Getting more heat from an open fire

There are few things as satisfying as an open fire roaring away in the hearth. The sights and smells are hard to recreate with anything other than the genuine article. Some fireplaces, especially older ones or incorrectly fitted wood burning fires can sometimes be disappointing in terms of the lack of heat that they give off. If a fireplace has been designed and built poorly, or incorrect modifications have been made, much of the heat can be lost up the chimney, rather than heating the room and its occupants. People are also disappointed when a wood burning fire is too small to heat the size of room, giving off so little heat as to barely be noticed. Because heat rises, much of the heat from incorrectly installed wood burning fire will, instead of heating the room, go straight up the chimney. This leads to more fuel (coal or wood) being added to the fire in an effort to increase the heat output. Using extra fuel on a problem wood burning fireplace can prove costly, and is not good for the environment as it wastes excess fossil fuels. Not only can this be frustrating, it also has a detrimental effect on the reputation of wood burning fires, leading many people to believe that a stove is a preferable option.

Whilst stoves give out a high heat output, often they lack aesthetic beauty or desired ‘feel’ that can only be achieved with a wood burning open fire. The best of both worlds however can be achieved if you choose a convection fire such as Thermovent to enhance your wood burning fireplace. Thermovent is up to 5 times more efficient than a traditional wood burning fire in its heat output. It is designed to capture more of the heat into the metal of the convecting fire itself, this metal then heats the air that has been drawn into the system and pushes it back into the room at a hotter temperature. This raises the temperature in the room more evenly using natural convection caused by hot air rising – no need for noisy moving parts! 

A convection open fire is also great at reducing any smoke issues and leaving a cleaner fire, as the ash is contained in one area rather than able to spill out, and smoke is directed more efficiently up the chimney. It is easier to control a convection system due to baffle controls, which can be open or closed to increase or decrease the draw of the fire, and fully closed when not in use. 

To find out more about the unique Thermovent convection system from Camelot Real Fires please visit their website www.camelotrealfires.co.uk

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Case study - inglenook fireplace

A couple in West Sussex had recently purchased a thatched cottage in need of some repair, and decided to take ok the challenge of a full renovation. Among many other things in this large project, the whole cottage roof needed re-thatching and they needed a solution for their inglenook fireplace. They had their heart set on an open fire to match the aesthetic and heritage of the cottage, but many companies they approached seemed to shy away from the open fire option, as this required more specialist knowledge. Eventually they contacted Camelot Real Fires, who are UK experts in inglenook fireplaces and open fires,who were more than happy to help. The additional challenge in this case was a short timescale –the thatcher had already been booked to re-thatch the entire cottage roof. This gave Camelot a window of just four weeks, as once the thatcher had finished the roof renovation, there was no other way to access the chimney. 

After a speedy consultation, the couple chose a Thermovent open fire with a beautiful steel canopy, and bespoke dog irons and grate front to match. Because the living room of the cottage had no heat source other than the open fire, Thermovent was the obvious choice, giving them a 50%+ efficiency and a 14kW heat output. 

The couples insurance company required that any fire or stove installed in the inglenook should have HETAS accreditation for safety reasons, as non-accredited fires would potentially pose a greater risk of thatch fire. Following some research, the couple found that a Thermovent open fire in the inglenook actually meant a lower insurance premium as there is a far lower risk compared to stoves. This gave them maximum protection for their new thatched roof and allowed them to use their existing 200mm flue system. 

The project was completed in just 3 weeks,and their new open fire was installed in their inglenook fireplace with plenty of time spare before the thatcher was due to re-thatch the roof. 

"Great to find a family firm giving a truly professional service using their superior knowledge of open fires and chimneys to manufacture a perfect open fire. Our new fire is absolutely fantastic!! It is all we wished for and more. It has solved all our problems, no smoke or smells, perfect performance, warmth around the room and the added bonus of being handsome and elegant. We will be in touch with you again Paul for our next project." 

Robert and Susan, West Sussex, May 2015 Find out how Camelot Real Fires can help transform your room by visiting them at www.camelotrealfires.co.uk 

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Tips on log burning fireplaces and open fires accessories

There’s nothing quite like having a log burning fireplace in your home, the sights and smells, and the ambiance it creates is increasingly sought after. There is lots of information around on the designs and requirements of the fire or stove itself, however in order to make the most of your fire, you’re going to need to understand which open fire accessories are ‘must haves’ and which ones are going to make life that much easier! 

Perhaps the most important open fire would be a carbon alarm. This measures levels of carbon monoxide in a room and will warn you if there are dangerous levels. At Camelot Real Fires, we class these (along with fire alarms) as ‘ must haves’ when running a log burning fireplace. Another ‘must have’ is a good log store. Storing outdoor wood to keep it free from moisture will ensure it does not smoke, and storing indoor wood far enough away from the actual fire in a specially reserved area or a rack will minimise the risk of the wood catching fire before you want it to! 

Other open fire accessories that will make life easier are things like gloves, pokers, ash shovels, buckets, and tongs. The pokers and tongs will help you to start the fire and manage it whilst it burns, while the ash shovel and bucket will neatly clean up any ash residue from your log burning fireplace once the fire is out. For more tips on log burning fireplaces and open fires accessories, contact the team at Camelot Real Fires, UK specialists in real open fires. 

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Fireplace design and chimney size

The design and construction of an efficient yet aesthetically pleasing open fire is a science all in itself. Many shops selling stoves and open fires tend to direct their customers towards stoves because of the specialism involved in open fire design. Not least because it is not just the open fire involved, it is the additional elements such as the open fire cover, chimney, canopy, and the general construction of the house in which the open fire is to be installed. 

An open fire chimney needs to have a cross-section of 200 mm diameter minimum but 225 is the recommended minimum (for a relatively small opening). The chimney itself needs to be higher than 5 m and free from blockages, and be in good condition. This will ensure sufficient draw. An open fire cover or canopy is recommended in order to enhance the draw, and reconcile the difference in size between the fire and the flue to ensure the room is free from smoke. The issue with this is that often is the size of the canopy required is much much smaller than a customer initially expects, throwing the visual proportions of the open fire and the chimney out of kilter. 

Experts in open fires and chimneys, Camelot Real Fires decided to address this point by inventing the revolutionary Thermovent fire, which eliminates the link between open fire size and the chimney flue size. This does away with the need for a specifically sized open fire covers, allowing the customer to have whichever canopy looks the most ascetically pleasing. 

To know more about open fire chimney and open fire covers visit to website.

Fireplace Furniture Spotlight: Canopy

There are many aspects to fireplace construction, and in this series of spotlight pieces, UK fireplace experts Camelot Real Fires will highlight the essential pieces needed for period style, but functional open fire. 

Canopies can be quite versatile in their appearance and made from a wide variety of metals including steel, stainless steel, brass, and copper. Textures and mountings can be added to enhance the design and make a truly unique piece, a trend that is growing in fireplaces in the UK

Contrary to popular misconceptions about canopies in the fireplace, they are designed not to simply ‘catch’ the smoke, but rather to create airflow up the chimney and to address the size difference between fire and flue. Sometimes this means that to get the proper flow of air and smoke up the chimney , the canopy needs to get smaller, not bigger which is contrary to what you might expect. 

In many instances, canopies are made by general blacksmiths, great at working with metals but with little concept of the dynamics of fireplace construction and creating optimal efficiency. Camelot Real Fires are experts in fireplace construction and can make a bespoke canopy to match the desired look of your fireplace and make sure it is working to its best. 

Camelot have also revolutionised fireplaces in the UK with their Themovent fire, which allows any canopy to be used because it does not need to link canopy size with fire size like with traditional canopy use. Get in touch with them to find out more about the Thermovent open fire. 

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Many owners of open fires who are seeking open fire advice are facing the issue of inefficiency

Many owners of open fires who are seeking open fire advice are facing the issue of inefficiency. Their open fires are not giving them the heat they expect, or are taking too long to heat a room. There are a few handy tips that can help with both of these issues.

The problem usually arises from poor fire construction, either the actual design of the physical fireplace itself, or from the materials used to make the fire. 

Firstly, to get the most heat out of your open fire, use a wood that burns at a high temperature, something like Ash or Beach will burn slowly but give a good deal of heat. Using dog irons (sometimes called Andirons) will lift the fuel from the base of the fireplace, allowing air to flow around the fire and encouraging the fire to burn more intensely and so produce a more heat – but you will use more wood. 

If the issues stems from the fact that most of the heat from the open fire is going straight up the chimney rather than in the room, a great solution is a convecting open fire such as the Thermovent fire designed by Camelot Real Fires. This design ensure the smoke goes up the chimney where it belongs, but directs convected hot air drawn in at its base out into the room. Thermovent is up to 5 times more efficient than a traditional open fire. 

If you need more open fires advice, talk to the team at Camelot Real fires who are always happy to help. 

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Why I love my wood burning fireplace

As soon as I walk in to the house on a cold evening the first thing I do is check to see that we have enough good seasoned wood stored near our woodbunring fireplace along with kindling and matches to light it. I make a regular habit of checking our air vent is clear and we have the chimney swept every year to ensure there is no build up of tar or soot in the flue system.

It only takes a minute to form a V with two logs and load in firelighters and kindling in the centre and put a match to it. Having checked the flue baffle is in the open position I then walk away with the crackling of the think wood announcing the start of a warm fire for the rest of the evening. My advice is try not to sit and watch a fire start. It’s like watching paint dry and will feel like an age. With good wood in a well maintained log burning fireplace the fire will take. If you watch it you may be tempted to fiddle with it and end up having to start over. By the time I’ve made a decent cup of tea the fires is ready for some more attention when I will make a small adjustment to the position of the two logs to ensure they have the opportunity to take and pick out some more smaller logs to lay over the fire as it starts to take.

Once the fire in your log burning fireplace is well set don’t forget to make use of a fire guard if you leave the room for any reason.

A specialist in the UK in the field of open fires who will be happy to assist you in creating a fire for your log burning fireplace is Camelot Real fires. Search Google to find them.

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