An artist's pleasure in fireplace design...

Are you content with the fireplace residing at your home? Is it a typical wood-burning fireplace like many of the houses?

These two questions decide whether you are already feeling a need for change in terms of your fireplace.

The efficiency of fireplace design

The heating potential of a masonry fireplace depends upon the fireplace configuration employed in it.

Everybody wants to amplify the heating capacity of a fireplace. In this regard the fireplace design must ensure certain factors like...

• The source of the air that enters into your room
  
  
• The heat that escapes through your chimney
  
  
• And how to boost the warm air inflowing into your room

Air cannot enter from all places into the room due to the modern hermetic design of homes. Even the air reaches only a specified place after its entrance into the room. Good fireplace configuration is done in a way so that this air acts as the fuel for the burning the wood.

The heated air then leaves through the chimney. In this manner a fireplace configuration practices and acts like a central heating system. The fireplace design then ensures that the vacuum created in the firebox is replaced by air from the room.

The whole procedure is not devoid of havoc heat loss. For instance the fireplaces with no glass doors and external air have been observed to be inefficient. However the fireplaces with glass doors and which draw in air from outside to feed the fire are quite efficient. There is net heat gain rather than loss. In fact such fireplace configurations are benefiting; one can also provide a 'forced air heating system' to supply fresh air.

Safety measures of fireplace configurations (check these with your contractor in your area)...

A fireplace configuration which emphasis certain aspects decides it's overall function for your home.

• The chimney height should be three feet elevated from the roof and also two feet above other things within ten feet of its vicinity.
  
  
• The width of the damper must be as wide as the firebox and six feet higher than the 'opening'. It is mostly situated in the facade rather than the rear of the fireplace.
  
  
• The flue size of the chimney and the opening of the fireplace are related. The former must be one twelfth of the latter. The smoke chamber, which is situated above the damper, should be smooth. It must not be angled more than forty five degrees as a slope.

Some extra tips...

If your fireplace has a glass door it is an added advantage to the fireplace configuration. It reduces negative pressure and invites fresh air for circulation. An extended chimney always helps. If you are not ready to spend more, then caps will suffice in releasing the smoke downwind. For faster performance you need to warm up the flue by using a blazing material to encounter the chill of the wind through the chimney. Thus fireplace designs lay down the basic requirements of a proficient fireplace.

Fireplace Design Quick Tips: Never allow exhaust fans to flow into the room. You can of course have a window open for fresh air supply.

Congested rooms are not desirable places to have a fireplace.

If the fire is positioned too much at the face, shift it backside.