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Fireplace
Before central heating, radiators or even under floor heating systems were used, fireplaces were often the primary means for keeping a room warm in cool climates. Many people in a house would gather around the fireplace or sleep close to a fireplace since it was the only source of heat available. Today, however, fireplaces are not used primarily for heating a room. They serves as a functional decorative keeper of the fire and a novel source of heat and light. Not only do fireplaces provide benefits in terms of heating, and fuel efficiency, they also boost the resale value of your home. This is quite clear since many prospective home buyers place a premium value on homes with fireplaces as many people enjoy the relaxation feeling that the look and heat of a fire gives them. However, as a self builder you need to be sure to select the right fireplace for the home. The one that suits your families requirement.
There are a few questions that you should ask yourself before the build begins.
What type of fire place are you going to have? One that is multi fuel (coal or wood) , gas, oil or electric?
Do you need a back boiler to heat your hot water?
Do you want a fire just for show that is always on hand or do you want one to be an extra room heater?
If you are going to need a room heater or one with a back boiler how many k/w do you need?
The fireplaces of today are often quite decorative and are designed with unique styles and contours to match the decor of a room. In addition, fireplaces are often shaped differently to match a room or even to become the decorative centrepiece of the room.
Some fireplaces today are built to be used outside. Others are built to rest in between room so that two different rooms can benefit from the fireplace. In addition, fireplaces today are no longer powered exclusively by coal, but can also be powered by gas, pellets, or even by electricity. These features make them even easier to maintain or clean.
With the latest in innovative technologies most fireplace manufacturers are producing fireplaces to meet everyone’s requirement and affordability. You can have a traditional coal fire or if you wish you can have a latest models that start up by a remote control. You can have one that can use the old traditional chimney or you can have one without a need for a chimney. You can have one that sits in the wall or one that sits in the middle of the room.
Or, how about a two way fireplace covering two rooms. Basically two way fireplaces are set up between rooms so that both room can enjoy the benefits of the same fire, however the main thing that you have to watch on these is that they have to be a special design as there are a lot of things that have to be taken into consideration. The choices are endless.
One of the easiest way to categorise fireplaces is by the type of fuel that the fireplace will burn. The type of fuel that a fireplace burns will impact the experience that the owner of the fireplace has with the fireplace. Some of the most common fireplace fuel types are listed below:
Gas fireplaces are becoming a lot more popular. In recent years with many people becoming a lot more busy, gas fireplaces have continued to gain market share in the fireplace market. Soon, the gas fireplaces will become more common than wood fireplaces. Although gas fireplaces are more difficult to set up (they require a gas line and special installation), they are much easier to maintain and use. Moreover the flame that appears from these fireplaces is usually pretty uniform and maintains an even glow. No wood is burned with these fireplaces, rather the gas is burned as it comes out.
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Wood: This is the most common type of fireplace. As the name implies this fireplace is designed to use firewood as fuel. Moreover, most wood fireplaces have a chimney that” vents" the smoke and burned material up the chimney and out of the house. These types of fireplaces are quite common and have been the fireplace of choice for many years. In order to have a fire in the fireplace, a person needs to have a ready supply of either firewood or fire logs nearby. These fireplaces often require maintenance periodically to remove ashes and to clean up build ups of wood material in the chimney.
Pellet: Pellet burning fireplaces are not very common yet as not many people know about them, but can be very efficient. These types of fireplaces run on pellets, which are wood and a few other things that have been compressed so that they take longer to burn. The pellets are typically burned and then the smoke travels out through an opening that is up and located in the back of the unit. Pellets are great because the often take up a lot less space than wood and in some places without trees, they may be easier to obtain.
Another type of fireplace is the electric fireplace. This fireplace is also easy to use like the gas fireplace, but does not require a gas line. This fireplace is generated by electricity. These fireplaces have made great improvements in recent years and the fire that they produce almost looks like the flame from a wood burning fireplace. Many of these fireplaces have different settings to adjust the level of the flames. Electric fireplaces have also become more popular in recent years.
If you do not want to have one of the above fireplaces, how about a stove then? Today, there are many stove options on the market to choose from and these stoves can still produce heat, but look a lot different than a fireplace. In addition, stoves can be placed in the middle of the room a lot easier than fireplaces since they can vent through a pathway to the outdoors. This article will outline some of the stove types available on the market.
Like fireplaces, stoves can be classified based on the type of fuel that they consume to produce heat. Accordingly, there are four major types of heating stoves on the market today based on fuel consumption. These four types of stoves are the gas stove, the electric stove, the multi fuel stove, and the pellet stove. Each of these stove types has advantages and disadvantages over other types. The type of stove you select will also impact your experience with the stove as well as its impact on the home.
Another way to categorise stoves is by their shape and look. There are as many stove types as there are designs under this categorisation system. There are antique looking rounded stoves or the stoves which are almost box like and look like a space heater or the stoves that resemble a fireplace. There are also stoves that are unique in design and have a gold or silver look as well. These stoves are striving to obtain a more modern look and feel.
Whichever stove that you decide to go with, remember that stoves can be a great way to add extra heat to a home.
Chimney:
Having an adequate chimney for your fireplace plays a vital role in the success of a good burning fire. A chimney has two primary functions - first, to carry undesirable combustion, also known as smoke, out of the house and second, to provide the draft that feeds air to the fire to keep it burning. The draft of the chimney comes from rising hot air. As the air flows up the chimney, many factors come into play to include:
When it comes to the height of the chimney, a tall chimney will produce more draft than that of a short chimney. For the diameter, this too has an effect on the draft. If a chimney is too wide, you could experience a problem in allowing smoke to cool excessively, which would slow down the draft. You want the diameter to be similar to the flue outlet diameter. Keep in mind that your chimney diameter should never be more than three or four times the cross-sectional area of the stove outlet. If you happen to have a chimney that is oversized, you should consider adding a liner with a flue that is smaller in diameter.
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The location of the chimney is also important. By adding your chimney to the indoors rather than outside, you can use the warmth of the chimney as additional heat. Each chimney has to have turns, which lowers the draft. As a guideline, every 90-degree turn cuts off five feet of effective chimney height. In other words, a 12-foot chimney that has two turns has an effective chimney height of two feet.
The construction of your chimney is also an interesting factor. A round chimney flue will draft better than a rectangular or square chimney. You should also consider having an insulated chimney that will make it easier for the draft and will stay warmer longer. When it comes to the tightness of your home, every appliance you currently have for heat has to have air to support combustion. If your house is too tight, there may not be adequate air to feed the fire.
Most people have no idea the importance a chimney plays but when it comes time to build or update your fireplace, keep this information in mind.
Fireplace screens chief purpose is to block pieces of ash, sparks, and logs that come out of the hearth from falling out of the fireplace. The screens do not provide complete protection from sparks though, but they can help.
Another item that people do not often pay attention to is the hearth. The hearth is the device, usually made of a sturdy metal, that the logs sit on. This needs to be quite sturdy and should be capable of supporting several burning logs. Although the hearth is often hidden by ashes or wood, when the fire is burning, the hearth can be quite visible. It also can influence the shape of a wood burning fire since all logs are positioned on the hearth.
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Fireplaces should also have some kind of brickwork or stone work in front of the fireplace to make sure that the ashes do not burn the floor. This can also help to improve the overall appearance of the fireplace. Some of these things are quite decorative and should match the rest of the decor for the fireplace. Moreover, other people choose to place a rug in front of the fireplace brick or stone work. This rug can have many designs, but it need to be fireproof. This rug should catch any ashes or sparks that the bricks do not catch. The fireplace rug will also protect the floor.
In addition, the area around the fireplace is important for the overall fireplace experience. the shape of the fireplace will also help the people who enjoy the fire. A wide fireplace will make sure that more parts of the room will be able to see the fire. Items like mantles, the area above the fireplace, and the artwork and decor around the fireplace can also have one of the most significant visual impact. Remember, when you are thinking about a fireplace, it is important to take all of these things into consideration.
Our Thanks to www.fireplaces-fireplaces.com for some of the above information. Further information is available from this site
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