How many leave your fireplace on all night?

[Okie Guy]

I used to have it on all night until I noticed the wood was kind of chared. Now I use during the day and ceramic heater at night. I would rather be safe than wake up in a fire.

[Imp]

We use the the fireplace 24/7 when it gets cool. Have had no problems with a hot mantle or wiring.

[MacDR50]

We have the Dimplex fireplace in our 2008 3585. I found that, if I have the furnace going and the fireplace on high the fireplace's overheat safety would trip and cut the heat off. With just the fireplace on no problems. Their is a furnace register right in front of the fireplace where the fireplace pulls in its air. Next trip I am going to pull the fireplace and check out the location of the safety. I meant to contact Dimplex and this post has reminded me to send that e-mail. Thanks.

[Ozz]

Working on heaters all my life makes me very cautious. A person's life and property are depending on a $2.00 Klixon type, thermal bi metal switch. I still advise to leave it off while sleeping or away.
When ours failed, the smell of burning plastic was overwhelming in the Monte, the power wires melted.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Ozz

[John Bowers]

I just installed a new SAMSUNG HD flat screen monitor above the fireplace unit in our 2007 3400RL. To be on the safe side, I will install a fitted sheet of NOMEX just above the fireplace to block the heat from the mantel and monitor.

NOMEX is the DuPont brand of adiabatic insulator. This material is used in fire resistant suits for firefighters. It is available at electrical supply stores for use as insulation in electrical motor windings. NOMEX can be purchased in strips or in sheets up to 24" X 36".

When I get it installed, I'll post a picture.

[bsmeaton]

John,

Nomex itself has no thermal insulation properties. Nomex is a fire retardant variation of cotton produced by Dupont. Read the website carefully, it always has to be combined with a thermal insulation barrier of another product in order to serve as a high heat thermal barrier. Firefighter bunker gear and military thermal suits for aircraft have a Nomex outer shell for fire resistance (won't support combustion), but are only listed for thermal protection when the detachable thermal liner is installed in the gear.

It was days off without pay if my firefighters were caught removing the thermal liner from the bunker gear for any reason other than washing the outer Nomex shell.

Although I think it's unecessary, there are plenty of thermal weaves out there that would serve your purpose. They are primarily fiberglass weaves that replaced asbostos weaves used for boilers, furnaces, fireplaces, and other heating appliances to reduce clearance.

[rving2us]

Our fireplace runs all night but generally set at a low setting and I have never considered letting it run when I leave the rig. The fireplace is something Mary would trade me for. If in fact I did not do must of the driving and she could back-up I would be out in a fireplace trade.

[John Bowers]

Brad,

Thanks for your information on Nomex as a fire retardant material. My only experience with Nomex has been as a thermal barrier, in its Aramid paper application. This paper is 0.020" thick and must be cut with sharp strong scissors. The paper is ductile, and cannot be torn by hand. It has been used as a barrier between hot runner nozzles in an injection molding application where the nozzles operate at 560 degrees (F). The Nomex paper shields these nozzles from a chilled injection mold operating at 45 degrees (F). It is pretty effective in this application, which has been in use for 30+ years.

I will follow your advice and look into the thermal weave materials. Before I make a thermal barrier, though, I will check the actual temperature build-up in the area of my mantel and the LCD TV screen above.

Thanks again.

John

[campbud]

We do not run ours when sleeping.

[Dean A Van Peursem]

We have run our fireplace all night several times on our late 2006 3400RL. We also run the ceiling fan simultaneously to get better heat distribution. Was a little nervous about it at first but haven't observed anything getting too hot in the neighborhood, Usually don't run it very high, just to take the chill out. We have also used a ceramic heater as well at the same time which doesn't make me quite as nervous. But I sleep well with both. The bulbs started falling out on our fireplace on the second trip. So I took it apart and fully seated all the bulbs and haven't had that happen again. As I recall we have had one bulb burn out since May of 2006.

[Driftwoodgal]

Ozz,

I won't leave a fire in my stone fireplace going at night, so after reading other posts about the mantel getting hot, I think ours will be off. We have two ceramic heaters and will just plug one of those in off the island kitchen. We just use a little heater in the bedroom as I hate to be hot at night. Guess I will use the mantel excuse to make sure Bob has the coffee ready in the morning before I crawl out of bed.

Colleen