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With the increasing trend in restoring to use those fireplaces that have been bricked or boarded up, it is important that these restored fireplaces and chimneys are operating effectively. For wood or coal burning fires to burn well, a good supply of air is needed along with a chimney to expel the hot exhaust gases and smoke. Also the fuel ought to be held in a grate clear of the hearth floor permitting complete 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 successfully.
In his thesis on the principles of fireplace design published in1799, Count Rumford emphasized the value of the size of the flue compared with the size of the fireplace opening. He suggested that the cross-sectional area of the flue must be about a tenth of the size of the opening. Nonetheless, fireplaces tended to be smaller right after the mid nineteenth century. Present day flue liner manufacturers 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 properly, see if opening a window improves matters. If it does, you require much better ventilation in the room. One remedy is to install a window vent, although this may possibly result in a troublesome cross draft. A a lot a lot 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 and every 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 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 generating soot which builds up more than a period of time therefore decreasing the size of the flue. It is important to have on a regular basis utilized chimneys swept at least twice a year, ideally prior to, throughout and at the end of the heating season and the neighborhood trade directories include specifics of totally 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 also significant, its size can be reduced to boost its effectiveness by the fitting of a liner. A assortment of approaches and supplies are used, including flue liners created 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 efficiency is to raise the level of the hearth or to fit a baffle across the top rated of the opening. If raising the hearth level or adding a baffle are not sensible or unsightly then it may possibly be worth asking a fireplace specialist no matter whether fitting a metal smoke hood or canopy in the opening is the best solution.
