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Show Page 4 - Home Magazine, THE HEID DjULY Friday , October 27, 1995 Kits convert fireplaces from heat waster to producer Q: I like to burn my fireplace, but it cools my house more than heats it. I cannot afford a new efficient fireplace. What can I do to make my old fireplace produce some heat yet still watch the fiames? - G. H. Up to 40,000 A: In the typical home, burning a fireplace (wood or gas logs) can actually increase utility bills rather than cut them. To make the problem worse, a fireplace continues to waste energy year-roun- d even when it is not burning. For the most heat output, up to 40,000 Btu per hour, install a heat is circulating grate. The grate itself Several made of hollow tubing. effective designs are available for both natural wood or gas log sets. Room air is circulated through the hot grate by a small blower. The blower is thermostatically controlled and continues to blow out warm air as long as the ashes and coals are still hot. The blower There are several simple fireplace kits and improvements to convert it from a heat waster to a heat producer. These improvements still allow you to watch the dancing fiames and hear the crackling sounds. Place gas logs on grate Btuhour heat output speed is adjustable. The most efficient kits are designed to fit underneath glass doors. Cool room air is drawn in one side and hot air is blown out the other. It only raises the doors about an inch. These models also are designed with the blower behind the glass doors so it is not visible or noisy. y glass Installing doors is a must. These reduce the loss of heated room air when the fireplace is burning and when it isn't being used. Most have screens inside so you can open the glass doors sometimes if you want to hear the crackling while the fire Lightweight heat circulating grate I cLji ' Coo! room air inlet ii mil jMT is burning. Heavy-dut- y f, Don't just buy the cheapest glass door kit. Although they all look good, the tight sealing kits have smaller gaps between the door segments. They should be heavy and rigid to provide a good seal. Select Jass doors with slotted openings to con adjustable C p" best-qualit- y, '"'A IT7 17" 7 I ,J ' $en$ible Home James Dulley " Blower with thermostatic control m ( t v Ktiwrs Ol I hi785-454- Ainl (See DULLEY, Page Provo W 3 8) - Fabulous 2 story view of em.T-le4 bdrmm 3 bath, 1 '2 yeais r beautiful, clean design Only S325.000 South County Raises glass doors only one inch off floor Extension kit Acreage for large fireplaces Orem Mam floor living 4 bedrooms. 3 baths 2 car garage 2 family rooms plus a game room neal , clean. only S1 59 900 Heat circulating grate makes fireplace a heat producer Do you have a case of small bathroom blues? Here's a cure By Knight-Ridde- r JO WERNE Newspapers If you are a homeowner, you can enlarge a bath by pushing out a wall or building an addition to your house. If you arc a condo dweller, it's not that simple. New condos usually have luxurious, spacious baths. Yet if your building is an older one. you may be stuck.jth..a standard 5- - by master bath and an even smaller second bath or powder room. Interior designer Brenda Frost has discovered several solutions to blues. Two years the small-bat- h ago she moved from a large home h 2 con-d- o to a in a building. two-bedroo- 12-bat- "A lot of people would like to have a bigger bath, but it's difficult in a condo." Frost said. "You can't Osmond Real (Set BATH, Page 8) 90 acres m lakes' Top Performers ore At Fist She. Canberra Phases 1 and 2 Sold Out. Phase 3 Plat "E" Now Available. The Most Beautiful Home Sites in Utah COunty. In the lindon Mt. Timpanogos Foothills Builders and Brokers Welcome . . -- 7 Fact lf( Protective Covenant: Lots Priced From $47, M CHNRFRRR II CnntK j", Contact Stephen Tanner ot Just Listed Priced less than S?500 per acre' Pc done-rea- dy lor 16 lots Call for c!' more details Estate-Utah- 's M 785-950- uwu 0 W ........ .1 . . . . r norm ja hju tast uremj uttered by RtMAX lenwai Office or 9 Mobile Ask About New 100 Financing rAnr, irtnn U..UU11 I 372-465- pil- low seals, fire backs and efficiency tips. Please include $2 and busi- - ( Win-l- t Dollar Producer Multi-Millio- high-qualit- inflatable m. op SjIia l S circulating grates, efficient glass doors, Treat " Right You fti'Tinnm out directly into your room. When your fireplace is not being used, insert an inexpensive reusable inflatable pillow seal in the flue opening. This blocks air leakage and provides insulation value. Place it up by the chimney damper and blow it up. Write for Update Bulletin No. 714 listing manufacturers of heat or lYrsnrulivd Smuc all Ann Vt'iUnn Ann Wilson " An antique style, decorative "fire back" also helps. It is a heavy metal plate which is placed in the back of the fireplace. When the fire back gets hot, it radiates more heat good-qualit- Hot room air outlet design for real firewood trol the air flow to the fire. Check the fit of the slotted slide. The back of the door frame should be stuffed with insulation to seal against the fireplace opening. |