There’s nothing quite like a fireplace to add atmosphere and comfort to a room. The whole room changes when there is a roaring fire going on. We all know the feeling. The warmth generated, the ambiance of sitting near a roaring fire with friends or the depth of reflection during a meditative moment. Fire adds depth to a home in so many ways!
Fireplaces also have a down side that needs to be paid attention to. While they are an excellent heat source while the fire is being fed and maintained, as the fire dies down, a fireplace also becomes a source for drawing heat out of the house. One can’t just shut down the damper when the fire is dying down. You would smoke out the house and everyone inside. Many fireplaces do not have glass doors that can be a saving grace as the fire burns down when you have gone to bed and are no longer tending the fire. Shutting the doors and leaving the vent on the bottom of the doors closed most of the way allows just enough air to feed the fire but restricts the fireplace from sucking all the warm air back out of the house. When the fire dies down, it also causes the updraft to lose strength and leaves you vulnerable to down drafts coming down the chimney and blowing smoke and ash back into the room and throughout the house. When the fire has died down completely, you can shut the vent on the bottom and retain the heat inside the house.
Another great feature of a glass doors is that when starting the fire, once you light the newspaper, you can shut the doors down to where there is space in the middle of the doors and, by leaving the vent at the bottom fully open, the glass doors create a bellows affect, pulling combustion air in from the room and focusing the air on the fire, making it much easier to start.
A fireplace without glass doors just invites problems. They are a good overall investment for your fireplace and your bottom line energy savings.