A wood burning fireplace is a very important asset in your home. Its main purposes are to heat the general area up in a central room as well as cutting costs in heating expenses. When installing or building a fireplace there are some basic requirements that need to be taken into consideration.
Need to install a chimney
If the house does not have a chimney, then it is a necessity that one gets installed before hand. This is important mainly because the fireplace will emit a lot of smoke that will require an outlet to safely leave the house. An UL approved insulated chimney or a masonry chimney is the best route. Most fireplaces consist of two things: the actual firebox, where the wood burns, and the chimney. These are paired together when purchased because they have been tested to work together safely. When a homeowner or builder introduces a different component to that structure that has not been tested and certified by UL, it voids not only the warranty and UL listing of the fireplace, but more importantly puts it in violation of important safety codes. It is best to construct a vertical, straight chimney with the least amount of turns or bends to help it be the most efficient. Also remember to cap it up top to keep rodents or any other small critter out.
Spot the suitable location
Another key factor on building a fireplace is its location in your house. You must decide where it will get its best use and where it will be the most functional. It has been said that it is best when built in the centre of ones house as well as being located on the ground level. This spot is where the heat can easily circulate into its surrounding rooms as well as going to any upper levels. Your fireplace should also be located in a spot where there is enough room to load/store wood as well as being able to remove the ash to clean up after each use. Once the perfect spot has been chosen you must then lay a foundation down, typically cement, or any material that is non-combustible.
A wood burning fireplace gets extremely hot, which is why there are some precautions that need to be taken into consideration to ensure proper safety. It should be placed, at minimum, 25 centimeters away from any non-combustible walls and 76 centimeters away from any combustible ones. Another important thing to look out for is to make sure that a 28-gauge piece sheet metal should be installed on the wall near your fireplace. As well as a ceramic tile prefabricated stove board, concrete slab or a UL approved material under the stove in order to make it secure for heating.
Importance of register plate
A register plate is used when there is no chimney liner and acts as a barrier to the smoke in the chimney. Its importance is that it makes a sturdy seal between ones room and the chimney. It must be made of a non-rusting metal, at least 2mm thick. This is because if the plate failed then smoke could enter the room. Register plates are less common on newer installations.
Now a days the wood burners are highly efficient, meaning that less heat actually goes up the chimney. The more efficient the stove the less heat is wasted up the chimney and the more likely that a liner will be what the stove requires to function correctly.
Fitting of a freestanding fireplace
Through using a double skin insulated flue, the fireplace can be build anywhere, hence no chimney is required here. A pipe is required that will be used to connect the wood burning fireplace to the approved chimney. Most of this should be 17” from the ceiling or a wall, this can be done by use of special double-wall which is close to a clearance interior pipe or a pipe heat shields. These pipes are of two types, close clearance and single wall, which is designed to join a fireplace to a chimney nearby.