The warm, cozy feeling of a wood-burning fireplace is hard to find anywhere else. However, not all the heat it produces enters your home.

It’s been found that a portion of that heat can actually be lost up your chimney. Fortunately, there are a few simple ways to prevent this heat loss and increase the amount of warmth that your fireplace creates for your home.

FIREBACKS

A Fireback is a slab of cast-iron metal that is placed behind your logs.

It is the most basic method of reclaiming heat that you’d otherwise lose. It will absorb heat as the fire burns and then radiate it out into the room, even once the flames die down.

A great solution when you just want something simple, a Fireback will help to get more heat out of your fireplace.

OUR MOST POPULAR FIREBACKS

FIREPLACE HEATERS

The main advantage with a fireplace heater is that it helps increase the efficiency of your fireplace.

Giving your fireplace more time to heat the air that it draws in by circulating it through pipes or tubes, it then blows that hot air into your home.

It should be noted that you should never smell smoke with a fireplace heater. If you do, it has most likely been installed improperly.

Also, fireplace heaters can accommodate some glass doors, but in most cases, when you’re using a heater, you’ll need to replace your doors. Call our expert technical team at 844.264.2855 for guidance.

Below are some of the top fireplace heaters offered by Woodland Direct. The Cozy Grate Fireplace Heater offers the most affordable price point, while the Wood Burning Fireplace Heater and the Fireplace Heater for Masonry Fireplace – 5 Tubes w/ Blower offer more power.

OUR MOST POPULAR FIREPLACE HEATERS

VENT-FREE GAS LOGS

Rather than drawing fresh air from outside, Vent-Free gas logs provide a greater amount of heat by circulating the existing air in the room.

Equipped with an oxygen depletion sensor, it will ensure the oxygen levels in your room stay well above a safe level. If looking for efficiency, these logs are the way to go.

One downside, however, is that they produce a fair amount of moisture during operation. You may see condensation building up on your windows as a result — if so, just open one a bit to let in fresh air. One thing to keep in mind, Vent-Free logs should never be installed in a closed space.

Vent-Free log sets are designed to work with particular fireboxes — check your owner’s manual to find out if yours qualifies.

You should also check with your local government for any regulations or restrictions related to vent free gas logs. Please note that these units should always be professionally installed.

Vent-Free gas logs are a great solution if you’re tired of dealing with burning wood and you want to get more heat out of your fireplace. Check out our article on the Top 6 Ventless Gas Log Sets.

OUR MOST POPULAR VENT-FREE GAS LOGS

FIREPLACE GLASS DOORS

Fireplace glass doors are designed to work in conjunction with a damper. When you’re not burning in your fireplace, you can close both and create a stronger barrier to heat loss.

Fireplace glass doors are generally not designed to be used while your fireplace is burning. If you want to do so anyway, consult your owner’s manual.

The Stronghold High Efficiency Fireplace Heater for masonry fireplaces works as both a set of glass doors and a fireplace heater. You can keep it closed while burning.

OUR MOST POPULAR GLASS FIREPLACE DOORS

FIREPLACE INSERTS

Fireplace inserts replace the firebox in your existing masonry fireplace. They’re the best way to increase your fireplace’s efficiency and come in four options – Ventless, Direct Vent, wood burning, and electric.

Ventless inserts work similarly to Vent-Free gas log sets. If you’re considering Vent-Free gas logs, but would also like to update your fireplace to something more modern, then a Ventless insert is a great choice.

Direct Vent inserts function using a sealed system and completely eliminate the heat loss of other fireplace types. They pull in fresh outside air for combustion while simultaneously exhausting gas and byproducts outside your home.

If you’re looking for a supplemental heating source with realistic flames, and don’t want to lose any heat from the rest of your home, a Direct Vent insert is the perfect option.

Wood burning inserts are the most powerful fireplace inserts, as they essentially turn your masonry fireplace into a wood stove. They're made to provide a lot of heat, and in some cases can even heat your entire home. If you’re looking for heating power over anything else, this is the insert to choose.

Electric fireplace inserts are a fast, low-cost, eco-friendly way to upgrade the efficiency of your wood burning fireplace. Most electric inserts can be plugged into a standard 120-volt outlet and feature optional heat output for year-round ambiance, multi-color LED lighting displays, adjustable flames, and authentic-looking media. They don't produce any emissions or harmful byproducts and operate at 100% efficiency, allowing all the heat produced to stay in your home.

OUR MOST POPULAR FIREPLACE INSERTS

CHIMNEY DAMPERS

Top-sealing chimney dampers help eliminate a major source of heat loss by allowing you to close off your chimney when your fireplace is not in use. They function as a “lid” for your chimney, which you can open or close at will.

Without a damper, your chimney is an open path for heat to escape — you should always have the damper closed when you’re not actively burning in your fireplace. Yet if you are burning, make sure you keep it open.

In any case, a top-sealing damper should never be used with Vented or Vent-Free gas logs.

The Lock-Top II Chimney Cap Damper and the Chim-A-Lator Top Sealing Chimney Damper are both great dampers that install quickly and easily.

OUR MOST POPULAR CHIMNEY DAMPERS

ROOM-TO-ROOM FANS

A room-to-room fan, like this model from Minuteman, can be used to help transfer heated air from your fireplace’s room to the rest of your home.

Simply mount it in a doorway and turn it on. You can even use multiple fans to set up a heat transfer network.

WE'RE HERE TO HELP

Woodland Direct offers a variety of different solutions for enhancing the efficiency of your wood-burning fireplace, but every situation is different.

If you need help finding the right solution for you, call our NFI certified experts at (800) 919-1904.

MORE RESOURCES:

Read our Gas Fireplace Buying Guide to help you choose the right gas fireplace for your home!

What's so great about gas logs? Check out the Top 6 Advantages of Gas Logs to find out!

Want to know how your masonry chimney works? Here's everything you need to know!