How can I fix this draft? The flue is already down in place, but very cold drafts make my living room uninhabitable during winter. I’ve even shrink wrapped the glass over the fireplace which doesn’t look too good.
Thanks – I’ll have to check that out.
Thanks for all your answers. I forgot to add that I haven’t used my fireplace in 2 yrs. because of this draft. Is the shrink wrap on it still harmful even though I don’t use the fireplace any longer?

Ok so I just bought a small town house. The living room is narrow. 11×19. One of the 11" walls has windows. the other is just a plain wall. one of the 19" walls is plain while the other has the staircase going upstairs and a half bath, really can’t do much on that wall. I want to buy new furniture but it’s difficult with the narrow space. I currently have a small couch on the plain 19" wall, a small chair in a corner and my tv in the corner in order to view it from the couch. I also have a small dining room table by the wall with the windows in order to fill that space. I don’t mind getting rid of the table if i have the right furniture to fill it. I have a sketch and photos of the area, anyone able to help me out?

would I be better off with a sectional? sofa and love seat, softa and chairs? electric fireplace etc….

My house has an open concept (the living room, dining room, and kitchen is in one big room. I have light peach tile in the entire area. My furniture is dark brown.

What color should I paint the walls, and what color blinds should I look into? I like the wood blinds.

Also, where can I find a cushion for my breakfast nook? It’s probably about 4 feet long.

Does anyone have those electric (or gel fueled) fireplaces? The one you can buy from Home Depot. Pros and Cons?

I have a 2200 square foot split level home that only has one thermostat (located in the upstairs hallway). My "single" level part of the house is a great room with a living room, dining room & kitchen. It is probably around 800 square feet and has a vaulted ceiling (18 feet at the peak). It is my favorite room of the house but impossible to heat. If I have my thermostat set at 72, my bedroom level gets to 72 but my great room is generally between 50 and 60 degrees in the winter. That is much too cold! So…I’m trying to figure out an alternative heat source that is kid & pet friendly. I’ve been looking at electric fireplaces and pure eden heaters but nothing to serious yet. Oh, and yes the room has a ceiling fan but it basically just moves the cold air around right now. Any suggestions?
Our house is forced air heat and is fueled by propane. Propane is expensive in Central NY. Additionally, turning up the thermostat isn’t an option because it just gets too hot up in the bedrooms. The fan is on its lowest setting and is switched to push the air down.

I went through the ice storm last year and we had no electric for almost two weeks. We had to go stay with my mother-in-law b/c she has a fireplace and we had a small child we were worried about getting too cold. Her water is on pump though, so we had heat, but no water. Her stove is also electric, so we had to try to cook in the fireplace. I’d like to get a ventless gel fireplace for my apartment so that when…not even if, but when…it happens again, we can stay home and have a cooktop and running water. I don’t even know where to start! I need something inexpensive to buy and to buy the refills for as we are kinda low income. I also need something that puts off enough heat to keep at least a bedroom, preferably my living room, warm by itself. I have two very young children (one 2 and one 6 weeks) so I need something that is very clean burning. And it needs to be small as space is an issue. Anyone have any suggestions? Please include link to website where I can buy.

As a general rule of thumb, which is cheaper to run, a two year-old gas fireplace or gas central heat with a low efficiency rating? Fireplace heats the duplex perfect but it runs all the time. Gas heat runs on a thermostat plus uses electric. Don’t have the BTU on the fireplace or furnace.
No chimney flue. It’s a newer duplex, two years old. The fireplace heats great — better in the living room than with gas furnace. Comfort level is fine. Just wanted to see, as a general rule, which would be better to run…

I’m having an outdoor wedding on my Uncle’s ranch in Texas near San Marcos in late April to Early May. My colors will be bluebonnet blue and white with a hint of red. My wedding site has very large oak trees around it and a river on one side, however it is mostly hidden by trees. My reception is taking place in a civil war-era mansion that has a large hallway running all the way through the first floor of the house from front door to back door. Both the front and back doors are french doors that lead out onto covered patio/porches. The hallway ends at a large stone floored and walled living room which has the french doors in it and has it’s left hand wall covered in shelving. There is a fireplace on the other wall. I’m thinking about doing a sunset wedding… or a little sooner, to capture the beautiful Texas sunsets, therefore the reception will be at night and I’m probably going to use candles for a lot of the lighting. Any ideas on how to decorate this reception and wedding rustic but elegant? I’m looking for unique and tried and true ideas… I wish I had pictures but do your best with what I described .

cost effective to get a pellet stove and use that for my primary source of heat. I use 1100 gallons of fuel for the heating season. I have a two story home and would put the pellet stove in the living room so it would heat the 2nd floor also.

Ok I am looking at the bigger model of the EdenPure Radiant Heaters. Or the Electric Heaters that look like a fake fireplace with same wattage as edenpure.

Can someone give the their opinion on which they like better.
I have a 14 X 60 mobile home that I use propane, but I am in an electric co-op which make my electric cheaper the Ohio Edison. I am not wanting to heat the whole home just to cut the chill from main living room. I generally keep the temp at 60 degrees not and not above 65 degrees in the extreme winter. Thank you for your input.

I started renting a place with my husband and 3 year old 5 months ago.
We were told we would be paying for electrical, and I have no problem with that.
But I do have a problem, and here it is:
My husband and I both work full time, and our Daughter goes to school.
We are not home all day, and when we get home, which is around 6pm, we start a fire, and NEVER use the heater.
We don’t go all crazy and turn the lights on and leave them on, we only use the one we need to get by. My daughter will go play in her room, and we will usually watch Tv in the living room.
We are usually in bed by 10pm, or earlier, except on weekends it may be a little later.
Our first bill for PGE was reasonable: .
The next month….3
Next month 0
THIS month 1!!!!!!

Now I have NEVER paid so much for electric in my life.

The place we rented before we had 2 refrigerators running, didn’t have a fireplace so had to have heaters on, etc. The bills never exceeded 5.

I keep asking my landlord how it can be so high, and this is his answer:

He has 3 houses running on 1 meter.
He says that it is high because he has to pay penalties because of that. (I was never told I would have to pay for his penalties because he won’t bring it up to code.)

He also has his other renter doing the bill splits, he is the one "reading" the meter usage. (How does he do that, because I want to know so I can understand how it is so high.)

This is also the person that I have been told by the landlords son that he runs 4 computers all day long, and yet his bill is lower than ours…

It just seems fishy.

Any ideas what could be happening??