The subtleties of installing a fireplace

Knowledge of the design of stoves and fireplaces, together with competent installation and correct operation, will help save money that could be spent on attracting specialists. Before installing the fireplace yourself, it is worth studying the recommendations that have been proven over the years, and then the result of the work done with your own hands will surprise not only loved ones, but also the professionals of the stove business.

If a decision is made to install a fireplace in the house, it is important to understand the destructive capabilities of the unit, since the safety of the device will depend on this. The beauty of a flame in a fireplace is just a small part of a complex system. The fireplace stove includes many elements that are invisible to the eye. Its parts can be conditionally divided into external (decorations) and internal, which are responsible for functional suitability.

Functional parts include:

• firebox;
• chimney or smoke collector;
• body, chimney box.

Each part of the hearth determines its energy efficiency, as well as heat output and service life. For assembling a fireplace, individual parts purchased in the store or created by yourself from suitable building materials are suitable.

When assembling, it is important to pay attention to the insulation of the firebox. This stage is especially important if the house is built of timber or logs. The hot elements of the fireplace must not be allowed to come into contact with the wood, this rule applies to the floor, walls, and also ceilings. Subject to the rules, the warmth of the fireplace will add comfort to a wooden house without the risk of a fire.

Fuel is loaded into the furnace and ignited. The combustion activity and the intensity of heat release are directly interconnected with the damper - with a larger opening, a maximum of air gets into the firebox and the firewood burns better. If the design assumes an open firebox, the intensity of the fire does not need to be adjusted.

A grate is needed to regulate the air supply. An important point is the timely removal of ash, which is collected through the grate into the ash pan. Usually, it is raked out or shaken out, depending on the presence of a built-in or pull-out system.

The fireplace chimney removes the collected combustion products outside. To prevent gases from spreading inside the house, the chimney is often equipped with forced pulling force. It is a fan. For the construction of the chimney, it is allowed to use only heat-resistant bases: brick, ceramics, heat-resistant steel.

There are many designs and varieties of fireplaces, but different systems differ only in details and proportions. The most famous varieties are French, German and English fireplaces.

French fireplaces are distinguished by refined shapes, elegance and charm. Such a fireplace not only emphasized wealth and luxury, but also served as an individual heating device. French classic fireplaces are ideal for homes with high ceilings. Typically, the structure is supplied with a high and deep wall shelf. It is specially pushed forward to emphasize the massiveness of the structure.

German variants are distinguished by the absence of a thermal dome. Usually, the system involves leading the branch pipe into the wall, and then into the chimney. A characteristic feature of modern German fireplaces is the remote control equipment. Fireplaces can be equipped with a cassette-type gas system, but there is also an electric firebox.

Classic English fireplace it is customary to provide an inclined back wall, this is necessary to reflect heat in front of the portal. In the firebox, side mirrors serve as reflectors. It is believed that the trapezoidal shape of the structure makes it possible to more fully reflect the rays of heat into the room.

The rules for installing any fireplace require the choice of a good location. For example, an essential detail for corner options is the presence of a quarter meter indent from the fireplace wall. This space should be left for free circulation of oxygen. Although quite a lot of space will be needed, installing this particular type of hearth will significantly improve heat exchange.

The rules assume an accurate calculation of the dimensions of the furnace unit. The heating part must correspond to the heat losses of the room.

In most options, the calculations assumed by SNiP should take into account:

• number of window openings;
• type of glazing;
• characteristics of the used insulation;
• number of storeys of the building;
• the thickness and material of the walls.

The installation rules assume that one stove is used to heat a room no larger than 40 square meters. m. Do not expect to heat 100 square meters with one fireplace. m in a townhouse. An option with one fireplace on several floors is also undesirable. In this case, it is impossible to ensure uniform heating, since warm air rises upward. It is better to build different fireplaces on several floors, albeit smaller in size.

The significantly reduced size of the fireplace in relation to the size of the room will lead to large temperature fluctuations in the room. A greatly increased size of the fireplace will lead to stuffiness in the rooms, as well as to excessive consumption of firewood.

The rules for choosing the size of the furnace for a specific room presuppose the exact operation of numbers and indicators. The heat loss of the room is calculated from the heat loss indicators of one cubic meter of the room - 21 kcal / hour. For calculations, it is enough to multiply the outer dimensions of the room by 21. For example, in a wooden house, these indicators can be 5.5 meters wide, 6.5 meters long and 3 meters high. The conventional volume of heat losses is 107.25 * 21 = 2252.25 kcal / hour.

It is known that 1 cubic meter. m of the fireplace produces an average of 300 kcal / hour. This means that the heat loss of the room must be divided by 300.2252.25 / 300 = 7.5075 cubic meters. m. The permissible height of the fireplace in the room is up to 2 meters. If you divide 7.5 by 2, you get an area of ​​the stove equal to 3.75 square meters. m.

When starting the installation work with your own hands, the first step is to determine whether the selected area of ​​home ownership is able to withstand the mass of the fireplace structure.The foundation of the unit must necessarily correspond to the weight of the hood. The chimney of the fireplace can be half-meter, if the house is one-story, or meter, when the house has a second, attic floor.

The foundation material can be rubble stone or fireclay brick. The brick foundation is brought up to the floor level, and insulating material is laid on top. It is allowed to use heat-resistant cement mortar for the fireplace body. The body material can be stone, metal, brick, ceramic, or a combination of these.

The fireplace is installed according to the approved plan.

In order not to miss anything, you should follow a series of simple recommendations.

• Mark with chalk the outlines of the future device in the place where the fireplace will be installed.
• The floor under the fireplace is reinforced with a reinforced cement screed.

• Insulation must be provided for wooden floors.
• After the implementation of the base, it is important to build the pedestal correctly. It is needed for a cast iron firebox. Such a pedestal can be either homemade or purchased together with the firebox.

• It is important to use special adhesive heat-resistant mixtures for mounting the pedestal.

• Another layer of insulating material is laid on top of the prepared base.
• Before starting the installation of the firebox, install it on the bars. Then align exactly to the level. Remove the beams and proceed with the installation of the chimney in the hole provided for it.
• Proceed with the cladding. It can be made of iron or other non-combustible and heat-resistant material. If brickwork is selected, it must be present along the entire vertical, to the ceiling. A metal case without cladding can be a suitable option in the country.

• Create ventilation holes. They are needed to remove the heated air inside the room.
• Do not forget about an important part of the fireplace chimney - a special ledge, or tooth. It will provide a better oxygen flow to the top of the portal. In this way, the emission of smoke from the fireplace into the room is prevented when the firebox is open.

Aerated concrete and silicate bricks that are unstable to high temperatures should not be used to equip the fireplace. Please note that the clay mortar will not stick to a brick of poor quality at all, or it will stick extremely badly. When laying bricks, it is recommended to moisten with water. This is necessary for better adhesion with the mortar.

The minimum screed thickness is 10-15 mm. Rigidity is achieved by reinforcement with metal rods or mesh. The thickness of the plaster of the pedestal should not exceed 1.5 cm.

For air movement in the fireplace, there must be a hole. As a rule, oxygen is supplied directly from the street. For this, a hole is prepared in the wall or ceiling.

Carry out the chimney installation work in accordance with fire safety regulations. For example, there are generally accepted norms for the possible deviation of the pipe from the vertical position. The angular deviation for a length of five meters should not exceed 45 degrees. The longer the chimney length, the smaller the deviation values.

If the device is wall-mounted, consider the distance to the wall. In a house with wooden walls, it should be at least 50 cm, in a house with concrete walls - at least 10 cm.

Choose the safest closed-type fireboxes for the fireplace device. A special screen made of fireproof glass will slow down the burning of firewood in the hearth, while the heat from burning firewood will still get into the room. Waste gases will be removed from the chamber into the chimney.

Select firebox shields in accordance with the main characteristics, which are based on their weight and size, as well as the duration of combustion provided.

For information on how to independently mount a fireplace in a country house, see the next video.