I just moved this past summer into my first home and it has a conventional masonry fireplace. I've never had a fireplace before, so I am not too experienced, although I'm learning quickly. I was told that it was still functional by the previous home owner, and I had a chimney sweep come in to clean it in preparation for the cold months ahead. I've been using it for about a month now, but I find that the wood doesn't catch very well, it makes the house smell like smoke and barely gives off any heat. On top of that, it was pretty cold last week and I tried starting a fire, with the damper open of course, but it ended up filling the room with smoke until it warmed up. Very frustrating. The more I read about it, the more I hear about having an advanced combustion insert installed if I want to get the most out of the fireplace. But of course, they aren't cheap, so I'm wondering, should I bother with the fireplace altogether this season or just leave it be until I can afford the insert?
2007-11-14
05:55:42
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3 answers
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asked by
nomad2224
1