Drafts from open fireplaces can make a house feel cold and drafty. They are also a safety hazard, as they can cause fires to spread more quickly. In this blog post, we will discuss why it’s important to keep your fireplace closed and some ways that you can improve the air quality in your home during the winter months.
A fireplace is one of the best sources for home heating. It’s no wonder that fireplaces are so popular in homes all over America. But, when you have an open fireplace, it can be drafty and difficult to heat your entire house. That’s why you might want to consider installing a traditional wood-burning stove instead!
Why Open Fireplaces Can Be Drafty?
Open fireplaces can be drafty because the room that they are in is not able to trap any of the heat. This allows cold air and drafts to come into your home, making it very uncomfortable for you and everyone else who lives there. It also makes this type of fireplace way less efficient than a closed one because all the hot air escapes without being used by anyone or anything inside.
An open fireplace might seem like an attractive idea at first but soon enough people realize how impractical such a thing really is! They don’t work well with insulation so if you pair them up with un-insulated walls then prepare yourself for some chilly rooms during wintertime. There’s just no reason why anybody would want that unless we’re talking about a log cabin or some other country home.
Open fireplaces have no doors to trap the heat inside so they don’t work well with proper insulation either. Pairing them up with un-insulated walls is not a very good idea because you’ll end up burning way more wood than necessary which will make you go broke sooner rather than later! There’s really nothing that good about open fireplaces, unless we’re talking about something like a rustic cabin in the middle of nowhere but even then…
How to Make Fireplace Less Drafty?
First, you need to clean the chimney. Check that there are no obstructions blocking it and if not, use a small rod or something similar to clear out any dust build up. If all is clear, try lighting the fire again once every other month just so everything stays fresh. Next step would be putting some kind of wind guard around your open fireplace – this can come in different shapes and forms but what they have in common is their ability to block drafty air from entering into your home through an open fireplace.
You can go with standard curtains or drapes for this purpose too as long as they cover enough area around your opening. You will also want to place panels on walls surrounding the fireplace because these act like doors closing off space from the rest of your home.
The final step, once everything else is in place, would be to add a fireplace screen that can come with a mesh on one side and glass or metal finish on the other. This will help you leave open fireplaces while ensuring that wind stays outside where it belongs.
Closing The Damper
Making sure the damper is closed when you’re not using the fireplace. If it isn’t, heat will escape up your chimney and into your home. Not only can this add to fuel costs over time, but even worse, cold air from outside could be drawn in through cracks around windows or doors that have been left open.
The other concern with an open damper is carbon monoxide poisoning which has killed many people who did not realize a fire was still burning while they were sleeping at night.
Using Draft Excluders Or Chimney Balloons
Drafts can cause a lot of problems in your home and it is important to be able to get rid of them. The most common draft is the one found near an open fireplace, because fireplaces produce large amounts of hot air which naturally go up towards the ceiling. If you have an open fireplace this means that there will always be some kind of excess airflow going through your home if not controlled properly.
Open fireplaces can be a great addition to your home both aesthetically and practically speaking, but they also have some downsides which you need to know about. One of the most common problems that open fireplaces cause is drafts or cold air currents running through your house at all times. The solution for this problem is simple: draft excluders or chimney balloons are devices specifically designed to prevent these unwanted drafts from entering homes.
Drafts in houses aren’t just an inconvenience because they make it harder for homeowners to maintain ideal temperature levels inside their living spaces – below-optimal temperatures can lead to increased energy bills due more heating being necessary throughout the winter season, so preventing drafts by using excluders or chimney balloons is a great way to save money and energy.
Drafts can cause a lot of problems in your home and it is important to be able to get rid of them. The most common draft is the one found near an open fireplace, because fireplaces produce large amounts of hot air which naturally go up towards the ceiling. If you have an open fireplace this means that there will always be some kind oof excess airflow going through your home if not controlled properly. One solution for this problem is simple: excluders or chimney balloons are devices specifically designed to prevent these unwanted drafts from entering homes by sealing off any possible gaps where cold air could enter through or around your property’s walls, roofing system, windows etc.
Environmental Protection
Open fireplaces are usually preferred because they allow free movement of air around the area. This can be both beneficial and harmful depending on what you’re trying to do with your fireplace. If, for example, you want a gas or electric stove that heats up quickly but does not produce much heat then open fires will work well as long as there is plenty of airflow through it.
However if you cold weather heating needs cannot be met by this type of heater then an open fire may need some help in order to make sure it stays warm enough inside your home during these periods where outside temperatures drop below freezing.. As mentioned before, when starting out with an empty room all too often homeowners choose open fires rather than closed stoves simply because they are more aesthetically pleasing. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it can lead to some serious problems down the road when you start trying to heat your home during colder weather.
A simple solution is using a fan behind your fireplace in order to create an updraft of air through the flue so that warm air will be circulating throughout your living space rather than hovering directly over top of where the firewood is burning.. If there are no open windows or doors nearby then one possible option for this would be simply installing a small wall-mounted electric fan just outside and pointing it toward inside, if not then use two fans on opposite sides of room at floor level while aiming them towards center of room facing each other across fireplace opening.
Safety Tips
- Just like with any fireplace, you should never leave an open fire unattended.
- To avoid this, close the damper if possible.
- If it’s not possible to completely close the damper or otherwise block airflow at least partially closed, use a screen in front of the opening.
- It is also advisable to set up your stovepipes so that there are no gaps between them and walls. This will help prevent air from getting into your house when they’re cold outside.
FAQs
What causes a fireplace to be drafty?
Drafts can come from the chimney, inside and out. A cold air return that is not sealed properly or around windows where cold air enters into your home. Make sure you use caulk on all of these potential areas of entry if they are present in your space. If there isn’t an area like this then make sure no one opened up the door while someone was lighting it! That will really cause drafts.
What are the best ways to stop drafts?
There are a few different techniques you can use. If your fireplace is shooting out cold air into your room, then put up another barrier using caulk or weather strips around that area where it’s leaking in. You could also close drapes over the window(s) if there aren’t any blinds already installed on them. The drapes will help keep warm air from leaving through those windows as well! We always recommend having double-paned windows with Low E Glass too because they work great for this type of insulation and energy efficiency!
How do I know what type of glass my fireplaces have?
Checking the label behind one side should be all you need to do. The label should tell you if your fireplace has tempered glass or not. Tempered is more expensive but it’s also safer and will hold up better!
How can I keep my house warm in the winter without an open fireplace?
If this isn’t possible at all then one way of keeping heat inside, especially if someone opens a door while the fire place is on, would be closing drapes over windows where cold air might come in from outside. We always recommend double-paned Low E Glass for great insulation too! You could put on additional layers of clothing as well to help stay warmer until the next heating cycle comes around!
Conclusion
Drafty fireplaces are quite common. There is nothing wrong with your fireplace if it’s drafty, but there might be something not perfect about the way you use it or maintain it. Drafts can easily come in through cracks around windows and doors; gaps between floorboards; poorly fitted glass screens; leaky flue pipes (if you have one); loose mortar joints on chimneys; unsealed tiles above stoves etc. The list goes on! While some drafts may seem minor that won’t affect anything, they all add up to make for a less efficient heat-transfer system which increases energy consumption over time – this should definitely be addressed as soon as possible because even small changes will help save money eventually.