BreeShrum952

With the increasing trend in restoring to use these fireplaces that have been bricked or boarded up, it is critical that these restored fireplaces and chimneys are operating efficiently. For wood or coal burning fires to burn effectively, a good provide of air is needed along with a chimney to expel the hot exhaust gases and smoke. Also the fuel must be held in a grate clear of the hearth floor enabling full circulation of the air and waste ash to fall via, so as not to stifle the fire. If the chimney or flue is inadequate or the flow of air insufficient, the fire will not function effectively.

In his thesis on the ideas of fireplace style published in1799, Count Rumford emphasized the value of the size of the flue compared with the size of the fireplace opening. He recommended that the cross-sectional area of the flue must be about a tenth of the size of the opening. Nevertheless, fireplaces tended to be smaller sized immediately after the mid nineteenth century. Modern flue liner suppliers favor a ratio of one to seven, and there are sizing charts published that give particulars of present requirements.

If your fire smokes or wont burn appropriately, see if opening a window improves matters. If it does, you need greater ventilation in the room. 1 solution is to install a window vent, though this may lead to a troublesome cross draft. A much far more efficient form of ventilation is either a single ducted vent set into the floor in front of the fireplace, or twin ducted vents set into the floor or external walls on every single side of the chimney breast.

When wood and coal are burned, flammable gases, tarry substances, acids and dust are provided off. Nonetheless, because domestic stoves are comparatively inefficient not all of these substances are consumed. Rather, they rise up the chimney and some of them condense on the inside of the flue. Unburned carbon combines with these tars and acids creating soot which builds up more than a period of time as a result lowering the size of the flue. It is essential to have regularly used chimneys swept at least twice a year, ideally just before, for the duration of and at the end of the heating season and the nearby trade directories contain specifics of fully qualified and suitably insured sweeps. A soot laden flue is a fire hazard, given that the unburned components of the soot can ignite, causing a chimney fire which can reach high temperatures and damage the chimney.

If a flue is too significant, its size can be reduced to increase its efficiency by the fitting of a liner. A selection of approaches and materials are utilized, like flue liners produced of flexible stainless steel, ceramic, lightweight concrete sections, or concrete cast in situ. Other ways of minimizing the fireplace opening in order to boost fire effectiveness is to raise the level of the hearth or to fit a baffle across the best of the opening. If raising the hearth level or adding a baffle are not practical or unsightly then it may be worth asking a fireplace specialist whether or not fitting a metal smoke hood or canopy in the opening is the greatest solution.