Thursday, January 31, 2008

In This Guide To Fireplace Components, Let's Look At

The fire hood - it extends from the upper edge of the mouth of the fireplace to the smoke chamber.In this guide to fireplace components, let's look at some key components of a built-in fireplace:The mouth - this is where the combustion takes place.The smoke pipe - this is the final stage of the smoke extraction system.The ash dump - situated under the grate, it serves to collect the ashes that result from the combustion. It prevents sudden draughts of cold air from pushing smoke into the room. It’s tube shaped and narrows up from the smoke chamber before opening onto the exterior.The smoke chamber - It’s a slanted, bag-shaped space following immediately on from the throat of the fireplace. Its purpose is to extract the fumes and prevent them from coming out through the mouth..The air entrance - an indispensable part of open fireplaces as it guarantees optimum combustion. The size and placement will determine the amount of heat radiation in the room, and also the extent to which the flames can be viewed. It’s usually hidden below the mouth of the fireplace with a removable drawer, to make it easy for ash removal. It’s advisable to search for the ideal configuration for both parameters, bearing in mind the room’s size. It regulates the passage of smoke and fumes and enlarges or reduces the opening of the throat, blocking the entrance of cold air, which would speed up combustion and cause heat loss into the atmosphere. The spacing of the bar should allow only the ashes, not the firewood to fall through. Normally its crowned with a hood or cap, which sticks out from the roof to provide protection from the elements like the sun, snow and rain.The grate - this is usually made of wrought iron, and the logs to be burned are place on it.The throat - this runs from the lintel over the mouth of the fireplace before narrowing down the dome damper where it connects.

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