Good day I am after suggestions/opinions/things to think about if I should replace/keep or remove completely my fireplace. I am of the nature of "buy once cry once".
I purchased a fixer upper acreage late 2024 and haven't had time to use the fireplace. When house hunting I wasn't fully set on needing a fireplace, this house had one. I had the fireplace inspected by a very young person "yup everything looks good". Unfortunately I had a few squirrels fall down my chimney (recently) and knock out the damper rendering my fireplace useless for the time being.
My house is in northern Alberta is a 1970s bungalow with a basement. Previous owner dug out around the house to have a walkout.
I have a 1970s zero clearance Heatilator Mark 123 in the basement. The chimney is within the house walls. The firebox of the Heatilator seen better days (they're all bent up from heat among things). There is insulation on the Heatilator combustion ducts (placed by the previous owner, kind of suspect for me to light a fire).
My house has a natural gas boiler with 3 zones as my primary heat (Master bedroom on main floor / Main floor / Basement)
I am planning a basement renovation within the next 10 years (need to save up). My basement has a subfloor that is 4" tall and overhead boiler lines hiding in dropped ceiling tiles. I want to do away with the subfloor and probably needing to insulate the basement walls better.
My questions for debate: Having a fireplace in the basement I've read could pose its challenges venting. Is it worth me keeping this 1970s fireplace, I think no? If I were to replace it, do I need to replace it with a new zero clearance fireplace? Any challenges with zero clearance fireplace in a basement? Is the chimney that is within the house walls savable if I were to switch to a free standing stove?
![[Hearth.com] Basement Heatilator Mark 123 - To keep or not](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/screenshot-2025-04-11-011647-webp.338268/ "[Hearth.com] Basement Heatilator Mark 123 - To keep or not")
I am not considering gas fireplace as an option because of my basement already controlled by a gas boiler.
I purchased a fixer upper acreage late 2024 and haven't had time to use the fireplace. When house hunting I wasn't fully set on needing a fireplace, this house had one. I had the fireplace inspected by a very young person "yup everything looks good". Unfortunately I had a few squirrels fall down my chimney (recently) and knock out the damper rendering my fireplace useless for the time being.
My house is in northern Alberta is a 1970s bungalow with a basement. Previous owner dug out around the house to have a walkout.
I have a 1970s zero clearance Heatilator Mark 123 in the basement. The chimney is within the house walls. The firebox of the Heatilator seen better days (they're all bent up from heat among things). There is insulation on the Heatilator combustion ducts (placed by the previous owner, kind of suspect for me to light a fire).
My house has a natural gas boiler with 3 zones as my primary heat (Master bedroom on main floor / Main floor / Basement)
I am planning a basement renovation within the next 10 years (need to save up). My basement has a subfloor that is 4" tall and overhead boiler lines hiding in dropped ceiling tiles. I want to do away with the subfloor and probably needing to insulate the basement walls better.
My questions for debate: Having a fireplace in the basement I've read could pose its challenges venting. Is it worth me keeping this 1970s fireplace, I think no? If I were to replace it, do I need to replace it with a new zero clearance fireplace? Any challenges with zero clearance fireplace in a basement? Is the chimney that is within the house walls savable if I were to switch to a free standing stove?
I am not considering gas fireplace as an option because of my basement already controlled by a gas boiler.
