I've got an old brick chimney which opens at the bottom into two different rooms. Big enough to roast a pig on, huge fireplace. But it smoked so the old owner installed a large metal fire box and a steel chimney inside the brick one.

The problem is that the steel chimney is contained by the brick so puts out virtually no heat, the whole fireplace is now next to useless. Being so large it generates a huge updraft which creates cold draughts. And the opening into the second room is useless. And probably sucks a ton of air as well. But this metal box thing apparently cost thousands of dollars.

It also doesn't have a glass front, but a kind of removable metal mesh, and I think that's a problem as well because the whole thing is sucking air from the front, and the flue lever is welded in this retarded position where its really hard to access.

So I'm wondering if it would be wise to completely block the chimney opening in the second room, to remove the metal chimney and simply box the stove into the hearth and use the regular brick chimney, or to modify the box with air vents at the bottom or something.

Because this thing can't even heat the tiny room it's in, throw half a cubic metre off hardwood into it and you're still huddling around this thing for warmth like its Oliver twist or some shit.

Put a stove in, fireplaces are inefficient decorations

Make a woodstove insert to go into your fireplace.

>>2932792 (OP)
>>2932793
Sounds like you have an old and very primitive wood burning insert. Scrap that shit and get a modern one installed. One with a fan and the ductwork needed to pull air from outside the house. That will solve your problems. It will draw from outside, eliminating cold draughts, and it will properly circulate the air through the insert to warm the house.