re: #16 Yeah Sure WhatEVs

When my BIL/SIL updated their fireplace the guy who did it fucked up and a fire started in the wall behind the brick. They caught it before the entire house burned down. Lots of smoke damage but no actual damage.

Paranoia is a good thing.

We just stuck an insert in the existing box and ran a new flue up through the existing chimney. Still scares the fuck out of me. But these new wood burning inserts have a cool design - they have a catalytic design so they recirculate the smoke and ash to burn it instead of sending it straight up the chimney. I can get a 10-14 hour burn on one load of wood apparently. Going on three hours now on three pieces of wood that used to burn to coal in a half hour in the open fireplace. Nice warm red glow.