The interior of any room can be made more comfortable and aesthetic by installing a fireplace. This element will give the room a stylish appearance and, if necessary, provide heating of the home.
Construction device
The main functional parts are the firebox and chimney. There are also other important components:
- heating device;
- gate valve;
- ash pan;
- lining;
- grates;
- forced convection system;
- protective doors;
- fire cutter.
The external device consists of a cladding, a portal. The latter serves for decoration, maintaining a certain style of the room.
The installation of the fireplace can be performed using separate parts purchased from the store, or you can create it yourself from the necessary building materials. The production firebox is usually made of cast iron or steel. DIY masonry is possible from refractory bricks.
Features and types of furnaces
Open fire chambers
This option can be built from refractory bricks. This is a rather heavy construction - a small classic fireplace weighs about 800 kg. For this reason, its installation requires a reinforced floor, a separate foundation. A production open firebox is much lighter, but its other characteristics do not differ from a brick one. Main disadvantage: low efficiency of approximately 15%. Therefore, an open fireplace structure is not considered as a heating device, it performs an exclusively aesthetic function.
Closed type furnaces
Such a fireplace is a complete heating system that can heat an average two-story house. Channels made of pipes (steel, aluminum), which supply heat to the rooms, are attached to the chimney. Finished fireboxes can have different capacities. The efficiency of a closed fireplace is about 85%. The minimum power is 5 kW. 1 kilowatt is enough to heat 10 m2.
An important advantage of a closed design is safety, since you do not need to monitor it, it is enough to close the door. If the fireplace is open, you need to wait until the wood burns out. The floor covering near the open fireplace is covered with a non-combustible material.
Installation instructions
Depending on the place of construction of the fireplace structure, certain requirements must be observed.
In a private house
No permits are required for installation. You just need to take into account the recommendations for the arrangement of the structure. The location of the fireplace is determined during the design of the house. Based on the area of the room and the purpose, the required size and power of the firebox is selected. The characteristics of the chimney depend on these values.
For fireplaces, as a rule, factory closed fireboxes are purchased. Manufacturers must indicate the required chimney cross-section on them. The latter can be brick, steel, ceramic.
In a frame house
Projects of frame structures with fireplaces include the installation of a special base for the stove. If such a foundation has not been planned, the installation of the fireplace is not possible.
In order to install a stove or fireplace in a frame house with your own hands, if the foundation is on screw piles, metal sheets are laid out under them. Such a steel platform is capable of withstanding a significant load.
The fireplace is mounted in compliance with the following rules:
- The walls of the fireplace structure and chimney should not touch the material of the frame, insulation.
- The fireplace is built into an internal sand-lime brick partition.
- The structure is placed on a concrete base.
- A fire-resistant coating is laid in front of the firebox.
The chimney outlet is carried out in compliance with fire safety rules: the pipe must be insulated, insulated.
In the apartment
Since most apartment buildings were built without taking into account the installation of chimneys, it is much more difficult to install a fireplace structure there.
The exceptions are the following options:
- the last floor of a high-rise building;
- 2-storey house;
- high-rise building, where a common chimney is provided, allowing the installation of a fireplace in any apartment.
In all cases, the installation permit should be obtained on the eve of the work.
In an apartment located in a multi-storey building, it is permissible to install a fireplace with a weight of up to 700 kg, the firebox is only closed. To ensure the necessary air exchange, the area of the room must be more than 20 m2.
Foundation construction
The weight of the body and fireplace insert is significant, therefore the base must be strong. It is especially important that there are no differences in height. Otherwise, cracks will appear when the structure settles.
At the initial stage, you should prepare:
- cement mortar;
- brick;
- level;
- metal mesh for reinforcement;
- trowel;
- waterproofing material;
- roulette.
To build a foundation, first of all, you need to make a markup. The base area must be larger than the size of the fireplace. 35 cm are added to the length and width.The depth of the foundation is at least 50 cm.
The ready-made cement mortar is poured onto a previously prepared area, leveled, I put the mesh on top and re-poured.
It is also permissible to make a brick base: red brick is laid out in several rows with a dressing. The surface of the foundation is constantly checked using a level, if necessary, corrected with a solution.
After the foundation is completely dry, the base is covered with a waterproofing material.
Mantel
The finishing material determines the appearance, operational characteristics of the fireplace structure. Fireplace cladding is made with the following materials:
- Natural stones. The structure will be durable, since the natural material can easily withstand mechanical stress, it is extremely durable. Natural stones are environmentally friendly, harmless to health.
- Artificial stones. Main advantages: affordable price, low weight. The latter significantly reduces the complexity of facing work.
- Ceramic tiles. It is inferior to decorative and natural stones in strength, but more varied in texture and color.
- Facing bricks. Hollow brick trim significantly increases the efficiency of the fireplace structure.
- Decorative plaster. First, the firebox is sheathed with plasterboard, then plaster is applied in 3 layers (base, tinting, protective). In this way, it is possible to imitate the appearance of natural materials.
Effective, high-quality cladding will perfectly emphasize the style of the interior, significantly increase the efficiency of the fireplace structure.
Chimney installation
Correct fixation of the pipe is carried out with fasteners and mechanisms specially designed for this purpose. Most often, the material for the latter is stainless steel with a thickness of about 1 - 2 mm.
The elements of the necessary fasteners must be located inside the pipe in order to avoid the undesirable effect of condensate that periodically appears in the system.
Many experts strongly recommend not to install the chimney directly, but to place its parts at a slight angle.
Operation requirements
In order for the fireplace to serve for a long time, it is important to follow the following rules:
- it is impossible to replace wood, which is the main fuel, with another material during the operation of the device;
- it is forbidden to use water to stop the burning of fire;
- be sure to clean the structure every 2 months.
In order to improve the operation of the fireplace, a layer of 1 cm of burnt wood is left at its bottom.
The outer surface of the device should be cleaned with soapy water. It is recommended to remove carbon deposits from the glass of a closed furnace with a glass cleaner, and clean the inner walls with a stiff brush.
Strict adherence to the installation rules will allow you to design an efficient and reliable fireplace. Subject to the requirements of operation, it will serve for a long time without repair work.
