Are fireplace doors a necessity?

Question

Alright this may sound dumb....

I have a stone masonry wood burning fireplace in my home; however, it is dated with the huge, hideous, brass doors. I tried spray painting them a dull brown, but they still look awful. I watch HGTV religiously, and every time they give a fireplace a "face lift", they never install new doors. They just throw some candles in there and call it good. I know that without the doors, my energy bill will only climb, not to mention, a d**n bird was trapped in there last fall! I just wanted to know if anyone has a cute idea to stop the air flow, and still be able to do away with the doors. I looked into some new modern ones, and their prices are outrageous!

Thanks so much!

Answer 1

Are doors required by building code? Not usually. However, they have several advantages: they reduce the amount of room heat lost to the chimney, they block sparks and cinders that might escape the fireplace, and they allow you some control over airflow to the fire itself. You ought to be able to find a set of doors you can afford, and if you install them yourself you'll save money. Here's how:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/i...

But if you just want to get rid of the doors, you could replace them with a screen of some sort. Then you could install a top-sealing chimney damper to reduce heat loss (and keep out critters). These devices seal off the top of the chimney and are open & closed from inside the house. Take a look at the link below and you'll see what I mean.

Answer 2

I like the idea of saving energy with a door on your fireplace but I think practically they don't save you that much. In New york city it is required for a new fireplace or a UL listed fireplace to have glass doors. A spark arrestor is also required when consuming wood as fuel for your fire.

I think the best use of a glass door is to prevent the children, pets and passers-by from accidentally setting themselves on fire when the fireplace is ON. If something like this were to happen, you would never forgive yourself for trying to do without.

As for the draft out the flue I recommend a top sealing damper for that. It will surely save you more energy than the glass doors will and for far less cost.

That said a quality door is a focal point and will hold its value on a resale.

Good luck & Cheers!