Fireplace Designs, Recent Fireplace Design Articles
Fire Safety
Fires Early Warning: When household clocks have change ... Spring forward ... Fall back. Many municipalities and fire departments advertise that is a good time to change your batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
Household fire safety at home should be "A" priority.
Fire Alarm Systems
Fire Safety News: Recently an area tragic fire had two fatalities. When the fireman was asked "what was the cause of the fire" he replied that it was too early in the investigation, but that smoke detectors were present when they went in but the smoke detector alarms were not working.
Fireplace Idea
Fireplace Dampers: Purpose is to open or close the chimney. If you have an adjustable damper, you can adjust the damper flap slightly to slow the rush of hot air up the chimney. By slowing down the air up the chimney, you can control the amount of heat into room and conserve your wood.
Fireplace Safety Idea
Fireplace Safety Idea: Take fire prevention steps to protect your life, family and property. As cool weather rolls in, or the time to change the clocks again are both great reminders to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Best replace low batteries and don't forget to check the expiry dates on your detectors as part of your fire prevention.
Fireplace Glass
Fireplace Glass: Cheapest way to clean fireplace glass is to use vinegar and warm water with clean cloths. There are specialized glass fireplace cleaning products but you may not have to make a special trip to Home Depot or Lowes, as one can use glass cook top cleaner. Most important, do not use an abrasive fireplace cleaner for risk of scratching the glass.
Gel Fireplaces
Fireplace Gel Warning: New economical alternatives for creating a fireplace ambience are the new gel fired bowls in a variety of design styles and forms. Seems like a great gift choice but one should be aware of fire safety issues due to the flammable nature of the gel fuel. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has issued a Gel Fuel Safety Warning and published a Gel Fuel video found at Gel Fuel Safety
Wood Fireplace Efficiency
Wood Burning Fireplaces: Not known for their energy efficiency more for room design. Fact is that an open wood fireplace can draw up to 300 cubic feet of heated room air per minute for combustion. Where does it go? Pretty much straight up the chimney. Controlling your wood fireplace efficiency, you can consider dedicated air supplies, add fireplace glass doors, and/or install a vented heat recovery system.
Fire Place Safety: Modular, stone or artificial stone fireplace surrounds, including components of masonry and timber frame mantels, if separated, can lead to serious injury. Modular stone fireplaces with the outer supporting pier columns, rely on a sufficient floor footing and mantel shelves which have a significant overhang represent potential risk to topple off the lintel if not secured properly. To read more about fireplace surround risks follow this link. Stone-Artificial Stone Fireplace Safety
Wood Fireplace Trivia:: Tom Smith of London England sold candies in a paper tube in the 1847's. A spark of ingenuity came from the crack of a wood log fireplace. He decided to enlarge his candy tubes and add the "snap-crack" sound that we know today as Christmas and party crackers!
Fire Safety: Large storms during the year can knock out your power possibly for days. We just had a 2 day ice storm hit us just before Christmas. Tens of thousands of families were without power for over five days and many people may not realize that hard wired smoke detectors would not work in the event of a fire!
When we changed out the batteries in our detectors this fall, I thought it would be nice to have hard wired smoke detectors instead. With the recent power outages, we just found a good reason to keep battery operated smoke, fire and carbon monoxide detectors!
Fire Gel Fuel: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) identified safety issues related to the use of firepots and gel fuels, hazards focus on spill or tip over of the unit along with hazards when refueling. Gel fuel disposable cans (not to be refilled) are safer because it removes the re-fueling hazard, but the tip over factor still exists. There will be regulated safety design styles and form improvements. View Gel Fuel Report at Gel Fuel Safety
Electric Fireplaces: Wished you had moved on that fireplace renovation? Well, gas and wood fireplace renovations are more involved than you might think and you might be too late this year depending on the installer, as fireplace demand is up with the early start of a cold winter. Nevertheless, electric fireplaces are a good quick reno alternative as they require less remodeling. Good fireplace option for the summer, keep the flames but turn off the heating.
Temperature Fact: Cold like February but it's only January, what's up! Gas fireplace is on and the electric fireplace is heating up the basement nicely. January 22, 2014 in Toronto, Canada at 6am, thermostat reads a cold -20 degrees F (-28.9°C)
Is the north sending us their cold air? They seem to be running out! On January 22 at 6:00 am Juneau, the state capital of Alaska, the temperature was a comparatively warm 42°F or 6 C. Go figure!
Natural Gas Fireplace
Existing and new natural gas customers operating fireplaces and gas furnaces have seen gas prices move to some of their lowest levels. This windfall benefit is primarily a result of an increase in gas supply due to hydraulic fracturing processes also called “fracking”. Drilling process injects fluid into the well at a high pressure, fracturing the shale rock layers allowing for the release of more natural gas per well.
Fireplace Romance Idea: Don't have a fireplace, but want to plan a romantic evening. Say a special dinner and drinks evening for Valentine's Day. Check around with friends or on the internet for restaurants with fireside tables. Make sure you reserve the table as others may have the same great idea! A fireplace setting is probably the best table in the restaurant.
Gas Fireplace Fan: The heat blower fan on your gas fireplace can last well over 10 years. Longer if only using the gas fireplace occasionally. During cold weather, turning up the fan's speed will help deliver more warm air into the room faster.
Bed & Breakfast Fireplace Ideas: Don't have a fireplace, traveling out of town to see family on a cold winter weekend? Booking a stay in an older home with an antique fireplace can add ambience to a relaxing night away from home. Having a fireplace is a bonus as bed and breakfast usually don't charge extra. Especially if the fireplace is in your room or you are the only guests that day.
Chimney Repair Problems: Fireplaces Furnaces: Pieces of brick falling off your chimney, mortar joints opening up, getting bricks cracking, chimney starting to lean a little are all signs that you need to do some chimney masonry repairs.
Chimney pictured has been repaired before but why does it continue spalding so badly? One reason is that the chimney does not have a top cap, either concrete or a metal flashing sloped to drain the snow and rain water off the top.
Thus, water or melting snow is absorbed into the brick and winter's thaw and freezing action slowly works away and pops off pieces of brick and mortar.
Fireplace Shopping Idea: You have narrowed down the type of fireplace you are considering in your remodel, now it is time to check out some local fireplace showrooms. Before you go, suggest you take a number of photos of the room and the wall where the fireplace is to be installed. If you are installing a gas or wood fireplace, take photos of the outside wall where a chimney maybe used or venting is to installed.
Having fireplace photos will help you communicate with the salesperson at your local fireplace store, what it is you want to do .. they may be able to come up with some suggestions and provide some cost options and numbers while visiting the showrooms.
Fireplace Wood: Season your wood outdoors through the summer for a minimum of 6 or more weeks before burning it in your fireplace. Seasoned wood will darken and develop cracks in the end grains. Will have hollow sound when smacked. Wood burns best once the moisture content is under twenty per cent. There are wood moisture meters to test the dampness content of your wood. Fire wood photo shows birch hardwood towards the front and soft wood maple at back.
Wood Fireplace Trivia
Fireplace Myths: TV's Myth Busters show, on one of their viewer's choice Xmas specials, set out to challenge the concept that lighting a fire within the fireplace actually decreases the temperature within the other rooms of your house. Yes, it's accurate. Not Busted!
Fireplace Room Combustibles
Home heating units, such as fireplaces, inserts, stoves ... should not have combustible materials within the immediate area. Many recommend that all furniture, decorations and combustible products are a minimum of one meter or three feet away. Remember that is a minimum guide line and objects do fall over or get pushed by kids and/or the family pets.
Fireplace Chimney Repairs
Best time to get chimneys repairs start in the spring, while masons are not that busy yet. Temperatures are moderate allowing the mortar to cure slowly, versus drying out fast on a hot sunny 90 degree summer's day. Autumn is also a good time as most mason's work load slows down and they have more time for relatively smaller chimney repair jobs.
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