Cast iron Fireback VS stainless steel heat reflector: Opinions, please!

[Howard M Emerson]

Hello,
I have a fireplace in my living room in which I've installed a Grate Heater and a pair of black glass doors.

Compared to my woodstove in the atrium, the fireplace doesn't compare efficiency wise, but at least it's not pissing room air up the chimney.

I'd like to know if either the cast iron firebacks or stainless steel heat reflectors are of real benefit in directing heat forward, and if they can direct more heat forward, is the glass now at risk of getting too hot if they do indeed work so well.

Thanks in advance!

Howard
Huntington, NY

 

[Martin Strand III]

Hello,
I have a fireplace in my living room in which I've installed a Grate Heater and a pair of black glass doors.

Compared to my woodstove in the atrium, the fireplace doesn't compare efficiency wise, but at least it's not pissing room air up the chimney.

I'd like to know if either the cast iron firebacks or stainless steel heat reflectors are of real benefit in directing heat forward, and if they can direct more heat forward, is the glass now at risk of getting too hot if they do indeed work so well.

Thanks in advance!

Howard
Huntington, NY

Hello:

For more information on your heat losing fireplace, even with doors, you might want to review: (broken link removed to http://www.woodheat.org/technology/openfire.htm).

As for SS reflectors (maybe iron firebacks), I gave one to a friend who said it seemed to work for a while before it became too sooty and dull to reflect much. For the glass, if it's ceramic glass, you'd be hard pressed to damage it with heat from your fireplace.

I think reflectors are dollars wasted toward a dead horse.

Aye,
Marty

 

[skypager]

I've always felt that a fireback was more astetics then function. More of a hanky in a suit than anything else.

Considering the materials they are made out of I would think the cast iron would be a prefferable way. Better looking and will hold the heat and radiate better when the fire starts dying down. The stainless steel types do have a some good reflective quaility but after a few fires are gonna get dirty and look terrible and will not hold heat as long.

About the doors: I recently posted this in another thread -

Most quality doors can be closed when a wood fire is going as long as the door has a damper or some other provision to let air flow past them. However, if the fire has been going with the doors open for a while and then closed, there is a chance they will shatter. This most often will happen because of the suddend temperature change of the glass. If anyone wants to close the doors while a wood fire is going it is reccommended that they are closed half way first to slowly bring the glass up to temp, wait about ten minutes, and then close them fully. But keep in mind, their is no guarentee that the glass will not break under the extreme temps of a roaring fire. It is my personal reccomendation that the doors be closed only when the fire has been reduced to a bed of embers.

 

[Howard M Emerson]

Hi Marty,
Thanks for taking the time to reply!

I had assumed that the SS reflectors would be a waste of money not long after putting them in due to their getting sooty, so you confirmed my suspicions. The generally available firebacks are cast iron, of course, so I have to assume that as they heat up they're going to radiate heat...........somehow............but I just don't know if that heat comes forward.

The doors I'm using is this model shown here from Woodland Direct: (broken link removed to http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Catalog/Minuteman-Fireplace-Glass-Door-Collection/Shaker-Collection-Fireplace-Glass-Door-Enclosure_3)

They are set tight to the ceramic tile I did over my brick and they sit on top of the edge of the Grate Heater, so they're as air tight as I'd expect a fireplace to be...........Short of an insert or the like.

I was just wondering if the fireback was a cheap way to extra heat. Evidently it is not.

I will check out the link you sent, in any case........Knowledge is good!

Thanks again!

Howard