healey36 wrote:I bought it at the hardware store in Hampstead, Maryland. It's actually made for Plow & Hearth. I had an Ace coupon for 30% off, so it ended up costing me ~ $75.00. I checked in with a couple of wood-stove/fireplace outlets in Timonium...their firebacks all ran around $250, and there wasn't much on the web for under $200. That seemed like alot for a slab of cast iron made in China...this seemed a good alternative.
Thanks. $250 does seem.......excessive...
I need to get a new grate next...the one I have is about thirty-five years old and I've nearly burned through the middle of it. I'd like to find something a bit shallower. To be honest, I think an open hearth sucks more heat out of the room than it puts in it...it's mostly "atmospheric"...the dogs seem to enjoy it the most.
I'm on my 2nd one in under 20 years - lousy cast iron from China does not hold up under black locust fires...... I have glass doors on my fireplace which cuts down on the draft a bit, but it can get uncomfortably hot in the room if I keep a hot fire going for a few hours. Wife likes it on a cold damp winter day..........



