 |
All about fireplaces
by Paul Bramber
http://www.fireplaceez.com
A space built into many homes designed to contain a fire,
fireplaces are generally used for heating. A chimney or
other vent enables gas and particulate exhaust to escape
the building. Fireplaces have become embedded in our
culture with stories such as Santa Claus coming down the
chimney to get in houses and in fairytales such as The
Three Little Pigs, in which the wolf enters the third
little pig's house, which is made of brick, through the
chimney
Fireplaces have been around since humans came out of the
caves and built their own homes to live in. The fireplace
was the most important part of a home because all of the
cooking was done in the fireplace as well as heating the
home.
With today's technology, the need for fireplaces does not
exist anymore. Central heating, wood or gas burning stoves
have taken the place of fireplaces. If you have a home
built today, a brick or stone fireplace is an amenity that
has to be asked for specifically nowadays. Fireplaces are
considered upgrades now instead of a survival necessity and
can be an expensive upgrade, however, the value of your
home will rise with it.
Many lower-priced new homes are not equiped with a
fireplace, as its heating function has long since been
replaced by central heating and its social fuction by the
home entertainment center. Some owners of older homes have
closed off the fireplace completely in oder to prevent warm
air from escaping through the chimney. For those who do opt
for fireplaces, pre-fabricated models have become popular
because of their lower cost of construction.. However, they
offer limited selection in size and style. Traditional
brick and stone fireplaces provide greater durability
because they can be designed to meet exact specifications,
but they are much more expensive.
Today, there are generally four types of fireplaces: wood
burning, direct vent gas, vented gas, and vent-free gas.
Wood burning fireplaces are fueled either by manufactured
products, including pellets or petroleum based artificial
logs, or wood. They are inefficient and produce many
biproducts, two reasons the market for them is shrinking
rapidly. Direct Vent fireplaces' coaxial vent system of
pipe inside pipe allows for a completely sealed system that
does not compromise the inside air quality of the home.
Vented gas fireplaces use an air-cooled pipe or gas flex
liners to vent appliances. Vent free gas fireplaces do not
require a chimney system, are extremely efficient and will
shut off if oxygen in the room falls below acceptable
levels.
Submit An Article
|
|  |
