fire front doors

SecretGarden

Imptech wrote: »

Fitted the Yola Steel Fire Door 2 days ago with an adapter plate (fitted against a cast insert fire place had to remove the existing hood on the fire place 2 bolts) all good so far. Fitted door in less than 2 hours, lit a handy fire the first night to bake the paint and cure the fire cement, day 2 lit the fire at 7.30am at 8pm room temperature was 26 degrees ( room size 16' X 17' opens up to a kitchen 20' X 14' 23 degrees out here house well insulated), used 50% less fuel. Bought the door directly from the lads at Yola in Wexford

I'd love to fit a fire door to my cast iron insert but I'm wondering if it's possible to retain the insert - Imptech, I see you were very impressed with your door and you mentioned an existing hood on your insert - what did you use to replace the hood?

My insert has tiles down each side with approx 1.75 inch strip of cast on each side of the fire ope. Will that be enough to seal the door front to the insert?

There's an 18" Firebird back boiler in the fireplace

BPB

chad69 wrote: »

Hi robbieG
yes but my rads were heating perfectally well until i fitted the door
so obviously it has something to do with it
have you any suggestions ?

is the door hitting of the damper and closing it. If so cut the handle on the damper.
Don't know what kind of boiler you have but you may need to remove the bit in front of the grate

BPB

chad69 wrote: »

Hi robbieG
yes but my rads were heating perfectally well until i fitted the door
so obviously it has something to do with it
have you any suggestions ?

Is the door hitting of the damper and closing it. If so cut the handle on the damper to shorten it.
Don't know what kind of boiler you have but you may need to remove the bit in front of the grate

Rightontime

Hi I'm thinking also of fitting the doras fire door,didnt know there was any other on the market, have to get this right as its for my 86 year old mother that loves her heat, presently she has a small stanley stove that only heats her living area, although she does have a back boiler and rad's in each room, hence the change back to the fire door (maybe)

deezell

Deville firefront door is €250 in Topline in Baltinglass

yop

Reading the threads and still not sure what our best option is;
We have an open fire, might be lit once maybe twice per week during the autumn to spring period but never during the summer.
There is no backboiler, I have UFH throughout the house.

One of the main reasons I was going with fire front doors was that it was easy to install and a lot cheaper than a stove from what I can see. Also with a stove I will need to get someone to install it and also presume I need that silver tubing to go all the way up the chimney which is also very expensive.

So without a backboiler are fire doors a total no no?
IF they are, what alternative do I really have?

Many thanks

deezell

yop wrote: »

........

So without a backboiler are fire doors a total no no?
IF they are, what alternative do I really have?

Many thanks

To avoid burning out the fire back you should fit a firedoor / stove which has the metal insert shaped to fit into your fireplace without removing the back. These slide in just as easy as a door. Unless you burn too much coal or put in something like anthracite, you won't need to line your chimney with that flue pipe. If you overheat the door/ stove you will just as likely damage it before you crack your chimney breast.

yop

deezell wrote: »

To avoid burning out the fire back you should fit a firedoor / stove which has the metal insert shaped to fit into your fireplace without removing the back. These slide in just as easy as a door. Unless you burn too much coal or put in something like anthracite, you won't need to line your chimney with that flue pipe. If you overheat the door/ stove you will just as likely damage it before you crack your chimney breast.

Ok great info.
I definitely don't intend to remove the fireback. The Fireplace is very deep and the fireplace is pretty wide (23 inches). Its a stone front fire which could make it akward fitting the door.

molltrot

We bought our fire door, boru, in stove shop in woodbine estate about 2 years ago . Was less than 300 on sale. best thing we ever bought, Great for heating rads,

jkforde

hope ok to resurrect an old thread..

we don't have a back boiler in our fireplace but i do want to stop the draft up the chimney from sucking out all the heat.. what are the convection doors like, do they work well?

Devrobia

Hi jkforde

The Firefront doors work really well but only if you have a back boiler in place. I wouldn't recommend fitting them if you only have a fire back. The heat in the fireplace would be too much and you could end up cracking the fire back and plaster around the fire.

I have fitted hundreds of fronts over the years and also make my own called the Eden Firefront, in your case i would recommend an insert stove. The stove will take the brunt of the heat and protect the surrounding fireplace.

Price comparison between and insert and a really good quality front (Brightfire, Mulberry, Eden) is really only €50–100, so it would be worth it in the long run.

Hope this helps

wicklowtown

jkforde wrote: »

hope ok to resurrect an old thread..

we don't have a back boiler in our fireplace but i do want to stop the draft up the chimney from sucking out all the heat.. what are the convection doors like, do they work well?

Hi, I bought the door that is just fitted onto the front of the fire place, I do have a back boiler and now i know the best way to work the door vents i find it great. Also when in use and even when not in use it cuts out on the horrible draft i used to have from my chimney. I hope this helps.

deezell

Devrobia wrote: »

Hi jkforde

The Firefront doors work really well but only if you have a back boiler in place. I wouldn't recommend fitting them if you only have a fire back. The heat in the fireplace would be too much and you could end up cracking the fire back and plaster around the fire.

I have fitted hundreds of fronts over the years and also make my own called the Eden .........
Price comparison between and insert and a really good quality front (Brightfire, Mulberry, Eden) is really only €50–100, so it would be worth it in the long run.

Hope this helps

Spot on answer. Some fire doors are not far behind the price of an insert. There are a few sub 300. I got this sunrain for 259 I think a few years ago, chap near Castledermot. Can't find the website but I have his number. Door is installed in a fireplace from BPM with a firebird back boiler behind, and sprayed with cream hi temperature paint. Works a treat.

Devrobia

deezell wrote: »

Spot on answer. Some fire doors are not far behind the price of an insert. There are a few sub 300. I got this sunrain for 259 I think a few years ago, chap near Castledermot. Can't find the website but I have his number. Door is installed in a fireplace from BPM with a firebird back boiler behind, and sprayed with cream hi temperature paint. Works a treat.

Looks great, nice job with the cream paint as well. Is that a convection front or just a door, never seen one before.

deezell

Just a front. Gives out loads o radiant heat. Top vent does the air wash while lighting, keeps glass clean. Close it when it gets going. Only meant to supplement the oil boiler but it keeps a 2000 square ft bungalow warm with dry timber and a bit of coal. Oil Bill slashed. Efficiency of the firebird doubled or more I reckon. I took the baffle of the front of the firebird and that way I get to see the flames shooting up between vertical sections, so its good to look at also.

dbdee77

Hi all I haven't posted in a couple of years but just wanted to give abit of feedback on boru door. This door has really proved itself for a start it makes my house warmer by cutting the draught down but it is the burn control that I love, I've been burning cpl's supertherm I keep fire in 24/7 over winter and use a bucket in the morning and one in the evening easily achieving 12hr burn, my water is always hot and radiators have good heat in them. I get her fired up and leave it like that for half hour then close both vents half way on doing this you can see flame pattern slowing down I leave it like this for further half hour then close vent right down just leaving open a tiny bit this keeps my fire in and house is lovely and warm. I find the supertherm coal very good and easily controllable. I have been using this door for roughly 3 years with fire staying in full time winter period so can definitely vouch for the boru but I'm sure the other doors work as good, thanks Dee.

MargeS

I was wondering how effective a fire font door would be instead of a balloon?
The balloon seems like a permanent fixture, but I'd like to be able to light fires from time to time. So I guess the door would be used to close of the fireplace while I depend on the oil burner/rads.
I've also noticed that they are DIY fitting. I think I would have to get the fire surround replaced, but I can look into that again.

deezell

MargeS wrote: »

I was wondering how effective a fire font door would be instead of a balloon?
The balloon seems like a permanent fixture, but I'd like to be able to light fires from time to time. So I guess the door would be used to close of the fireplace while I depend on the oil burner/rads.
I've also noticed that they are DIY fitting. I think I would have to get the fire surround replaced, but I can look into that again.

Very effective. If your fire doesn't have a back boiler you might need to protect the fireback from overheating, as the fire can get very hot inside the door if you don't regulate the air or if you add too much coal or stove nuggets. There are insert stoves which are a fire door and an enclosed fire chamber which just slide into an existing open fire, 16" or 18". The fire in this is fully enclosed from the back and the surround. Bit more expensive than a door, but an easy diy fit.

wicklowtown

deezell wrote: »

Very effective. If your fire doesn't have a back boiler you might need to protect the fireback from overheating, as the fire can get very hot inside the door if you don't regulate the air or if you add too much coal or stove nuggets. There are insert stoves which are a fire door and an enclosed fire chamber which just slide into an existing open fire, 16" or 18". The fire in this is fully enclosed from the back and the surround. Bit more expensive than a door, but an easy diy fit.

Hi, I find the firefront door not only look's nicer than an open fire that's died down plus it cuts down on all the dust in the air from an open fire. Also my house can be quite drafty and i do find that having the door on my open fireplace really cuts down on these drafts plus i find it so much easier lighting my fire when i can close the door so the fire gets a good draw on it as my open fire heats the radiators in my home and is my only form of heating my home. The only down side ive found is that its a bit tricky to clean out old embers as the frame gets in the way. I hope this helps you make up your mind and i have to say the open firefront door is one of my most successful purchases and basically does what it says on the tin and im 100% satisfied with it. Take care

vidapura

I appreciate this thread might be a bit old... but I am only now coming round to the idea of the firefront door.

Anyone want to recommend a particular one?

The only one I can find around locally is the DeVielle one.. ( €395 currently.. sheesh) but am interested to understand if the convection doors have proven to be a better buy?

I see that @dbdee77 is happy with the Boru...

I wonder is @Devrobia still installing the doors?

deezell

A bit old, it's five years since it was revived, 2018, and that was after a post in 2016. A lot of water under my bridge since I fitted one, but it's never been more relevant since comrade Putin effed up the world. With my last 1000l of oil costing €1380, mine is crucial to cost savings, though it helps to have a lot of timber around the place. Bought dried timber is a crazy price at the moment, stove nuggets are a ridiculous €18.33 for a tiny 20k bag in Topline if you buy 3 for €55, but you can pay up to €24/bag in some outlets. At that price its less heat per € than oil, and anything over €10 for a 20k bag of dried hardwood is more expensive than oil per Kwh of heat.

I was paying €15 for the 40k bags of stove nuts back when I put the door in first. All this eco carbon tax crap drives me mad, especially as they're burning oil, gas and coal at 70% heat loss to generate electricity for these nearly useless heat pumps. Don't get me started.

If you're using a firedoor in an open fire with a back boiler, you'll immediately get far greater heat to the radiators, less heat perhaps to the room,but far less draughts, smoke and dirt. Without a back boiler you need to be careful not to burn out the back. I see the Deville for €299 in a Homeland store in sligo, last one in stock.

vidapura

Hi, and thanks for coming back to me.. sorry for slow reply but boards doesn't seem to be sending email alerts any more.. 😒

I missed that Deville it looks like.. thanks so much for trying to point me right there..

I was wondering about the Yola... but their phone number doesn't seem to work any more..

Was there another one with a convection chamber? (can't figure out how to search this thread any more... )

Thanks again

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120182600#Comment_120182600

Very difficult to search I've noticed, Might be easier on a PC. It used to be possible to quickly go back years to pick up a thread or your posts to a particular user. Like I said, this thread is ancient. I was surprised to see an email alert for your post a few weeks ago a full 5 years since the last post. The app usually puts you on notification once you post, but you can mark it yourself to get them, though I'd say it's only you and I reading this. Spratts in Lettekenny have this Mazona brand coming in stock soon, at €399 is good for a cast iron door front, but they have plenty more insets and firedoors for bigger money.

https://sprattfireplaces.ie/shop/stoves/cassette-inset-stoves/fire-doors/mazona-fire-door/

vidapura

Hiya,

That door looks good alright.. the DeVielle one here in McDonaghs is €395 but it looked a little bit flimsy to me when I saw it...

The Boru looked similar tho the thread seems to like em.

This Henley one is €530 from Cork...

http://www.littleislandstovecentre.com/erris-door.html#

And the wife likes the enamel finish...

I spotted what looks like the Yola on this site... http://www.boilerstovesireland.ie/product_info.php?cPath=42&products_id=227

Forge83

Yola ceased trading a long time ago so you won’t find that model on sale.

The Boru Doras is probably the best model in reality. Henley have a Porto door but not as well made.

Henley Erris door is no longer being made so you are unlikely to get one.

The Deville door is pure junk, it weighs less than half the weight of the other doors.

Mazona door is ok but probably the best value for money.

Lastly, a door should only be used with a back boiler, they are not designed for open fires alone.

Buffman

Ye, I'm checking out prices at the moment, there is a massive variation across suppliers for the same item so definitely shop around.

Cheapest Deville seems to be €300, with some places looking up to €400!

Cheapest Mazona is €400. (Annoyingly I see it for £275 (€310) in GB but they don't deliver to this Island.)

Boru Doras is €529.

vidapura

Thanks lads.

Yeah, I have a back boiler in the fireplace .. which is why Im lookin at a firedoor at all..

Ive been told that removing the back boiler to get an insert stove in there would cost too much...

I'm thinkin the Boru one would be a good bet seeing as they are still being made and its only over in Thurles if I need anything.

If there is anyone around Galway that comes recommended I'd appreciate contact info...

arw45

We installed the Monza Door last year. Fires are lit again and we use very little coal and have water hot from the back boiler. Our back boiler doesn't heat the rads unfortunatley.

It has also made the chimney breast and the wall behind it into a big storage heater which releases the heat all the next day.

It's cut the oil usage by about a third we recon.

It's paid for itself in the first year between oil and less fuel burned.

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121147122#Comment_121147122

Three cheers for stove doors. It turns decent back boilers like the finned Firebird into a very efficient high output stove. Allows you to burn everything, even timber that might be a bit green and damp will bake dry on a small bed of stove nuggets, and then deliver great heat. Oil down by a third, check. Large hot internal chimney breast storage heater, check. I think of green Ryan who closed all the bogs around me where I live, even those producing horticultural moss peat, now imported thousands of miles, and I think, 'shove your heat pump where there's no solar energy'. 😁