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Most cultures love outdoor living but in many countries this is not
possible because the evenings gets too chilly. Fireplaces are not
only an attractive element, but also add a lasting source of warmth
and enjoyment for your lifestyle. The ambience of an open fireplace
in a home with glowing coals creates a lasting impression and is not
easily forgotten. Homeowners, today, can choose from a huge
selection of fireplace types each with its own pros and cons.
Wood / Anthracite fireplaces
Traditional open fireplace
Open brick wood / anthracite fires look great but are very
inefficient when it comes to the heating of your home. These
fireplaces have a chimney and are very safe to use but their
drawback is that only one room is heated with vast amount of wood
that needs to be burned. Only about 5 per cent of the energy in the
wood is converted into heat inside your home at a temperature of
about 550 degrees Celsius. Wood fires die out within a few hours and
can not heat the home over night.
Closed combustion stoves
These are sealed steel units and mostly designed for wood burning
only, although some will handle anthracite. The fire is screened
with a pane of glass to prevent sparks entering the room.
Controllable vents are installed to provide the combustion air for
the fire. Some of the newer combustion stoves provide the fire with
pre-heated combustion air thereby raising the combustion
temperatures to about 900 degrees Celsius. At such high temperatures
the wood burns very cleanly, giving off little emissions and
considerable heat.
Gas fireplaces
Vented gas fireplace
With its artificial coals, logs or pebbles and its reddish-yellow
flame, gas fires creates a fine balance between the aesthetic appeal
of a real fire without compromising on the warmth and safety of a
gas fire. They are easy to light, provide heat almost instantly and
require no stoking or cleaning. A vented gas fireplace requires a
chimney to get rid of the gasses produced during combustion thus no
odour is produced as it is a vented system.
Un-vented gas fireplace
You can also opt for a gas fireplace without a chimney. These fires
burn the gas with higher oxygen content, giving a bluer and hotter
flame. This creates less carbon monoxide during combustion and is
safe to vent into an open plan area. These fires do have a slight
odour especially when the bottle reaches the end and is burning more
butane. For health reasons, an un-vented gas fire cannot be
installed in a bedroom.
Written by Jere Botes, architect & founder of
dreamhouses. Reproductions of
this article are encouraged but must include a link pointing to
http://www.dreamhouses.co.za |
