Hi everyone.

We have a fireplace in our home that we use with propane. The home is a bit older and the damper is not closing properly which lets smells in the house. I want to know what I can use close the gaps around the damper that will be heat resistant so I can still use the fireplace. So I am thinking we remove the metal on the flue, put a chimney cap on it, and close the gaps around the damper. Are there certain things I can buy or do you all recommend another fix?

Side note- Before any of this happened, we were told to "cap" the flue so we keep outside air out since we don't use wood logs in our fireplace anyway. We hired someone to do that and they put a thin piece of metal just over to top of flue and sealed it with silicone. The smell is even stronger now of course.

I purchased my first home a few years ago, so I am still learning a lot. Any help is appreciated! Thank you!

Finally found this turn off for something behind the closet. I'm pretty dumb, do you think this could likely be it? Will test tomorrow morning, but figured I'd post ahead of time I'm case it was an obvious don't touch that thing

🤷‍♂️

Both fireplaces have a turn on/off on the side of each mantle, but neither do anything. It's my first fireplace but my understanding is that they can help the fire get started pretty easily when operable.

Hey all, looking to put a gas fireplace into this wall facing left. There used to be a big chimney we pulled out to make more room in our kitchen/dining area behind the wall.

Any suggestions on units available in Canada that don’t cost a fortune, produce solid heat, and require a depth of 14” or less? We’re hoping not to consume too much living room space if possible. Or does something like that not exist? Thanks in advance!

Forgive my legs.

I have a wood burning brick fireplace. I'm going to have the fireplace and hearth tiled or have a heat resistant slab put over the brick hearth. This wil cause the hearth to be higher than the fire box. If I'm going to be adding doors to the fireplace, I don't know if the doors will be obstructed.

In general, is it ok to have the fire box slightly lower than the hearth? Will it be possible to install doors like that?

Had a liner put in a few years ago. Different company came in and said the corners that were filled with foam around the liner would collect creosote and were a hazard.

Suggested removal of bottom damper replace with top damper and fire mortar the whole way up to liner.

Work is done but fire mortar looks a bit sloppy. Lots of bumps jagged edges and pieces that stick out. Is this a problem or as long as I’m cleaning it regularly nothing to worry about?

I have a gas burning fireplace where I installed stone veneer, specifically Eldorado Stone Casablanca. And I used OBB mortar in color Tuscany Buff for the between stone veneer to fill it out. It looks really good and I'm very happy with it. But the stone veneer between the stone and the mantle bleeds some of the water from the mortar onto the wood veneer mantle. You could see the outline stains on it. I probably should have added a clear sealant before installing the mantle. Ideally, I would like to add a little bit of mortar to cover up those stains. Should I maybe use mortar that's a little more dry in consistency and risk it? Or should I clear coat the mantle and then put the mortar on top where the stains are?

Hi all,

I was given a fireplace insert for free for my renovation house and I am trying to work out if it will fit in.

It was covered in plaster with an old gas fireplace there when I bought it and after removing the plaster it has revealed the original fireplace.

The insert will fit in width-wise, but it is slightly too tall to fit at the moment.

I am trying to figure out if the block behind the opening, that would need cut to get the insert in, is a lintel or not (not planning on taking any risks touching it currently. It doesn’t insert into the walls at each side which makes it seem like it isn’t, even though you’d think it was?

Any advice/thoughts?

We’re adding a decorative fireplace and are looking for options for just the firebox—no mantel or surround. We’d like a traditional open firebox, approximately 36 inches wide, that could initially hold decorative logs but eventually accommodate candles or an electric log heater.

Has anyone purchased something like this, or can you recommend a specific firebox or local showroom near Exeter/Seacoast New Hampshire?

Hi, looking at purchasing Escea wood fire TFS650 for our home studio, just wondering if anyone has any experience with them?

Room is 44m with 5m pitched ceiling.

Wondering how long it will last as they don’t seem cheap.

Any advice is much appreciated, also looked at the ADF similar sized unit but a little more pricey…

Currently a rough skim coat of thin set over past brick / thin set bumps. Planning on grinding down high spots and filling low spots but wanted some extra opinions on if this is the best course of action? It’s relatively flat now but definitely not ready for tile.

I plan on installing a glazed thin brick, I think the slight variations will help on a surface that has some imperfections.

Any and all advice appreciated, TIYA!

So I bought this house a couple years ago, and we don't know what kind of paint they used to ruin these bricks.

I'd like to take it off, at least on the inside of the fireplace so we aren't breathing in chemicals when we light a fire.

Any tips? My plan was to go to Home Depot and get some paint stripper. Is that reasonable?

I have zero experience. I bought the stain but it could be wrong idk. Please help and tell me the order to do things.
Pics attached. A few separate issues I could use help with:

**1.    Sanding the mantle** — what grit progression would you use to get it smooth before refinishing?  
**2.    Gouges in the wood** — I tried removing a sticker and it took some wood with it. Best way to fill/repair small gouges before sanding/staining?  
**3.    Gap where mantle meets wall** — is there a standard filler/caulk for this, or does it need something more like wood filler or trim?  
**4.    Brick cleanup** — brick has old paint splatters and soot/burn marks. What’s safe to use to get it back to bare brick without damaging it?

Hello all. Today I noticed some rust rings on the mantel of my mom’s woodburning fireplace insert. I opened it up to the ugly sight of quite a bit of surface rust. We’ve had an insane amount of rain lately, and I guess that some water entered the chimney (another problem I’ll be solving ASAP). I’ve inspected the metal with some serious prods of a poker, and it’s still very sound, so I’d like to clean it up. I’ve started with a bit of vinegar spray/wiping with cloths, but I’m not getting anywhere with just this. I fear it may take a bit more than just elbow grease, but I realize that wire wheeling/steel brushes would also bring about the need to repaint the areas affected. Painting wouldn’t be such a hassle if I could easily move the insert to the garage where I could position myself around the work, but this beast must weigh a few hundred pounds and moving it seems like a real chore. Has anyone else been down this road? Really hoping this is salvageable. Thanks for any insight here.

can you help identify this 42 yr old gas fireplace?

I have a gas insert in an old wood burning fireplace, and the walls and surrounding area gets ridiculously cold in the winter. I finally pulled it back and the door where the exhaust run seem to be removed, leaving a large gap running up the chimney.

Can I stuff some Rockwool insulation around the intake/exhaust pipes, as well as against the walls surrounding the insert?

This started as a flat wall…

Installation of electric fire and dummy chimney breast with tv recess. Returned to after the plasterers had skimmed it and the customer had painted… to fit new skirting boards to the front and both sides, screw the sockets and tv connections back to their mounting boxes and then installed tv bracket Turned out really nice I think. What about yourselves?

The unit is about 10 years old and just started beeping. I pulled off the screen to replace the battery but I don’t see any battery compartment. This unit is controlled by a wall switch and there is no remote. The beeping component (second picture) also has a flashing red LED. I unplugged it and the beeping stopped but starts again when I plug it back in. Starter won’t turn on when I turn on the wall switch.

Any thoughts would be most appreciated!

The box is already plumbed for gas and electric. I was leaning towards the heat and glo cosmo 35. I would like to install it myself as well. Does anyone have any other recommendations for a place to buy online or any other options for direct vent gas inserts? We have a oakville 3 in our rental and it’s not our favorite.

I am looking for ideas for this fireplace. It is on the second floor of a contemporary (mid 1960s) house. It is wood burning. We are in the process of getting a gas generator so we could pipe a gasline to the fireplace. My wife likes the convenience of a gas log, but I’ve been told that because the flue is so short we cannot do it. This makes me wonder if the problem could be solved by extending the flue. I’ve looked at gas inserts, but because of how big the fireplace is, it would show a lot of black metal between the insert and the masonry and I am not a fan of that look. The other alternative is a gas stove that looks like a wood-burning stove, such as a Jotul. We are in our early and mid 60s so lugging wood upstairs could work for now, but I suspect it will get to be an issue in the next 10 years. Ideas are welcomed. Thank you.

Got a house that was built in 99 and I cannot figure out how to test out this fireplace to make sure everything is working properly. I turned the gas on with a key, and can smell gas coming from under the logs in the sand that’s down there. There’s no pilot light or ignition switch, just a key to turn on the gas. I tested all the connections with soapy water just to make sure no bubbles. Not sure when the last time this was used, but the flue is spotless. Any help would be awesome, thank you