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Throughout the centuries fireplaces in homes have provided families with comfort, warmth and a steady wood burning flame to prepare the day's meals over. Nowadays in more modern settings, fireplaces are also used for visual appeal and are often decked out with decorative fireplace accessories to make them the focal point of the home.

While some fireplace accessories are purely designed for visual stimulation, fireplace doors are accessories that not only add beauty to the fireplace but serve a very functional purpose and can be very beneficial to the efficiency and safety of your fireplace.

Did you know.....

Each year, thousands of homeowners suffer from property damage and thousands of people are killed or injured in house fires that could have been prevented with fireplace glass doors.

Without fireplace glass doors hundreds of energy dollars are lost up the chimney. In the winter you pay to heat your chimney and in the summer you pay to cool it.

How can glass fireplace doors protect my family and home?

How can glass fireplace doors protect my family and home?

Fireplace glass doors have been proven to decrease the potential for injury to those you care about and also reduce the risk of damage to your home. When most people think about the dangers of a fireplace they often think about the worst case scenario which would be a raging house fire due to poor chimney maintenance, creosote build-up, or a poor chimney draft. But too often the less obvious threats of heating your home with fireplace are ignored and are the ones that could sneak up on you and cause devastating results.

Glass fireplace doors greatly reduce the chances of sparks or logs tumbling out of the fireplace which can damage tile or wood flooring, destroy carpeting, melt linoleum or even worse roll right into someone standing next to the fireplace. Without fireplace glass doors, sparks and cinders are free to float and pop from the fireplace and land on clothing, furniture or other home furnishings which can cause considerable damage to property that surrounds the fireplace.

How can glass fireplace doors increase energy efficiency?

Fireplace glass doors are able to greatly increase the efficiency of the fireplace by acting as a barrier between your home and your chimney. An open fireplace is just like an open window. When left open in the winter, the fireplace will allow warm air to escape up and out the chimney and in the summer cool air conditioned air is able to escape from the chimney. In both cases, fireplace glass doors increase efficiency by minimizing the amount of air lost up the chimney which saves you money!

Other benefits of fireplace glass doors include:

• Fireplace glass doors add beauty and style - The style, color and shape of fireplace glass door are nearly limitless. Whether your hearth area is simple and elegant or modern and chic you can find a fireplace glass door to match.

• Fireplace glass doors reduce fireplace clean up - By containing ash, cinders, wood chips and other fireplace debris and protecting fireplace surroundings, fireplace glass doors can decrease or eliminate the need for sweeping up fallen debris, bark, cinders as well as those nasty ash smudges left behind by floating ash.

• Fireplace glass doors increase fire heat - When closed during a burning fire, Fireplace glass doors can more than triple the net heat realized in your home. (Doors should be open when burning a moderate to large fire or when burning gas logs.)

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Which fireplace glass doors are right for me?

Before you choose a fireplace glass door for your hearth area there are a few things to consider and base your decision on. Follow these 3 steps to help you choose the right fireplace glass doors for you.

1. Figure out if you have a masonry fireplace or a factory built fireplace - Factory built fireplaces also called zero-clearance fireplaces are made of metal and may use a combination of insulated walls, glass doors, air-cooled pipe and blowers to circulate the heat produced by the fire. Masonry fireplaces are structures that are created with the use of materials such as brick, cement, or natural stones and are held together with some kind of bonding agent. The stones may be smooth and uniform or they can be an eclectic mixture of shapes and sizes.   Masonry fireplaces require the use of a stone or brick chimney.

2. Measure your fireplace - When fitting your fireplace with a fireplace glass door, fitting the doors properly is of the utmost importance. Not only is it vital to the function of the fireplace but it sill help you decide if you will require a stick fireplace glass door or a custom fireplace glass door. if you are unsure of exactly how to measure your fireplace for fireplace glass doors follow this link to see our measuring for fireplace glass doors guide.

3. Determine the style that will reflect your decor -Fireplace glass doors are available in a variety of styles that will accent any decor. When choosing a fireplace glass door you will often get to choose a glass color along with your desired finish. Certain fireplace glass doors are offered with options like glass channel handles, frame finishes, riser bars, mesh screens, and tracked or trackless doors. Whether your fireplace has a true masonry look and feel or more of an elegant and sophisticated tone, there are many fireplace glass door options available to fit your needs.

Adding fireplace glass doors to your fireplace will not only add safety and efficiency to your fireplace. They will also add decorative value to your hearth area. The aesthetic flame presentation that fireplace glass doors add to a wood burning fire are incomparable as they allow you to get a full, unobstructed 360 degree view of the fire. Fireplace glass is fairly easy to keep clean. If smoke starts to leave a film on your fireplace glass doors, they can easily be cleaned with a fireplace glass cleaner.