Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - fireplace door - a Z door?

Hi. I have a 100 year old fireplace and would like to put the old fireplace screen back up. (The previous owner left it in the shed.)

It is glass and brass, and has the four screws that go into the sides of the fireplace box. But there is also this extra part (2 strips of metal) and I can't figure out where to put them...

After looking at a few fireplace type websites, I found a similar part, and they called it a "Z Door". However, the site didn't exactly say how to put these two pieces together, and where it then goes.

I know it might be a really dumb question, but does anyone know what I'm talking about? and where does this metal part attach to the fireplace door?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Marie

Pictures may help????? ....is worth a thousand words.

Good idea.

Not sure this'll work......here goes

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/123Marie123/DSC00677.jpg

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/123Marie123/DSC00675.jpg

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/123Marie123/DSC00679.jpg

Also, re the metal strip that goes near the bottom that slides back and forth that controls the amount of air let in......does that strip attach to the outside (the room side) of the fireplace door, or the inside (the firebox side)?

I seem to recall them being attached on the inside - but if that is the case, then you'd have to reach inside the screen/fireplace door to move this metal strip back and forth (which obviously wouldn't make sense, because of the heat), because if it was bolted to the inside, then the only visible piece on the outside of the door would be the screw head. :confused: Hopefully that makes sense to anyone reading this...

Please......does anyone know of a busier messageboard I could post this on?

Thanks.

Marie, if that is the glass door I think it is you are better off tossing it in the junk and getting a new one. The one I think that you have was a generic (fits all poorly but none well) kit from the late 1970's and was a piece of junk when it was new.

I suggest that you check with a local fireplace shop for a custom made door. It will cost a fair amount of money but it will be worth it. Trying to re-use what you have will end up causing you no end of frustration and any money you spend on it will be about the same as just tossing the money in the trash.

In fact, if you have a 100 year old fireplace then the glass doors are definitely not in character. You want a brass folding screen to match the fireplace. Have a "top damper" installed on the chimney and keep it closed except when actually using the fireplace. The top damper will be far better than the generic glass doors as far as energy savings go (when not burning the fireplace) and no one will see the top damper so it isn't a deterrent to the "ambiance" of the fireplace. The top damper is probably quite a bit less expensive than custom glass doors.

Hmmm. I don't know where those brass strips fit on the fireplace. It looks like you have similar brass strips protecting the glass panels --- are any of those missing?


I don't agree with furd that these doors are junk.

One of the problems with conventional fireplaces is that they allow huge amounts of heated room air to be sucked up the chimney, and every cubic foot of heated room air that goes up the chimney is replaced by a cubic foot of cold air that has to be heated again.

Glass doors of the kind you describe are a HUGE improvement over no doors. New, customer made doors might well do a better job than what you have. But what you have is probably doing a pretty fair job.

The air shutter you ask about is probably designed to go inside the glass soor assembly on the bottom. The idea is to add only the amount of air needed for combustion, so that you don't waste heated room air with excessive air supply.

The most important thing would be to close the air shutter when no fire is burning, in order to minimize heat losses.

Marie, if that is the glass door I think it is you are better off tossing it in the junk and getting a new one. The one I think that you have was a generic (fits all poorly but none well) kit from the late 1970's and was a piece of junk when it was new.

I suggest that you check with a local fireplace shop for a custom made door. It will cost a fair amount of money but it will be worth it. Trying to re-use what you have will end up causing you no end of frustration and any money you spend on it will be about the same as just tossing the money in the trash.

In fact, if you have a 100 year old fireplace then the glass doors are definitely not in character. You want a brass folding screen to match the fireplace. Have a "top damper" installed on the chimney and keep it closed except when actually using the fireplace. The top damper will be far better than the generic glass doors as far as energy savings go (when not burning the fireplace) and no one will see the top damper so it isn't a deterrent to the "ambiance" of the fireplace. The top damper is probably quite a bit less expensive than custom glass doors.


I love the door, actually. I think it is quite attractive and prefer it to most I've seen.

Hmmm. I don't know where those brass strips fit on the fireplace. It looks like you have similar brass strips protecting the glass panels --- are any of those missing?


I don't agree with furd that these doors are junk.

One of the problems with conventional fireplaces is that they allow huge amounts of heated room air to be sucked up the chimney, and every cubic foot of heated room air that goes up the chimney is replaced by a cubic foot of cold air that has to be heated again.

Glass doors of the kind you describe are a HUGE improvement over no doors. New, customer made doors might well do a better job than what you have. But what you have is probably doing a pretty fair job.

The air shutter you ask about is probably designed to go inside the glass soor assembly on the bottom. The idea is to add only the amount of air needed for combustion, so that you don't waste heated room air with excessive air supply.

The most important thing would be to close the air shutter when no fire is burning, in order to minimize heat losses.

Thanks for the reply. I ended up putting the air shutter strip on the inside of the door. But as for those two metal strips lol, who knows. I was thinking they go under the door somehow, and that they stood upright and the door sat in the strip. Can't figure it out though, so am not even using them.

And re losing heat up the chimney, the fireplace does have a damper. This might be a dumb question.....but don't they all have a damper? I always close it when I'm done using the fireplace, as well as closing the fireplace door.

Thanks again.