I will be taking a trip this winter and staying in a rustic basically 1 room log cabin where the main source of heat is a fireplace. Just a stone hearth and chimney. I believe it doesn't even have a damper. My only experience has been with wood stoves.
I've seen it said numerous times that fireplace don't heat the interior they suck the warm air out. Obviously they must do something since for hundreds or thousands of years this was the main source of heat for many.
Considering I can't make any modifications to the structure, what can I do to increase comfort and conserve fuel? Is there any hope of walking up to a somewhat comfortable temperature without having to feed the fire in the middle of the night?
Best Answer
It is correct that the fireplace draws all its input air from the room (tho' some modern fireplaces are designed with separate input feeds thru the brickwork, which means only that they burn just fine with a sealed glass door in front). If you can find one, get a log support which includes a row of "C" - shaped tubes which take in air, heat the air due to proximity to the flames&logs, and exhaust that air back into the room rather than up the chimney.
Here is one example. Sadly, not cheap enough (probably) to be worth buying just for your short stay. grate heater