Fireplaces have provided families with warmth and comfort for centuries. It has been a place to sit around, catch up, tell stories, laugh and cry. Today, they are just another part of modern house design, an addition to the visual appeal and real estate value.
However, it’s still the focal point of a home, a special place where the family members can curl up in the cold season, it is a place where we hang our Christmas decorations and family photos. This is that one place where we sit and have no option but to communicate and reminisce about the times of our lives.
The drawback is it is distracting when one person has to interrupt a great time by standing to close the door when the fire is big and open when it weakens.
As we want everyone to enjoy their quiet, uninterrupted family time, we are exploring what we should do with our fireplace glass doors. Should it be open or closed? You can also see Watson’s glass fireplace doors to learn more.
- They protect your home
They decrease the potential for injury to your loved ones also reduces the risk of damage to your home.
Sometimes the small hazards like fire sparks from the burning wood or log tumbling out of the fireplace are what bring the actual pain to our loved ones and unnecessary budget.
The overtime damages on that expensive carpet, wooden floor, and tiles can also be hard to replace.
The worse scenario is when a spark or a hot log tumbles to your unsuspecting loved one who is standing or sitting closer to it.
- Material Used for making
Before deciding how to operate your fireplace doors, first understand the type of material used in making it. The material used is the primary determinant of how to use it. Whether to keep it open or close.
There are two main types of glass used to build your glass doors.
- Tempered
- Ceramic
- Tempered
During the construction of a home, some fire codes may dictate that they build the door with specific glass material.
If it’s prefabricated material, it means that they built it with tempered glass, which is easily broken when it’s exposed to high temperatures for a prolonged period.
Therefore, tempered glass doors should always stay open while burning.
- Ceramic glass
Ceramic glass can survive in extremely high temperatures. They used it for custom glass fireplace doors and masonry fireplace doors. They highly prohibit the use of ceramic glass on prefabricated fireplace glass doors.
You can keep your wood-burning fireplace glass doors open if you use ceramic glass.
The benefits of understanding when to keep them open or closed are:
- Cost-cutting while heating your home
A closed-door during a burning fire increases the net heat realized in your home. You might want to know when to open your fireplace door and when to keep it close to save the heat because of lowering the cost of heating.
- Beauty and style
You may be adventurous in the style, framing, and shape of your door, as long as it fulfills its mandate of safety codes.
- Clean up
It reduces the need for regular clean-up because it reduces the amount of floating ash, broken woods, debris, and coals.
- Stronger fire
Having a steady flow of oxygen also helps fires burn stronger for a long time.
The benefits of understanding when to keep them open or closed are
- Having safer burning fires
Screen doors help prevent any sparks from reaching your expensive wooden floor, they also trap that unstable logs from rolling out and burning your loved one. Read more here
- Factors to consider before choosing the door
Before deciding, consider a few important things:
- The fireplace material – It can either be the factory-built or a Masonry build fireplace. Masonry is built with bricks and stones; they require a brick chimney.
- Size – Size is important if it will need to function as required. For better results, choose the size that perfectly fits.
- Style-They are all different, whether your decor is vintage, industrial, or English. You can match it with your house decor.
- Regular cleaning
To clean your fireplace glass. Use a store-bought glass cleaner and a cloth. This will only be possible if you clean regularly.
Use a homemade mixture of vinegar, water, and ammonia for stubborn stain. Spray it on the glass, allow it to soak for a few minutes, then scrub with newspaper. Click here to see how you can care for your fireplace glass doors.
Conclusion
Placing a door on your fireplace will not only add safety and efficiency to your fireplace. It also adds decorative value to this special area. Fireplace glass is also easy to keep clean.
Choosing the material will also give you the option of leaving it open or closed without an interruption of good times when you are with your family and friends.
Ceramic will work well in cold areas.
