Abstract: A draft operated fireplace insert may be used to circulate heated air from one room to another or from the exterior of a building into the interior. The fireplace insert is fitted so that a set of louvers are located over a ventilated ash pit of the fireplace, permitting air to be selectively introduced into the combustion zone of the fireplace. Air is circulated through a channel extending beneath a floor plate and behind a rear plate of the fireplace insert. Alternately, air is drawn through fuel-supporting hollow andirons extending beween the floor plate and the rear plate. A vertically shiftable damper plate controls the flow of air through the channel and the andirons.