Fireplace As a Zest of Your Interior

Open or closed firebox - this is perhaps the first thing to think about when choosing a fireplace. However, in order to make the right choice, you need to know what, in addition to the appearance, open and closed fireplace mantels differ, which they have advantages and disadvantages. But first, try to decide what exactly you expect from your fireplace: functionality or beauty. The first quality will most likely be found in a closed firebox, the second - in an open classical model.

Today, fireplaces with closed fireboxes slowly but confidently displace open fireplaces. There is nothing to be surprised at here, in fact unlike classical fireplaces, modern units are capable of making the combustion process more efficient and lasting. Closed furnaces are very economical, their efficiency is 70-90%, many of them are made of refractory steel and cast iron - materials that retain heat for a long time and are equipped with a special system that allows controlling the combustion process. In a closed firebox, the wood is completely burned, and the ash falls into a removable tray. As you can see, the benefit is obvious: when choosing a fireplace with a closed firebox, you automatically save fuel and receive significantly more heat than from open fireplace options.

Another undeniable advantage of a closed firebox is its safety. Fireplace door, made, as a rule, from heat-resistant glass, reliably protects your house from sparks, smoke and soot. And if you adjust the thrust with a gate and a grate, and close the furnace door tightly, then such a fireplace can be safely left unattended. In addition, closed fireboxes are almost insensitive to wind gusts, drafts and, unlike open ones, place fewer demands on the quality of the chimney. Closed structures work in a more stable and stable mode due to the dosed air intake inside the furnace.

Fireplaces with open fireboxes are usually solid, massive structures and are most often used as decorative elements. However, thanks to a simple device and an open air run, such a cast-iron furnace for the fireplace guarantees a very rapid warm-up of the room, which is especially good for country houses, where no one lives permanently. But such heat is not retained for long, the efficiency of an open furnace is only 15-25%. Such a hearth will only warm up as long as the fuel burns, since most of the heat simply flies into the pipe along with the smoke. In addition, open fireboxes are often made of refractory bricks, which is a heat-consuming material that gives off heat much worse than, for example, metal.

But, despite all its shortcomings, the fireplace with an open firebox has unsurpassed aesthetic characteristics, and are the best choice for aesthetes who like to watch the flames without any barriers, even if transparent. In conclusion, I would like to destroy one common opinion that smoke from an open fireplace allegedly penetrates into the room and, at least, stains the exterior finish of the fireplace. It can be said with certainty that if your fireplace is installed by specialists according to all the rules and standards, then such troubles will be simply ruled out.