Posted by Tim Keith on Saturday, November 26, 2005 at 9:04PM :
In Reply to: Funny you should mention it.... posted by Hank on Friday, November 25, 2005 at 9:43PM :
A well designed fireplace or wood stove will burn very hot and clean. You should not
see smoke rising from the chimney, just
heat waves.
When creosote is produced the fire isn't hot
enough. A masonry fireplace with a lot
of thermal mass is best, but will tend to
warm the room slower. Burn at least
1,500 F, or as hot as 1,800 F and you
won't have smoking problems. 1,800 F is
hot enough to melt a glass door on a
fireplace. The most efficient fireplaces
are not for looking at.
Good fireplace design is not common as
most fireplaces depend upon "romantic" appeal. The door of the fireplace should
only be large enough to load the wood,
and should burn with an open damper for
efficient combustion. Running a fireplace
with a partially close damper is like
running a motor with the choke stuck.
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