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Mon, Oct 31, 11 at 16:10
| We have a 1960's built home with a fireplace. Its brick with a brick chimney. I can make smokey fires in it to make smores if the power is out but not much more.
What do you do to make it put OUT some heat in a case like this? I'd like to be able to supplement the oil heat he use with it and have it heat 2 or 3 adjoining rooms if the power is out . I live in SE MA. My neighbors on the west side of the state are dealing with 2 feet of snow and no power till Friday. I want to be ready if that is ME the is winter! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by mainegrower (My Page) on Tue, Nov 1, 11 at 4:59
| A fireplace is extremely inefficient - most of the heat goes straight up the chimney. The first thing to do is have your chimney inspected for safety and cleaned if it needs it. The smokey fires suggest wood that is too green to burn well or a chimney seriously plugged with creosote or a combination of the two. The truth is that a fireplace is not going to heat two or three adjoining rooms even with a good draft and dry wood. A fireplace insert or better yet a free standing wood stove vented to the chimney may, but an awful lot depends on the layout of the rooms and the amount of insulation in the house. |
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