Fireplaces and Heating Stoves

73. Construction of Fireplace. Fireplaces are an enlargement in the base of a chimney where fire is built. The upper part of the fireplace is sloped forward, and, in some cases, a damper is placed in the chimney to regulate the flow of air upward. The damper should not be so constructed that it will close entirely, for if it did, the smoke would come into the room. The fire in the fireplace burns best when the fuel is put in a grate or on andirons so that air can get under it and be drawn thru it by the draft of the chimney. A steady draft makes the combustion of the fuel complete and thus prevents smoking.

The hearth is made of fireproof material and should be wide enough to catch all sparks flying from the fire. A screen is often needed for safety from fire. Do not pile reserved fuel or put rugs on the hearth.

Fireplaces and chimneys should be built of fireproof brick, stone or concrete. Have them examined once a year for cracks, as these make them unsafe. The walls of the chimney and the fireplace should be thick enough to prevent danger from fire.

74. Management of Fireplace. The management of a fireplace is very simple. The draft up the chimney should be properly regulated so that the fire does not smoke. Sparks and bits of fuel should not be drawn up the chimney. The fire should be built so that it is not smothered. Air should circulate thru the fuel. Keep the ashes cleared away.

There are some fireplaces which are intended to heat rooms after the manner of hot-air furnaces. The heat and smoke from the fire pass upward thru a metal heater, encased by an air chamber. Much of the heat passes thru the metal, warming the air in the chamber. This warmed air passes thru pipes and registers into the rooms, while the smoke finds its way to the chimney. To complete the circulation of air, the cold air from the floor passes into the air chamber near the floor at the sides of the fireplace. Sometimes fresh air from the outside of the building is mixed with the air in the chamber.

If there is an opening in the floor of the fireplace, a damper should be put in this opening to regulate the flow of air. The heater in a fireplace must be kept free from soot and ashes. If the metal is covered with soot, heat will not readily pass thru it, and the soot will collect moisture and cause rusting.

One way to keep the heater clean is to regulate the draft up the chimney so that ashes and bits of burning fuel are not drawn into it. Also, the fire should be kept burning with a clear (not smoky) blaze. Soot is unburnt fuel.

75. Operating Heating Stoves. A stove is a device for holding the fuel and for permitting the heat to pass readily into the room. In the stove there is space below the fire for collecting ashes. There is an opening for fresh air to enter below the fuel, to aid combustion, and a damper above to act as a check draft when open, a chimney to carry off smoke, and one or two dampers in the chimney to regulate the draft.

When a fire is being built, close the draft over the fire box and open the one below; open the damper in the chimney—this allows the free passage of the air up the chimney.

76. Care of the Stove. Do not permit a large bed of ashes to accumulate in the bottom of a stove. A thin layer of ashes must be kept in the bottom of some wood stoves to keep the fire away from the metal bottom.

The polish or finish of the stove is a matter of taste. Some stoves are made of iron, which does not need blacking; some must be blacked. Blacking keeps them from rusting. All must be kept free from dust and dirt, as this accumulates moisture and causes the stove to rust.

Letting the stove get red hot warps it. It should not be permitted to get so hot.

The grate (Fig. 3) in stoves holds the fuel so that air can flow up thru it. If the grate is clogged with ashes, this cannot happen. The grate should be shaken to make the ashes drop thru. A clean grate is important to the complete combustion of the fuel. Shaking after glowing coals begin to fall is a waste of fuel.

When an attempt to shake the grate is made, it may suddenly refuse to move. In this case, something may have lodged between its parts, or it may have been shaken from its proper position. Shaking the stove too hard may displace the grate. The common remedy for a displaced grate is to let the fire go out, remove all ashes and cinders, and readjust the grate.

Some kinds of soft coal form "clinkers," and these catch in the grate. In burning fuel that makes clinkers, shake the ashes from the fire several times a day. Remove all accumulations in the fire box daily. Clinkers are made from substances which melt and recombine, forming a different material which is quite hard and does not burn. Constant attention to the fire prevents clinkers from forming in large masses.