Get More Heat from Your Same Ol' Fireplace with Simple Technique by Susan Penney

Get More Heat from Your Same Ol' Fireplace with Simple Technique by Susan Penney

For some people, a fireplace might as well be a video of flaming logs. Their primary interest is the welcoming ambiance a fireplaces blaze presents. If, however, you expect your fireplace to provide heat in exchange for your log-carrying, fire-building efforts, (or in the case of gas logs, in exchange for your gas bill), its time to maximize your fireplaces heat output.

There are various contraptions designed to return more of a wood or gas fireplaces heat into the room and stanch the flow of that precious heat from escaping up the chimney. Many of them involve fans and vents and considerable expense. But one of the most time-honored, hassle-free, and least expensive methods of increasing a fires heat output is making a comeback: the fireback.

A fireback is a sheet of metal, sized in proportion to the fireplace, thats placed against your back fireplace wall. Firebacks can be set on the hearths floor and just leaned against the back fireplace wall, but often they are secured by placing them in supporting braces which keep the fireback from sliding. Firebacks come in two main styles: the cast iron fireback and the stainless steel fireback.

The traditional cast iron fireback, popular in earlier times and making a revival now, is a sheet of heavy, black, cast iron. Often they are cast with a design, such as a fleur de lis or eagle, to add a decorative touch to this functional fireplace accessory.

The cast iron firebacks work on the same principle as heating radiators. The metal is heated (by hot water in the case of radiators and by the fire in the case of firebacks), and then that heat is radiated into the room.

Although attractive and functional, the cast-iron firebacks are too heavy for many people to manage easily. Their weight also adds to their shipping costs, and therefore to their total price.

A more modern fireback design, one that is growing in popularity, is made of a sheet of very gently curved, tempered stainless steel. These stainless steel firebacks warm your room in two ways. First, like the cast iron firebacks, they radiate the heat of the fire forward into the room. But they also reflect the heat, as well as the light, of the fire into the room.

Stainless steel firebacks weigh only one-sixth as much as a similarly sized cast iron fireback, so they are easier to manage and less costly to ship. But their main appeal may be their price: They cost only a fraction as much as their cast iron cousins. Whereas a cast iron fireback, depending on size, can cost $250 to $700, the stainless steel versions usually go for $50 to $150.

Both cast iron and stainless steel firebacks dramatically increase the room-warming capacity of your wood or gas fireplace fire. The addition of this simple fireplace accessory to your hearth can mean warmer toes and lower heating bills.


About the Author
Susan Penney appreciates simple ways to make our homes renewing spaces for our families. She invites you to visit http://www.FireplaceMall.com for fireplace accessories to serve your fire-less or your fire-filled fireplace.

Add Sizzle to Your Surroundings by M J Plaster

Add Sizzle to Your Surroundings by M J Plaster

Is your home dcor lacking that extra something that spells the difference between comfortable and vibrant or between comfortable and tranquil? Candles might be just the polish your dcor needs. Take advantage of the sparkling colors, rich textures, and fresh scents of candles without draining your decorating budget.

Some candles are best unadorned, but candleholders offer an additional opportunity to highlight their presence and beauty. You don't have to burn the candles; you can use them as objects d'art, incorporating them into displays, floral arrangements and centerpiecesalone as an accent piece, or in a grouping as a focal point.

Typical candles no longer existthey belong to a bygone era. Tapers gave way to thick and varied heights long ago. Today, you'll find square candles, heart-shaped candles, fruit and vegetable candles, gingerbread candles, floral candles, Christmas tree and ornament candles, and candles with artistic free-flowing shapes. Within that variety of shapes, you'll find an endless array of adornments, such as beads and glitter, straw, botanicals embedded in the wax, still life scenes, etc.

Color, Shape and Texture

Today's candles come in a wide variety of hues and shades, and many add the dimension of shape and texture to their composition. Marbled, frosted, and sculptured candles are widely available in a selection of sizes, shapes and pricesranging from votives to thick, oversized candles.

If your living areas are frozen in time with a monochromatic color schemeyou know the rooms we mean, they looked oh-so-good on paper until you lived in them for a monthuse candles to rescue you from the monotony without the expense of redecorating. Marbled candles are a quick and easy way to work complementary or harmonizing color into the room.

If your home utilizes color well, but lacks excitement, accessorize with textured candles to add pizzazz to the room. Position the candles to create a focal point or to add just the right accent. Marbled candles incorporate several hues and shades of the same color, and variegated candles can tie all of the colors in your dcor together.

Sculptured candles provide a warm substitute for expensive knickknacks and require a minimum of space. Add smaller sculptured candles to guest bathrooms along with guest hand towels and guest soaps. It's the attention to detail that rolls out the welcome mat for guests and creates the ambiance of a memorable stay.

If you've never used anything but wax candles, try one of the new gel candles. Gel candles are translucent and their shimmering glow is irresistible to the eye. You'll find gel candles ready to display in their own attractive glass containers.

Candles and Fragrance

Scented and aromatherapy candles make an excellent choice for the kitchen, bedroom or bathroom. Consider odor-neutralizing scented candles a necessity for the kitchen when you entertain. They serve triple duty by quickly neutralizing cooking odors, adding a pleasant scent and a touch or warmth. Larger scented candles often include interesting texture, shape and color variation.

Candleholders and Display Options

If you use your patio as a three-season outdoor room, float citronella votives in water on the patio for a lily-pads-in-the-pond effect. You'll scare away the mosquitoes and other flying irritants at the same time. Place all citronella candles a few feet from the table so that you don't run off the guests along with the insects.

Votive holders have blossomed into every imaginable shape, including butterflies, bejeweled beveled glass holders, and seascape holders. Many of the votive designs are ideally suited for an outdoor environment.

Hurricane lamps add light and atmosphere to the outdoor table in the evening. Eve lights can produce harsh lighting, and hurricane lamps provide enough light to see without detracting from the atmosphere. When selecting a candleholder for outdoor use, it's important to select one that shields the flame from the wind, and hurricane lamps provide ample protection from the wind.

If you haven't seen the newer tea lamp candleholders, you're not going to believe your eyes. These candleholders are every bit as elaborate and intricate as their electrical counterparts. If you prefer the formal look of a chandelier, consider a chandelier candleholder for a soft, diffused light. The next time a storm or tornado blows through your area, leaving you without electricity, tea lamp, hurricane and chandelier candleholders will be ready and waiting.

Whatever your dcor, imaginative use of candles and candleholders allows you to change your dcor as often as you change your mood.

About the Author
M J Plaster is a successful author who provides information on shopping online for http://www.candles-4-u.com/scented_candles.htm, http://www.candles-4-u.com/soy_candles.htm, and http://www.candles-4-u.com/candle_holders.htm. M J Plaster has been a commercial freelance writer for almost two decades, most recently specializing in home and garden, the low-carb lifestyle, investing, and anything that defines la dolce vita.