# FACT: "Fireplaces result in net loss of heat from the home" Bwuh?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439 "2011-11-01T00:51:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/41 "2011-11-03T18:53:12Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > Some have said that fireplaces are good for heating up a room, but not a house. > > What about a room that IS the house? Are the furthest corners colder than right in front of the fireplace? What if the furthest corners are really close to the fire? > > So, I think that in some cases, a fireplace could effectively heat a [quite small] home. fans can circulate hot air around a house and bring hot air down from the ceiling. some fireplace inserts can be hooked into a forced air ducted system for greater efficiency. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/42 "2011-11-03T18:56:47Z")
If you are not using the heater, but relying on the fireplace for heat, there is no exchange. We use ours when it is in the 40s or 50s instead of using the furnace. That is all plus. ---
**Author:** ![anon11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@anon11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anon11)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/43 "2011-11-03T19:01:12Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > fireplace inserts are common now a days. they are called inserts because they can be placed into a wood surround and use a metal triple walled chimney pipe which can be in a wood surround, no brick is needed (external to the combustion chamber). Are fireplace inserts another name for these advanced combustion fireplaces? The link from the canadian government mention’s that these fireplaces can heat an entire house and lower central heating costs. Is this true? What is the best fireplace currently available in terms of enviroment and ecological impact? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/44 "2011-11-03T19:12:28Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > So, I think that in some cases, a fireplace could effectively heat a [quite small] home. I don’t think anyone is claiming that it’s impossible to heat a home with a fireplace. But the word “effectively” is the sticking point. The typical fireplace is sending hot air out through the chimney instead of keeping it inside your house. So you’re heating your house with 10% of the fuel (or whatever) and heating the great outdoors with the other 90%. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/45 "2011-11-03T19:30:23Z")
In my house, the room with the fireplace is also the room with the thermostat. So we’ve noticed that while we’ve got a fire going, the heat doesn’t come on. The rest of the house doesn’t get noticeably any cooler than in any other situation where the heat’s not coming on (not that I would notice, I’m always either right by that fire or in the kitchen). My fireplace has a glass front, which we don’t always close, and some kind of connection, a vent or something, to outside, which probably helps. Granted, it’s not the most efficient way to heat the house, but it seems to work fine for that room. And when the power’s off, it’s sure nice to have a fireplace. (The no-power thing has only happened once in this house, that is for more than 20 minutes, and that was in the summer.) ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/46 "2011-11-03T20:43:11Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > fireplace inserts are common now a days. they are called inserts because they can be placed into a wood surround and use a metal triple walled chimney pipe which can be in a wood surround, no brick is needed (external to the combustion chamber). > [@anon11](#): > > Are fireplace inserts another name for these advanced combustion fireplaces? The link from the canadian government mention’s that these fireplaces can heat an entire house and lower central heating costs. Is this true? these are called inserts because they are a complete metal unit that you set inside a surrounded space, you don’t need to build a brick or stone fireplace and chimney to use them (you can add decorative brick for looks). these inserts are these advance combustion fireplaces (you’ll have to look at actual models though what i’ve seen of the quality ones are). you can get inserts of the size to provide enough heat for a house. some inserts will connect to forced air ducts to circulate heat the same as any hot air system. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/47 "2011-11-03T20:47:22Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > The typical fireplace is sending hot air out through the chimney instead of keeping it inside your house. So you’re heating your house with 10% of the fuel (or whatever) and heating the great outdoors with the other 90%. if a fireplace has airtight glass doors and external combustion air then it won’t do that. new construction for quite some time uses that kind, if you have a quality building contractor and aren’t doing things on the cheap. ---
**Author:** ![anon11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@anon11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anon11)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/48 "2011-11-07T10:58:53Z")
So, for a fireplace to be advanced combustion, must it use wood as fuel? For a fireplace to heat a whole house, must it connect to air duct? Does it save on money? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/49 "2011-11-07T14:46:29Z")
pellet stoves (not fireplace) can burn fuel pellets made of materials like wood, paper, crop waste. these have advanced combustion features. wood stoves or wood furnaces have types that can do hydronic (water) heat, furnaces are far more common. a large fireplace can heat a house with box (type used in windows), floor (pedestal) and ceiling fans circulating heat. a wood furnace is a large wood burner that is in a utility room inside the house or enclosed outside. the advantage of a furnace is that you load it fewer times than a fireplace and it can burn longer without tending the fire. a fireplace, even one large enough to heat a house, needs to be tended frequently. you can save money if you have an affordable source of fuel. you also have greater amounts of time tending your heat source, this time effort was the similar (though less) to when people burned coal to heat homes or apartment buildings. ---
**Author:** ![anon11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@anon11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anon11)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/50 "2011-11-07T17:52:21Z")
What would be an affordable source of fuel? Are the fans noisy compared to silent central heating? Are fans the only way to utilse a fireplace, or furnace, as a heating source? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/51 "2011-11-07T18:17:25Z")
My pellet stove really requires very little tending to. I fill the hopper with about 40lbs of hardwood pellets once a day, hit the start button and in a few minutes I have heat. There is a circuit board that controls the feed rate and fan speed. The stove extracts most of the heat from the fuel before sending the exhaust up the chimney. There is an air intake coming up from the floor that draws external air from outside the house. The fire box where combustion takes place is only 2 inches by 6 inches and holds about 2 cupfulls of pellets. The stove pipe going into the chimney is warm but not hot, I can touch it with my bare hands and not get burned. And no smoke comes out of the chimney at all. A ton of the best quality pellets that I buy costs $240 and is 50-40lb bags that will last almost 2 months. I usually use 2 1/2 tons each winter, I buy 3 tons and have a half left that sits in the garage all summer. All in all I am very happy with the stove as an affordable source of heat. ---
**Author:** ![anon11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@anon11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anon11)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/52 "2011-11-09T17:00:24Z")
> [@anon11](#): > > What would be an affordable source of fuel? Are the fans noisy compared to silent central heating? Are fans the only way to utilse a fireplace, or furnace, as a heating source? > > Thanks Just putting these questions onto the second page. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/53 "2011-11-09T17:18:57Z")
> [@anon11](#): > > Are the fans noisy compared to silent central heating? Are fans the only way to utilse a fireplace, or furnace, as a heating source? > > Thanks > [@johnpost](#): > > wood stoves or wood furnaces have types that can do hydronic (water) heat, furnaces are far more common. central forced air central heating systems can have some noise. ceiling fans (at low speed) and fans made to pull warm air from the ceiling (tube fans) are whisper quiet. other type fans can be run with speed controls or settings to be fairly quiet. ---
**Author:** ![anon11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@anon11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anon11)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/54 "2011-11-09T18:53:55Z")
From what I have read hydronic, or condensing, boiler is the most efficient and economical choice. These are common in Europe. I wonder why they are less common in North America. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/55 "2011-11-09T19:18:39Z")
> [@anon11](#): > > From what I have read hydronic, or condensing, boiler is the most efficient and economical choice. These are common in Europe. I wonder why they are less common in North America. central air conditioning can be done with a forced air system. ---
**Author:** ![anon11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@anon11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anon11)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/56 "2011-11-09T20:14:42Z")
According to the hydronic boiler wiki, they are more efficient and economical then forced air. Also, they provide more even temperature and no dust particles. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/57 "2011-11-09T20:46:20Z")
> [@anon11](#): > > According to the hydronic boiler wiki, they are more efficient and economical then forced air. Also, they provide more even temperature and no dust particles. they are in part more efficient because more heat is provided in smaller amounts of time so the boiler doesn’t have to run as often as a furnace. that unit has to heat up each time before you get heat into the living space. heat from radiators stays lower in the living space longer and so is affecting you longer. hydronic heat can also be used in-floor which is very comfortable. also very quiet. ---
**Author:** ![RingsOfPylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3da27b/32.png) [@RingsOfPylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RingsOfPylon)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/58 "2011-11-09T21:07:44Z")
> [@anon11](#): > > From what I have read hydronic, or condensing, boiler is the most efficient and economical choice. These are common in Europe. I wonder why they are less common in North America. Actually, hydronic heating systems are pretty widely used in the Northeast, and you particularly see them a lot in older homes. We know what a radiator is, and we know that we have to get the “boiler” serviced every year or so, depending on the fuel used. 🙂 They are less common in newer homes. I don’t know why. Perhaps the installation costs are higher. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439/59 "2011-11-10T19:09:57Z")
I admit that this is not a terribly scientific answer, but I think the apparent contradiction about fireplaces making the house colder but the inhabitants warmer mentioned in the OP can be explained by saying that, if you were take temperature readings at different horizontal and vertical spots in each room of a house with a fire(s) going, the average overall temperature may be lower, but if the inhabitants made a point of sleeping, eating, socializing, etc., in close proximity of a fireplace then they would be much warmer than in a house with no heat source. This issue seems to have gained more attention in modern times because fireplaces are used more for ambiance than utility so this overall cooling effect ends up being coffset by the home’s primary heat source(s), which, in most cases, means consuming more oil. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-fireplaces-result-in-net-loss-of-heat-from-the-home-bwuh/601439.md?page=2)