Archive for the 'Masonary Fireplaces' Category
Protect Your Home with a Chimney Liner
Thursday, October 9th, 2008 by PyroProbably the most essential fireplace accessory that will keep your home and family safe is a chimney liner. A fire in a wood burning or gas fireplace creates high levels of heat and lethal gases. These combustion products are capable of causing damage to your fireplace, chimney and home, and can even make you sick.
A chimney liner is a metal, ceramic or clay insert that protects the chimney from these byproducts of a burning fire. Additionally, it guards the walls of the chimney from the effects of corrosion and heat. A damaged or overheated chimney can lead to the combustion of any wood building materials in its proximity.
Testing has revealed that unlined chimneys are very hazardous. In the US, homes containing a fireplace that were built after 1940 must have a chimney liner, and they must be replaced if broken or cracked.
There are three basic kinds of chimney liner:
1. The traditional material for chimney liners is clay tiles. This is a cost effective choice; it’s also easy to get and performs perfectly well in a properly maintained fireplace chimney.
2. To repair or upgrade an already existing chimney, metal chimney liners made of aluminum or stainless steel are the most common choice. The advantages of a metal liner are that it is highly durable and very safe if the installation is done properly.
3. A cast-in-place liner is another possible choice. This is a lightweight product made from a material resembling cement. Following installation in the chimney, it will provide a seamless, insulated route for the release of all the byproducts of a burning fire. An older chimney will benefit structurally from this kind of permanent liner, and it is compatible with various types of fuel.
When replacing their chimney liners, most people nowadays select stainless steel because it’s much simpler to install than clay tiles. It comes in two types: stiff or flexible.
Most people choose to have their new chimney liner professionally installed. But you can save some money by purchasing a kit which comes complete with detailed installation instructions. The kits usually include all the required accessories and attachments to get the job done.
If your older home has a fireplace, it’s critical to get it checked out by a professional to be certain it meets safety requirements. A damaged chimney can be a serious household hazard, particularly if the liner is not installed correctly. And so there’s no good reason to avoid installing this critical fireplace accessory, especially since there are so many simple, cost effective means of addressing the problem.
Is your fireplace keeping you warm and cosy? – Tips for better heat.
Friday, September 26th, 2008 by PyroWith the growing trend in restoring to use those fireplaces that have been bricked or boarded up, it is important that these restored fireplaces and chimneys are working efficiently. For wood or coal burning fires to burn well, a good supply of air is required along with a chimney to expel the hot exhaust gases and smoke. Also the fuel should be held in a grate clear of the hearth floor allowing full circulation of the air and waste ash to fall through, 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 principles of fireplace design published in1799, Count Rumford emphasized the importance of the size of the flue compared with the size of the fireplace opening. He recommended that the cross-sectional area of the flue should be about a tenth of the size of the opening. However, fireplaces tended to be smaller after the mid nineteenth century. Modern flue liner manufacturers favor a ratio of one to seven, and there are sizing charts published that give details of current standards.
If your fire smokes or won’t burn properly, see if opening a window improves matters. If it does, you need better ventilation in the room. One solution is to install a window vent, although this may cause a troublesome cross draft. A much 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 each side of the chimney breast.
When wood and coal are burned, flammable gases, tarry substances, acids and dust are given off. However, because domestic stoves are relatively inefficient not all of these substances are consumed. Instead, 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 over a period of time thus reducing the size of the flue. It is important to have regularly used chimneys swept at least twice a year, ideally before, during and at the end of the heating season and the local trade directories contain details of fully qualified and suitably insured sweeps. A soot laden flue is a fire hazard, since the unburned elements of the soot can ignite, causing a chimney fire which can reach high temperatures and damage the chimney.
If a flue is too large, its size can be reduced to improve its efficiency by the fitting of a liner. A variety of methods and materials are used, including flue liners made of flexible stainless steel, ceramic, lightweight concrete sections, or concrete cast in situ. Other ways of reducing the fireplace opening in order to improve fire efficiency is to raise the level of the hearth or to fit a baffle across the top 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 fitting a metal smoke hood or canopy in the opening is the best solution.
Richard Banks is a contractor with many years experience in home remodelling and improvements. For more information on fireplaces visit Fireplace Capital
Fireplace Category
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 by PyroNothing adds warmth and relaxation like a fireplace, firepit or stove. Whether gas, wood, electric, pellet, indoors, or outdoors; your options are almost limitless. You will find something to work in every situation and for all budgets.
Brick Fireplace – To Have Or Not To Have, That Is The Question
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008 by PyroWhen you modernize your house and you bring in the fancy designer to help in bringing your home to the 21st century level of modernization, most likely he/she would advise you to get rid of the brick fireplace your ancestors had built in your home. However, many people are emotionally attached to their old fireplaces, and may not feel too great in having it demolished, though they realize that the brick fireplace looks quite shabby and will not match a re-vamping in the interior décor.
Does A Brick Fireplace Look Modern Enough For The Times We Live In?
There is no right or wrong answer here. You will know when you see it whether it suits your style or not. And hence, when we are talking of one’s personal liking and disliking, there is no way one can tell which opinion is better that the other. Opinions are opinions – everybody is entitled to their own.
There are, thankfully, other criteria to help you decide whether you should keep it or destroy it/ replace it. The main criterion of course, is your budget. If your budget is tight, then by all means, you keep the brick fireplace where it is. In order to improve its looks, have it cleaned, repaired and then painted with vibrant colors that add to the colors chosen for the interior decoration of the house.
In case money is no bother, and you still love the fireplace, then you could replace the brick fireplace with a wooden or marble one. Both these materials would give your room a luxurious look and feel. In case you still need to cut corners on the finances, you could leave the brick fireplace as it is, and just mount a mantel of marble or wood, or a combination of both. The impact of these would make an excellent prop in the interior décor of any house.
The installation of a marble or wood fireplace mantel will require you to take the help of professionals, as this would require specific mounting and fixing. The involvement of a professional becomes doubly critical when the fire place would be meant to be used. For the dummy one, of course, there is absolutely no problem since it will not endanger anyone.
To summarize, your decision on whether you should or not include the brick fireplace depends upon the fact whether the interior décor is being changed with or without the appropriate budget.
