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From Cellbe
With the increasing trend in restoring to use these fireplaces that have been bricked or boarded up, it is important that these restored fireplaces and chimneys are working effectively. For wood or coal burning fires to burn properly, a great supply of air is needed 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 permitting complete circulation of the air and waste ash to fall by means of, 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 style 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 location of the flue must be about a tenth of the size of the opening. Nonetheless, fireplaces tended to be smaller sized following the mid nineteenth century. Modern flue liner suppliers favor a ratio of a single to seven, and there are sizing charts published that give facts of current requirements.
If your fire smokes or wont burn properly, see if opening a window improves matters. If it does, you want better ventilation in the room. 1 answer is to install a window vent, though this may trigger a troublesome cross draft. A much 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 offered off. Even so, simply because domestic stoves are comparatively inefficient not all of these substances are consumed. As an alternative, they rise up the chimney and some of them condense on the inside of the flue. Unburned carbon combines with these tars and acids making soot which builds up more than a period of time hence lowering the size of the flue. It is essential to have frequently used chimneys swept at least twice a year, ideally prior to, during and at the finish of the heating season and the regional trade directories contain particulars of fully qualified and suitably insured sweeps. A soot laden flue is a fire hazard, given that the unburned elements of the soot can ignite, causing a chimney fire which can reach higher 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 techniques and supplies are utilized, such as flue liners made of flexible stainless steel, ceramic, lightweight concrete sections, or concrete cast in situ. Other techniques 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 best of the opening. If raising the hearth level or adding a baffle are not practical or unsightly then it may possibly be worth asking a fireplace specialist regardless of whether fitting a metal smoke hood or canopy in the opening is the finest solution.
