I just bought a new old house (1966) and want to make a few upgrades to it this summer. One particular upgrade is installing two fireplaces. Being a professional carpenter I think I would rather spend my $ on making my own fireplaces rather than buying a drop-in unit. But in all the projects I have done, I have never experienced real fireplace building. I have many books which show fireplaces but always with the same ‘stock’ diagrams. This provides less than adequate reference for me. One of the fireplaces I want to build would have three sides which I can’t recall even ever seeing.
Are there any books about fireplace design and building?
Where do you get fireplace parts (cleanout doors, dampers) ?
Where can I find out more about laws/codes reguarding?
If/When I get stumped who do I call for help…who designs/builds fireplaces?
thanks fellas
gk
Replies
Here's a starting point:
http://www.rumford.com/
Jim Buckley won't have good things to say about a three-sided fireplace, though.
Rebeccah
The link in the previous post is the one I use also, the chimney
components are a bit priesy but are by far the way to go, the last
two fireplaces I have built , have been built with superior clay
corp. parts, what use to take weeks to build, now can be built in
a matter of days -oh by the way- do yourself a favor and get a
electric hoist to move materials up the scaffolding ,and make sure
your scaffolding is solid. D.W.
rereading your post --most masonry suppliers have lititure
and parts you will need. If I can be of help hollar.
Here's a 'sketch' of the 3-sided fireplace.
Looks like Sketchup? Is it?
Google for Isokern, and see whether their lego-block approach might work for you. More expense on the material side, but a whole lot easier in execution.
Yes I do use Sketchup, It is the best program for design-building anything.
The Isokern looks like it would be a nice product to use on a client project; however, not my own. It looks like a less than custom, labor saver. If I were paying a mason to do it...but I am the acting mason on my house and time is not as much of an issue as is making what I want work. Not to mention that I want to get better at masonry in the process.
I did find some info online to assist in the design, and I ordered a few books. I think I have a pretty good starting point, I just need to hone the design, adjust sizes and position of airflow items, and get the dimensions of anything I am buying like dampers (although I just bought a welder and might make the dampers too).
heres what I have so far....if you don't have sketchup, get it! at least get the viewer (its free).
I am a SU newbie. See my thread under "construction techniques" called "ridge beam bearing into chimney core."
I didn't download your SU file, so I will be lazy and ask this question: are you planning a separate smoke chamber and flue for each fireplace?
Yes, there ae two separate fireplaces...one in the familyroom and one in the bedroom. The flues do not connect.
The bedroom fireplace is a standard design. both will have custom made doors and both will draw air from the crawlspace. I am currently in the process of hunting down the proper heat exchanger.
Also note that I only build up the masonry as far as I think I need. Then I switch to triple wall steel flue. I'm hoping this makes it easier to go through the attic. laying brick in a 4:12 attic doesn't seem fun.
gk
I worked on the fireplace doors last night...I hope you guys like the deer theme.
imagine plasma cut 1/4" steel with a roaring fire behind.
I still need to figure out how to fit in a heat exchange to cash in on the roaring fire.
gk
>>>>>>>>Also note that I only build up the masonry as far as I think I need. Then I switch to triple wall steel flue.Unless someone has introduced a new product I'm not aware of to make the transistion between the two, you could save lots of time and effort and possibly lives by going ahead and burning the house down before you do all that work to it. All metal chimneys are proprietary systems for either a prefab fireplace or a solid fuel burning unit of some sort. If you're gonna build a masonry fireplace, you need a masonry chimney. Your three sided design poses some drafting problems as well. The general rule of thumb is the flue cross sectional area should equal a minimum of 10% of the fireplace opening. You need to do some more research before you do much more design.Good luck.
What ever you do, don't flip the red switch on the dashboard, Gunner.
http://grantlogan.net/
Thanks for opening my eyes before my next conundrum.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Enjoyning the finite of matter, in an infinite realm of possibilities...
From Isokern's website, this pic. Masonry transitioning to steel.
View Image
>>>>>>From Isokern's website, this pic. Masonry transitioning to steel.That's a proprietary system. The parts have been engineered to make that transistion. Going to Lowes and buying some woodstove chimney and jamming it in the top of a masonry fireplace is a recipe for disaster. He's also going to have a hell of a time getting that thing to draw properly. It'll probably work when the doors are closed, but it'll smoke up the neighborhood when fuel is added or it burns low.
What ever you do, don't flip the red switch on the dashboard, Gunner.
http://grantlogan.net/
thanks for the enthusiastic and encouraging response, I realize that the advice given in this forum is only a fraction of the research I will need to accomplish a safe and effective design.
In thinking about the doors (supposed to be airtight) I hoped to alieviate the draft issues by installing dampers to control the flow of air taken from the crawlspace. The ideal is that the unit would work best when doors are closed. A friend of mine has a large prefab unit that smokes out the whole house whenever the doors are opened too quickly or for too long.
In an article I was reading about fireplace building, they make mention of a transitional (masonry to metal) piece called an "anchor plate"; this is what I had in mind. I didn't realize it was a new thing and I hope I don't run into a heck of a time trying to track it down.
Thanks
gk
until now, I forgot the name of this flue company. I used it once to vent a Tulikivi fireplace/pizza oven. Not too cheap though...the triple wall, stainless steel, two and a half story unit we installed ran just over $2k. I included a link and attatched a clipping from their catalog showing the 'anchor plate' i was looking for.
http://www.icc-rsf.com/en/residentialchimneys/index.html
gk
I've just learned something - never seen an adapter like that (I've also never seen that brand of chimney in my area). 8" seems to be the max dia. available though, which would pull a 500 sq in. fireplace opening. I'm cautioning you about flue and opening size because I've seen beaucoup fireplaces that don't work right because of simple design elements that were not respected or understood by the fireplace builder.
What ever you do, don't flip the red switch on the dashboard, Gunner.
http://grantlogan.net/
Isn't the size and shape of the firebox and smoke chamber an integral part of the equation too? I really have no idea, but thought I may have heard that somewhere... Also I think different shaped flues effect that 10% number.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Isn't the size and shape of the firebox and smoke chamber an integral part of the equation too? Yup - that open on 3 sides design is nightmarish to get to work. I'm not trying to discourage the guy, but get him to make sure what he's building is going to work and work safely.
What ever you do, don't flip the red switch on the dashboard, Gunner.
http://grantlogan.net/
look around this web site...
http://bia.org/html/frmset_thnt.htm
For those of you with Sketchup; heres the file.
Your plan is a 3 sided fireplace with apparently one central flue. Unless a fan w/ a motor is used to draw up the exhaust gases, I think you'll have problems creating a natural draw. But I could be wrong; my fireplace I rebuilt from an old coal burner to a wood burning rumford style, single front fireplace.
sorry for the confusion...yes, I do plan to add doors.
I was hoping to make them myself also. My wife's company is buying a CNC plasma cutter so that might allow for some creative door design.I still need to design them so they don't show up in the detail and only show up in the house drawing as sheets of glass.
I don't plan on building in the shallow rumford style because it doesn't match the look (is there such a thing as a three sided rumford? three inch deep sides?)
I don't intend to heat the whole house with wood, just supplement my hvac and create some ambience. The second fireplace will be in the master bedroom and I might go rumford with that.
You dont say what type fireplace you want to build .
There are schools and diplomas on this very thing.
Its both an art and a trade in its self.
Tim
Rebbecah's link is a good one. Like you, I'm a carpenter who wanted to build his own fireplace. Jim Buckley taught me how.
Andy
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Robert A. Heinlein
"Get off your dead #### and on your dying feet." Mom
I would start by heading to your local brickyard. They can sell the "parts" and help get you connected up to people who can give you info.
Try isokern.com.
Mike
Do you plan to heat at all with your fireplace? If so Rumford or Masonry heater are way better. FHB has plans for a masonry heater in their masonry book - I used them and built one - it heated 3,000 s.f. and our family loved it (I am no mason)
I have used similar designs to yours that would suck more heat out of a room than anything else - maybe adding doors to the sides (w/glass) could tighten this up a bit.
http://mha-net.org/ is a great site for info. Best wishes.