People love sitting around fireplaces, listening to the crackle and pop of the firewood and enjoying the warmth of the fire. Lighting a fire in the fireplace is an excellent way to keep the cold at bay on these chilly days. Interestingly, the question often arises whether a fireplace makes your house colder.
A fireplace can make your house colder when it is not in use, as some warm air in the house escapes through the chimney and some cold air enters in its place. This makes the house colder. When the fire is burning, the chimney also draws out some heated air from the house.
In the rest of this article, I will discuss this question further. I will also explain how the fireplace makes your house colder when there is no fire and when there is a fire. I will also suggest ways to prevent the fireplace from making your home cold.
Contents
How the Fireplace Warms the House
The materials that make up a traditional fireplace are stones or bricks. The fireplace has a firebox that contains the fire, as well as a damper and a chimney that bring in air and allow smoke and other gases to escape. Some chimneys also have a damper, a movable cover designed to prevent cold air from entering the house when there is no fire burning.
The typical fuel used in traditional fireplaces is firewood. However, nowadays, fireplaces have evolved and can use other fuels, including coal, charcoal, propane, natural gas, and others. The type of fuel you use for your fireplace depends on the type of fireplace you have.
Every time you light a fire in your fireplace using firewood, the chimney brings in oxygen from outside, allowing the fire to burn. The hot embers and flame of the fire emit rays of heat. When these hot rays come into contact with people in the room, they feel warm, and the room also gets some warmth.
How the Fireplace Makes Your House Colder When Not in Use
The fireplace can make your house colder when it is not being used. You see, the chimney brings in cold air from outside, and the air enters the house and circulates like an open window in the rooms. This makes your home colder, which can worsen during the colder months of the year.
Additionally, the chimney also draws out some of the warm air from the house. Some of the heated air produced by your furnace or heater also exits the house through the chimney. When all this happens, your home becomes colder.
Unfortunately, with a fireplace, cold air constantly flows, and warm air is sucked out through the chimney. As the weather outside gets colder, the temperatures inside the rooms drop even more. According to some studies, the chimney can draw in over 1000 cubic feet (28.32 cubic meters) of heated air per minute.
How the Fireplace Makes Your House Colder When the Fire Is Burning
While the fire is happily burning in the fireplace, the chimney and flue are busy sucking in the oxygen to keep the fire burning. At the same time, they draw out the smoke and exhaust gases to prevent them from spreading inside the house. In the process, they also draw out some of the heated air that the fire has already generated in the room.
As the heated air escapes from the house and the cold air enters through the chimney, most of the fire’s warmth is lost. So, while you may feel warm near the fire, the people in the rest of the house may feel cold because the heated air in the rooms is being drawn out and lost through the chimney.
How to Prevent a Fireplace from Making Your House Colder
As mentioned earlier, a fireplace can make your house colder when the fire is burning and even when there is no fire. Below are several ways to prevent the fireplace from cooling down your home.
Close the Damper When the Fireplace Is Not in Use
The damper prevents cold air from entering the house through the chimney. By closing the damper when the fireplace is not being used, you prevent cool air from entering or warm air from escaping the house through the chimney. Closing the damper can be especially helpful during the colder months of the year.
However, always remember to open the damper before lighting a fire so that smoke and other exhaust gases can escape through the chimney. Forgetting to open the damper before lighting a fire can be not only uncomfortable but also dangerous, as the exhaust gases are toxic when inhaled.
Install a Chimney Balloon
You can reinforce the damper with a chimney balloon or plug when there is no fire burning in the fireplace. You attach this inflated balloon to the chimney, ensuring that no cold air enters the house through the chimney. You should remove the balloon before lighting a fire, but if you forget, the balloon will deflate due to the heat.
Install Tempered Glass Fireplace Doors
These doors seal off the opening of the firebox when it is not in use, preventing cold air from entering or warm air from escaping the house through the chimney. This keeps your home warm even during the seasons with dropping temperatures. Additionally, some fireplace doors look nice and could enhance the appearance of your fireplace.
The Heatilator fireplace doors from Amazon are a great example of tempered glass doors that will seal your fireplace and keep your home warm. These are easy to install and provide a great decorative and functional option for your home.
Conclusion
Although a fireplace has numerous benefits, if not careful, it could cause your home to become colder when the fire is on and when there is no fire.
The continuous flow of cold air into the house through the fireplace and the loss of warm air from your home through the fireplace can drive up your heating costs. However, by taking the necessary steps, you can prevent the fireplace from making your house colder.
Sources
- CSIA: The Ultimate Guide To Using Your Fireplace
- Building Materials: Design Guide: Different Types of Fireplaces
- Energy Education: Chimney