How to improve the efficiency of your fireplace

Fireplaces can generate heat to an incredible extent. However, when it’s not done right, most of this heat could end up going up the chimney with all of the smoke. When searching for tips to improve the output and efficiency of your fireplace, it is vital that you understand what you’re doing. Open fireplaces, when compared to other heating systems, tend to be inefficient. However, they can be improved on so that their efficiency and heat output is increased.

Burn only dry wood

A lot of the issues surrounding fireplace inefficiency come from the fact that the wood being used isn’t suitable for burning. It is essential that you make use of suitable wood for your fireplace. You should not burn wood that is:

• Wet.
• Rotten.
• Green.
• Moldy.
• Treated or painted.

Any of this kind of wood shouldn’t come in contact with your fireplace. You should also not burn any other material apart from dry wood in your fireplace. To understand the sort of wood you need to burn, make sure that the wood being used is dry enough to pass off as firewood. You can identify dry wood by its looks: brown color, peeled off bark and rough edges.

Close the damper

The damper can be found inside the throat of the chimney with its main function of sealing shut a fireplace when not in use so as to prevent heat leaving through the chimney. However, the damper should be open when a fire has been lit. This is to ensure that enough air comes in contact with the fire so it can burn more intensely. After a period of years, the damper could deteriorate in quality, meaning it will start to allow air to pass through. When this happens, you should replace it. You can also replace your fireplace by contacting a fireplace supplier in London or anywhere else.

Get a grate or fire basket

If this is something you don’t have already, then it is advisable that you get one. A grate will not only give you a platform where you can build a fire, it will also stop logs of wood from rolling out of the opening by holding all the wood in place. This will translate to making the fire burn more brightly and efficiently. A fire basket or grate will slightly elevate the wood off the floor which then allows sufficient oxygen to reach the fire. This is the major reason why the fire will burn efficiently.

Use a moisture meter

Going back to the use of dry wood, the best way to determine if wood is really dry is by making use of a moisture meter. A moisture meter can accurately determine the moisture content of wood. You need to use wood that has a moisture content of less than 20% when lighting up your fireplace. If the wood has a moisture content of more than 20%, it has to be dried out before it can be used. Doing this ensures that the wood you use burns brightly and that your fireplace can remain effective.