room and it gets plenty toasty. Some of that heat does go into the rest of the house, but primarily it heats the space where the fireplace is located.

    - Will this unit provide heating for your whole house? Not really. I do notice the thermostat climb a few of degrees in other parts of the house, but again, primarily it seems to heat the fireplace room. I would say these units are best suited as supplemental heat for your existing heating system.

    - Do these heaters provide comparable heating to a fireplace insert or wood stove? Not really. My in-laws have an insert and my mom has a wood stove, so I can make a fair comparison. From my experience, the grate heater burns wood quicker than wood stoves & inserts and doesn't put out the same amount of heat. My guess is this has to do with air control - inserts and wood stoves are airtight and you have complete control over the amount of combustion air. A fireplace door (even with a damper feature) is not completely airtight. My mom's wood stove can burn a few logs all day long. I could burn though the same amount of wood in just a few hours. Again, the unit does a great job providing supplemental heat to your fireplace room, and a little bit for the rest of the house, but they aren't going to be a whole-home heating solution.

    One last consideration that isn't mentioned anywhere online: The unit I purchased (Cozy Grate Heater) is designed to operate most efficiently with the fireplace doors CLOSED. It says so in the instructions. However, I discovered that most fireplace doors are made of tempered glass and are NOT recommended to be closed while a fire is burning. Tempered glass can only withstand temperatures of about 500 degrees. They do make glass doors from a special type of glass called ceramic glass which is INCREDIBLY expensive - this is the same glass found in inserts and wood stoves. Before I bought the unit, I wanted to also purchase new fireplace doors. After discovering this, I decided to keep my existing doors just in case the glass on the new doors ended up cracking. I did call the company that makes the cozy grate heater and asked about this. A nice woman I spoke to told me she's never had a customer call and complain that their glass doors cracked. So far (again, 2 months in), I haven't had an issue - I don't build raging fires and I keep the burning logs at least 6 inches from the glass. Just be aware of this if you're considering buying a grate heater.

    All in all, I'm very satisfied with my grate heater. I wasn't expecting it to perform as well as an insert, but rather wanted it for supplemental heating of my living room. I love having a fire, but hated the smoke and lack of heating efficiency. This unit has certainly met my expectations.

    Sorry for the long-winded response, but I'm hoping this will help others out there who are in the same situation I was two months ago!

  • Ron Natalie
    8 years ago

    My neighbor did something I'd not thought about. We have radiant heat in the floors and he rant he floor tubing up under the hearth. That way his hearth is warm (at least in the heating season) whether the fire is burning or not,