Rumford Fireplaces

A real wood fire satisfies like no imitation can. More than simply heat a room, fireplaces add warmth, elegance and character to a home.

There are many excellant reasons to include a wood burning fireplace in your home and if you decide to do so, you will want to make sure that your fireplace works properly, safely and provides as much heat as possible. To this end we stock specialty parts manufactured by Superior Clay Corporation, that make it easier to construct the Rumford style of fireplace, which is known for its beauty as well as heat production.

Although fireplaces have been an important part of homes for many centuries, it was not until the end of the 18'th century that anyone tried to improve them by studying how they worked. In the 1790's, Benjamin Thompson, known as Count Rumford, discovered that the draft (the amount of air drawn into a chimney by convection currents) varies with the difference in size between the fireplace opening and the chimney opening. He also discovered that changing the shape of the fireplace throat could result in a smoother acceleration of air up the chimney. By altering the angles of the sides and back of the fireplace, he was able to ensure that a greater amount of radiant heat is reflected into the room.

We stock the crucial components that would be required to construct a rumford fireplace (the throat, smoke chamber and damper) as well as all of the other materials you will need to build the firebox and chimney. Rumford fireplace components are available in a variety of sizes to suit the size of fireplace required for your living space.

When you warm your home with wood you also comfort your soul by participating in a natural cycle which has been going on since the dawn of human history and which utilizes a renewable resource which is sustainable and natural.