Masonry Magazine December 2004 Page. 24
Taking queues from the traditional Rumford fireplace, members of the Brick Industry Association's (BIA) Fireplace and Chimney Committee have crafted a new masonry fireplace based largely on Rumford's principle of efficiency. The result is a simple, easily constructed brick fireplace that uses minimal bricks and space within a house.
"Our main emphasis was to create a fireplace that was efficient in terms of materials and easy to construct," says Charles Clark, AIA, PE, Director of Engineering Services at BIA.
"Time savings and material savings are really tied in together, because the more material used in the fireplace itself means the more time needed to put those materials into place," he continues. Southern Brick Institute's Bryan Light adds, "I would think the savings in time are somewhere around 1/3."
This article will review the history of the Rumford and the basics on how to construct a BIA Rumford fireplace.
History
FIRST INTRODUCED BY Count Rumford in the 1790s, Rumford fireplaces were a means of improving the heating capabilities of their traditional large, bulky ancestors. Prior to Rumford, masonry fireplaces had large, deep fireboxes that were rectangular in shape.
Applying his knowledge of heat to the fireplace, Count Rumford reasoned that the traditional masonry fireplace was not as efficient as it could be because it did not reflect much heat back into the room. His first change to the traditional fireplace of the day was to move the rear firebox wall closer to the front of the fireplace. Then, tinkering with the rectangular plan, he angled the two side walls toward the room so that more heat was radiated back toward the room's occupants. Finally, he rounded the throat of the fireplace to enhance smoke movement up the chimney.
Deemed the "Rumford fireplace," the resulting design greatly improved the amount of heat felt by the occupants of the room. This creation was almost immediately embraced by the populous upon its publication in "Of Chimney Fireplaces" in 1796, resulting in widespread use of his fireplace and celebrity for Count Rumford.
BIA Rumford Fireplace
THE BIA RUMFORD FIREPLACE is based on a contemporary version of the original Rumford using currently available materials. While designed to throw more heat back into the room, the BIA Rumford also has the advantage of being a compact, efficiently built masonry fireplace. While most fireplace and chimney assemblies will take at least 1,500 to 2,000 brick to construct, the BIA Rumford only
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December 2004
Masonry 25