What Do You Do With Fireplaces?
Just wanted to see what everyone else was doing. I have rentals with fireplaces but I sealed them because I'm too nervous about the tenants using them. I imagine I could get more rent for some of the houses if the fireplaces were usable, but I haven't figured out when it would be safe to trust the tenants not to smoke up the house or burn the carpet(or worse!). I use plywood painted black that is caulked in place so they can't pull it off. I hold my properties indefinately but I do want something I can remove if I want to sell.
Dear Dave,
You're right, fireplaces can be an absolute pain. We have an old house where the tenants demanded we open up the fireplace, which we did. We put in gas logs which I think are the equivalent to buying a Hummer. I'll try to stay in touch next month to let you know who she reacts when she receives the very high gas bill for this month's usage. Of course, our tenants could do what we do. Not use the gas logs. Ever frugal, I guess. We just turn off the expensive logs and wear heavier clothes.
Then there's the creature in the fireplace problem. We had an opossum that died inside the rental's fireplace last spring. How it got in there, I'll never know. First they complained about all the noise the thing made, and then of the odor. As bad as that was, the four foot snake in the driveway scared me more. ( Whoops, we didn't disclose knowledge of the snake to the tenants. I don't think it was poisonous).
Cordially,
Alice
I usually seal the fireplace at the top and bottom with a piece of precast concrete. On top I get a piece larger than the opening and anchor it into the concrete with lag www.bolts.On the bottom I use a piece slightly smaller than the opening and anchor it in with cement which comes in a caulking www.tube.Then I install gas logs.
Thanks for your comments. Believe it or not, I'm actually more concerned with gas logs than with wood fires. I recently read that many people either don't know, or forget that their vented gas logs need to have the damper open. Many of the people(I think it was something like 15%) had high levels of CO in their blood. The problem with ventless gas logs is that the logs must stay in the correct positions. If kids move them, as happens frequently in my own home, they will give off CO and soot. I have one friend who had his home so badly sooted when this happened that he had to have the entire thing cleaned and painted. That is a good way to get your homeowners canceled, which is getting more difficult to get already. I still love ventless gas logs for my own home, but I frequently check them, and I have a CO monitor.
If it was me I would seal the chimney at the roof (temporarily so that it can be reversed if you decide to sell) , or lock the damper closed with a padlock device of some creation. Leave the fire box alone, let the tenant put a picture of a fire in their or a plant or something.