How to Use a Fireplace with Glass Doors | DIY Guide (Updated 2021)

For decades, fireplace enclosures and fireplace doors have been highly appreciated complements. For this and other reasons, today we show you how to use a fireplace with glass doors. It is important to know that the use of the door will depend on the type of fireplace.

Certain fireplaces, for example, air-cooled fireplaces with no clearance, require the use of approved doors. Masonry Fireplaces can use almost anything, but most gas-only units cannot change or add a door kit. A cozy fireplace on a cold night is a real joy. However, it loses its charm if you have to wait until it is extinguished before going to bed.

It is always important to use quality products—both for assembling your doors and for cleaning them. An unattended wood fire is not safe. Unlike gas fireplaces, which can be extinguished by using a damper, the only way to leave a wood fire is to keep the doors closed.

How to Use a Fireplace with Glass Doors

Installing a fireplace glass door is simply placing the door unit into the firebox opening and attaching it to the masonry.

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The procedure is very simple if it is a square block home. If the hearth is made of a type of rough material, such as fieldstone, you will not use a standard door because it cannot overlap the opening’s edge. Clearance fireplaces are perfect in these cases.

If it’s an older fireplace, you’ll want to be vigilant about drilling through the brick in case it’s brittle. Ceramic glass fireplace doors are also a great option.

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Fireplace glass door installation in 8 steps

• Place lintel brackets on the door.
• Adjust the brackets
• Mark the screw holes
• Drill holes for lead anchors
• Insert lead screw anchors
• Insulate the door
• Screw the door to the combustion chamber floor
• Door to Lintel Clamp

Now, let’s dive into each step in detail;

Step 1: Place lintel brackets on the door.

• Place the door on its bottom edge and Lean it against your knee when working or have an assistant hold it in place.
• Using a screwdriver, remove the four screws on the door’s back where the floor brackets and lintel clamps will go.
• It is necessary to keep them. You will need them later.
• Assemble the two lintel brackets and attach them to the door at the top.

Step 2: Adjust the brackets

• While tightening the screws to support the lintel brackets to the doors’ top rear frame, please note that the screws fit into a carved slit into the brackets.
• The groove is used to adjust the clamps up or down to precisely adjust them to the lower part of its lintel along the upper part of the combustion chamber opening.
• Next, screw the two L-shaped floor brackets into place on the bottom of the door.

Step 3: Mark the screw holes

• Carefully place the door into the combustion chamber opening, making sure not to scratch the finish. Align the unit snugly in the opening.
• Hang a hanging lamp inside the combustion chamber to illuminate your work.
• With the unit in place, find the center’s point where the bottom supports to meet the firebox floor.
• Use a thick marker, such as a felt-tip pen, and mark through the bracket slots.

Step 4: Drill holes for lead anchors

• Carefully remove the combustion chamber door and set it aside.
• Using a drill/driver equipped with a 5/16-inch masonry bit, drill a 2-inch deep hole in each of the two bracket marks.

Step 5: Insert lead screw anchors

• With a wet and dry vacuum cleaner, remove the dust left from drilling the holes. Do not forget to vacuum the dust out of the holes.
• Using a hammer, gently drive a lead block into each hole until it is flush with the enclosing block’s surface.

Step 6: Insulate the door

• Put on a pair of gloves and unwrap the insulating glass material accompanying the door. Remove the pieces to fit into the channels on the two sides and top of the unit.
• Fill the insulation into the three channels.
• As with wall insulation, fiberglass does not have to be as spongy; its primary function is to seal the door, keep smoke from seeping in, and protect any finish on the door frame from heat.

Step 7: Screw the door to the combustion chamber floor

• Carefully slide the door into the combustion chamber opening. Check that no insulation is protruding around the edge of the frame.
• Make sure the door is aligned with the face of the combustion chamber. Reach inside and turn the sheet metal screws through the bottom brackets and into the lead studs.
• Tighten the screws to secure the box to the block using a socket wrench.
• Be careful not to over tighten the screws or you may loosen the anchor in the brick or break the screw head.

Step 8: Door to Lintel Clamp

• The clamps that hold the door to a metal bar on the lintel at the top of the firebox are adjustable.
• Please make sure the clamp is positioned so that it can span the depth of the lintel.
• Tighten the thumbscrew to secure the hardware to the lintel. When you can no longer turn the thumbscrew, use a pair of pliers to give it another quarter turn.
• Finally, you will have the fireplace doors ready.

Tips for Properly Operating a Fireplace with Doors installed:

• To properly operate a fireplace with doors, the first thing you must do is have the doors remain fully open while there is an active fire.
• Have your closed doors once the fire has been extinguished to a bed of coals.
• When using gas logs, fireproof glass, or modern gas media the doors must remain fully open all times while in use.
• For wood-burning fireplaces, some masonry doors can be sealed for a tighter seal.
• Tinting the glass on doors can reduce the visibility of things like ash or soot/smoke stains.
• Doors with bright or polished finishes (brass, chrome, polished copper) should be cleaned regularly to prevent patina and discoloration. For more information about the proper maintenance method, you will need to consult the supplier.
• Some chemicals, when mixed with heat, will mar the finish.
• Clean glass monthly during the burning season, but weekly if you burn a lot of wood.
• This is especially important for wood burners. It will reduce the amount of effort needed and protect the glass coatings from wearing away.
• If at any time you have heat loss, you should call in the specialists.

Why is Glass Fireplace Doors so Important?

Glass fireplace screens offer beauty and serve the practical aim of improving chimney safety and heating effectiveness, although many fireplace items are just decorative.

The fundamentals are the same whether it is a manufacturing chimney or a masonry chimney. Additional room air is pulled into the chimney and utilized to exhaust the flue while house air is used for proper burning in the chimney.

A very everyday war today is when you pit fireplace screen vs. glass doors. While it is true, screen fireplaces are safe. Glass doors are probably more aesthetically pleasing and very secure.

Its glass doors prevent heat from entering and drafts from escaping.

When it comes to home heating, fireplaces are often compared to open windows. In case the chimney is not used, even with the damper closed, drafts enter. The heated room air then rises and exits your home through the fireplace opening.

Thanks to a set of glass fireplace doors, you will be able to close the open window of your fireplace. The doors can prevent downdrafts from adding a chill to your fireplace. Also, it can prevent hot air from your home’s living space from entering the combustion chamber and exiting through the chimney. Glass fireplace doors for wood burning may be the best example in this case.

Glass doors increase the safety of the fireplace.

• Open hearth fireplaces carry some hazards.
• Embers leaping from the fireplace can burn people or pets nearby. Also, they can scorch or ignite nearby carpeting, furniture, or decor.
• Glass fireplace doors place a barrier between the fire and your home, family, and pets.
• They also keep embers and crackling logs safely in the firebox.
• However, it would help if you warned children that the doors pose a burn hazard.
• Small children and pets should be kept away from the fireplace, even when the glass doors are in place.
• It is important to Clean Fireplace Glass Doors frequently to prevent them from being damaged quickly or scratched.

How to Use a Fireplace with Glass Doors: FAQs

What is the purpose of glass doors in a fireplace?

Glass doors help the firebox fire burn better. By enclosing the burning area, the wood can burn longer and produce more heat. Also, the glass windows allow to absorb and illuminate the environment much better than a stove without windows.

Are fireplaces more effective if they have glass doors?

Glass doors improve the efficiency of a fireplace.

They send up to 90 percent of the heat from the fire into the fireplace. Also, they draw hot air from the house to fuel the fire. Tempered glass fireplace doors can double the efficiency of an open-hearth fireplace.

What is the best way to light a fire in a fireplace with glass doors?

Start a fire with dry, seasoned firewood and kindling or firebricks. Then close the wire mesh screen but leave the glass doors open. Make sure that any object likely to burn is at least 1 meter away from the chimney. When the fire has been extinguished, close the windows.

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Conclusion

Direct vent fireplaces may be a suitable solution for your home. You will add performance and safety if you add glass doors to your fireplace.

Also, they provide a great aesthetic value to the fireplace. The flame’s aesthetic presentation that glass fireplace doors add to a wood-burning fire is unparalleled because they allow a full and unobstructed image to be achieved. 

On the web, you will find the best fireplace glass doors.

Fireplace glass is relatively simple to maintain. If he notices a smoke layer on the fireplace glass doors, it can be easily cleaned with a fireplace glass cleaner.