Listen….
Wood Burning Fireplaces
For more than a million years plus…
Humankind meaning us has harnessed the power of fire itself, then, of course, came wood-burning fireplaces.
Of course, it did, how could we not go further in harnessing fire itself.
It has provided the much-needed heat for our cooking warmth for our bodies, and warm water for our washing needs.
Did you know once that the heat from a fire like a wood burning stove kept the water hot in the house before electricity ever came along…
Really. https://fireslight.com/11-facts-about-the-wood-burning-stove-that-will-impress-your-friends/https://fireslight.com/11-facts-about-the-wood-burning-stove-that-will-impress-your-friends/
For those who did not know…
Yes, there was a time that electricity was not around, sometimes it was better away.
The first fireplaces ever built by us humans, albeit rather antiquated to today, contained the fire within an area where people lived, crowded around for that much-needed warmth and heat for our cooking needs.
The -places of fire, were necessary for our survival, when it came to the elements of the cold seeping into our bones in the old days, unlike the fireplaces we enjoy gathering around today the fireplace then, was a much-enjoyed place to occupy.
A fireplace or you could call it hearth is a structure made of stone, brick, or metal in design to contain a fire.
Does an Outdoor Fireplace Need a Chimney?
Fair question…
They do require a masonry chimney to be built and depending on your personal outdoor space, smoke emissions can be an issue.
You know…
That choking and running away from the smoke.
Or those unpleasant smoke-soaked garments that smell for a very long time unless you wash them.
A good way to keep away a crowd I guess…
You’ll also need a space to store all that timber you chopped to keep the fire going.
These days there are some aesthetically pleasing wood stacking products available to you and me today that keeps us walking up and down the isles trying to work out what we like the best, scratching our heads.
O’yes…
Coming back to the subject…
Which can add interest to your outdoor area.
Are Outdoor Wood Burning Fireplaces Safe?
Well…
You should never have your fireplace on a bare wood deck.
Think about it people wood fireplace – fire equals?
Hmmm.
Moreover, you should never burn pressure-treated lumber or trash or plastic in your fireplace.
I say this with tongue in cheek as I might have been a little guilty of doing this myself on occasion.
If your fireplace uses gas or propane, you should ensure plenty of venting and air, and yes, even while using it in outdoors.
What Can You Use Instead of Firebrick?
Yes, some alternatives do exist, such as soapstone and sandstone.
There is also refractory concrete, another great heat deterrent as are the good old red clay bricks…
Pretty too.
Any of these materials can be used in place of the firebrick, to warm the hearth and home.
In addition to providing that added warmth to the home, early American fireplaces were also used as a place to cook and prepare meals.
Fire and cooking went back to the hurling of a bone with meat on it in the fire pit from a rather gruff caveman.
Just picturing it, wait a minute…
Ok.
Not limited to cooking over an open flame, the hearth was also used as a tool to facilitate baking.
Yes, baking was also an art form of cooking that we humans perfected, yet I am sure many blackened cakes were made before the baking method was perfected.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the fireplace was large enough to allow someone to “walk in.” So handy…
The hearth as it was called was a deep, wide, and open recess in a room, with a small mantel (if there was a mantel of course).
The firebox itself was generally wider than it was tall.
Now, by contrast, fireplaces in English homes were smaller than the American ones and considered to be much more efficient.
By design, colonial homes the America’s, particularly those built in the New England and Mid-Atlantic areas, were built with central chimneys with yes! multiple flues.
You can have more than one you know…
Because these fireplaces were more centrally located inside these homes, the materials used to construct these fireplaces were a collection of stone and brick which also helped retain that much-wanted heat.
By comparison in the South, such fireplaces actually located toward the ends of a home, not the middle people, the ends of the house, to keep the heat at a minimum, and help keep houses cooler in the summer months of warmer climates.
The fireplace became a potential object of beauty in a home, it began to come into its own in the middle of the 18th century.
At this point in its evolutionary gain, the fireplace began featuring beautifully carved mantels, with details like inset panels and lentils.
Now the Victorian era ushered in even more ornate designs – elaborate tile displays, intricate overmantels, and mirrored displays.
To name a few…
Some of the more prominent design elements were available in the Victorian era.
During the mid-1800s, fireplaces also saw changes once again and modifications, (let’s not forget that as well) necessary to make it possible to burn more coal in more urban settings.
NO coal these days ok – we know better than our Victorian counterparts of yesteryear.
This also brought with it the use and application of yes! cast-iron features are differently applied for design purposes and also safety. Let’s not forget that also.
Ushering in the early 19th century, following a period hallmarked by ornate and fanciful designs, the fireplace and mantel designs, unfortunately, returned to a simplicity of style more commonly found in the late 18th century, during Colonial times.
Prefer an ornate design myself – well some at least. Unless you’re a modern person, I shall leave it there.
Wood Burning Stoves
The Earliest Stoves
In the 1700s, those German immigrants introduced “stoves” called Five Plates or a Jamb, they were set into the wall and were fired from a fireplace in an adjoining room, fancy that!
While primitive by our standards of today, they emitted more heat and produced less smoke than the open fireplaces of those times.
A major innovation in wood stove history?
I guess…
It offered better ventilation which is good…
had a convection chamber, and because it was made of cast iron, it radiated heat long after the fire went out. You know… metal?
Heat-conducting…
Now, these people were happy with their good old wood stoves in the 1800s.
While they might not have been as attractive as the open fireplaces of the times, they were much more efficient, and had fairly good controllable airflow with some sort of baffle system.
You heard that right!
They would be illegal in most states today due to high particulate emissions, but they were a big improvement for the times, as they were about 30% efficient (vs. today’s stoves at 80% efficient.)
Because the concept of the fireplace hadn’t yet dawned on cavemen ancestry of the day, they dug fire pits in the middle of their dwellings.
The smoke escaped through gaps in straw roofs… (I guess health and safety were not around then), or through a hole in the roof.
It wasn’t until the two-story buildings were built that the fire pit was replaced by the fireplace and moved lock stock and barrel into the outside wall, making it possible to put a fireplace on each level of the house.
Upstairs and downstairs.
At first, they were vented horizontally outside the home, but as we know, smoke naturally rises, so it continued to spill into rooms.
Not good-all that choaking again…
Smelly clothes.
It didn’t take long before the chimney was invented, none too soon…
Creating a draft to expel the smoke vertically out away from the inside of the room.
Many of us have a nostalgic love for antique wood cook stoves.
Who wouldn’t one in our kitchen, given the warmth that fills the room and the special wood smoke flavour added to food cooked in its oven?
Or maybe you prefer a simpler, and smaller, wood heat stove topped with a flat hot plate.
Wood-Burning Stoves Incorporating an Oven
Yes, cooking and heat doubled up in a new way…
It traditionally doubled as a means of heating the home at first, then having occupied a special place in our kitchens now for at least two centuries, we have cooked on fire/heat ever since.
As the wood stove slowly but surely started to become a must-have in our homes during the 18th century.
European countries such as the Netherlands, England, and Germany, took the lead in coming up with different styles and designs that would embellish the kitchen interior.
The United States did not lag behind for too long of course…
The first metal wood-burning stove is said to have been invented in 16th-century Europe, but this stove did not really become more common until nearly 200 years later, during the Industrial Revolution.
A bit of a wait…
Despite the wood stove’s superiority over other wood stoves, people had resisted the switch from the inefficient, wood-consuming, somewhat smoky open hearth to the hotter, more efficient fire contained by a wood stove.
That dreamy glow of a crackling fire can not be denied now…
However practicality did win out in the end, and by the beginning of the 20th century, 40 million American homes were heated with wood stoves, often a Queen Atlantic. or the behemoth, nickel-plated Home Comfort.
As people found other ways to heat their dwellings, the popularity of wood stoves was wanted for a while, only to come around full circle again in the 1970s.
The Fireplace Outdoors
What could be the next best thing to sitting by that cosy fire place inside your home in the wintertime?
Enjoying those nice fires/fireplaces on those cool nights all year round in the outdoors.
Those old vintage stone or brick fireplaces with their stains and cracks in them can sometimes tell silent stories of yesteryear and what it was like for our ancestors, seating around these fireplaces chatting and feasting away while warming their outstretched hands towards the fire’s light.
The use of fire pits, chimeneas (chimineas), or ornate outdoor masonry fireplaces, are all very popular and a growing trend among homeowners across the nation today.
Yet it is important for homeowners to realize the maintenance and safety of these outdoor fireplaces and other heating appliances, yes even outdoors…
It’s just as important as the proper upkeep of your indoor fireplaces and chimneys.
Here are some safety tips which apply to all types of indoor and outdoor fireplaces, including:
- Don’t leave a fire unattended at any time.
- Do not burn chemically treated wood, wood such as that has been stained, painted, or glued; burning treated wood releases dangerous toxins.
- Do not put the flammable liquid on a fire, to get it started. Kerosene, lighter fluid, or any other type of flammable liquid is considered highly dangerous and can cause an explosion.
Outdoor Masonry Fireplaces
Don’t let the chimney of an outdoor fireplace become layered with creosote, a chimney fire could be the result; chimney fires can be very intense and could easily start an out-of-control burn.
You don’t want that.
So annual inspections are recommended, to ensure safe operation.
Obstructions caused by such things as rubbish and wildlife should be removed before use.
When it comes to wildlife handle it with care and take your time.
Don’t want any scratching or biting…
And that’s just the wildlife…
Yes, chimneys should be kept in proper repair so that the venting can operate as it was intended.
The other thing you need to think about it is it dangerous to leave fires unattended to burn all night; unless your sleeping under the stars and right next to an open fireplace, I would not keep the burning unattended all night.
Once the fire has been put out the fireplace should be covered after cooling.
Once embers are extinguished, remove ashes after each use.
Outdoor masonry fireplaces are extremely durable.
A handy way to keep an outdoor fireplace clean, besides with a brush or broom, is a modern appliance we have today called a pressure washer.
Chimeneas
Do you know what a chimenea is?
Chimineas are those charming, hand-decorated terracotta outdoor fireplaces you see for sale at marketplaces or patio stores or tourist sites in Mexico and Western states like Arizona for instance.
While some people use chimineas just as garden art on patios for that authentic rustic look of the Southwest, chimineas can and should also be functional fire features in outdoor rooms.
In fact, chimineas are not new, they’ve been around for hundreds of years and are not just decorative accent pieces.
Clay chimeneas are durable and provide an economical alternative to outdoor masonry, but they can be easily chipped, so do handle them with care.
Here are some important safety tips:
Chimeneas do produce a great deal of heat, and for this reason alone, should not be moved until the fire has completely died down and at least 24 hours have passed.
Else burn your hands.
- Don’t use chimeneas or place them near flammable objects such as fences, houses, or trees.
- Never use a chimenea on a wooden or covered deck, as you could imagine the heat on its own could cause the wood to ignite. You don’t want that, do you…
Chiminea History
Traditionally, a chiminea is mainly made out of clay and designed in a wide-bottom vase form, with a narrow, vertical chimney through which to direct the smoke and a wide mouth on its side for that all-important fire pit.
The chiminea’s design allows it to be used in the rain without the water extinguishing its flame.
If you do want to have a fire and sit in the rain of course…
In fact, the chiminea’s origins actually go back as far as the 16th or 17th century when chefs in small Mexican villages used them as elevated cooking vessels, and families gathered near them for warmth in the cooler weather.
You could say that chiminea is in the same concept as the old-fashioned potbelly stove, being a cast-iron wood-burning stove.
In Eastern European countries, a similar type of stove called the koto, was fed with wood and used for cooking many popular dishes of the time.
Large, round cooking pans were placed on the koto to cook on.
Unlike a wider, more open fire pit, a chiminea is contained keeping out the elements, resulting in a more as you would say ‘tame flame’.
Aromatic woods like hickory, cedar, mesquite, or even pinon wood are popular choices, which will blow smoke up and out, just the way we like it.
After igniting your chiminea, it can reach a full burn in 15 minutes, how about that? Giving off a great deal of heat.
The fire can be controlled/tamed just like any wood-burning outdoor fire pit or fireplace.
Fire Pits
Man’s first use of the fire pit dates back to the middle Paleolithic period, some 200,000 – 400,000 years ago.
Which is a long time…
Archaeological evidence from such sites in Israel and even the Klasies River in South Africa shows that fire pits were made using a collection of stones to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading uncontrollably.
Fire was essential to ancient daily life, once the fire was discovered… funny that.
Though there is much debate or you could say arguing around the table about when the first opportunistic use of fire was, one thing is for certain though….
That is the origins of the fire pit were born out of necessity for existence and daily living needs.
Man, once they realized how important fire was to their lives, needed fire to survive, and harnessing that fire, through the use of a fire pit was a monumental leap forward in the development of every culture around the world that discovered fire.
Can’t really think of a culture not finding fire at some time in evolution really.
Many cultures, particularly the Nomadic races, would actually cut the turf above the fire pit in a special “turf cutting ceremony”, and then replace the turf afterwards to hide any evidence of fire!
And after repeated usage of the same fire pit, the ash of the fire pit built up and eventually created the underpinnings of what we now know today as the hearth or fireplace.
The safety tips that apply to chimeneas, yes…
Also, apply to the fire pits.
They may have been basic but still dangerous when it comes to an open flame.
If the fires in fire pits are left to burn for extended periods of time, whether portable or inground, the bottoms of the fire pits tend to deteriorate and wear out.
Should you put sand in the bottom of the fire pit?
Well…
Some metal fire pits recommend you use an inch or 2 thick layers of sand at the bottom of the pit itself…
Sand is also great as a protection for the metal bowl from the intense heat the fire can put out. At the end of the day.
So do think about if you would also like to put sand at the bottom of your fire pit if you have one… or am thinking of getting one of course.
The remains of ancient fire pits have left us with a great deal of information about their culture and the culture of the different races that used them.
Carbon dating from the actual users and found in old fire pits can actually estimate when regions were first populated by man.
They can also indicate when certain civilizations died out.
Also, seeds and bones found around and in these fire pits indicate the type of diet that civilizations ingested during the relevant time periods.
In archaeological terms, you could say…
Fire pits are referred to as “features” because they can be seen and recorded as part of the site itself.
Yet, they cannot and should not be moved without destroying this rich history of past civilizations.
The fire pit, in any of its forms, fat, small, long or large, is an invention that changed the course of mankind throughout the ages.
Without that ability to eventually control fire, man would not have been able to cook food, which became easier for digestion and made time for more creative activities.
Keep themselves warm from the elements, thus also healthier from colds and winds that would cause also have caused underlying issues, and ward off the predators during the dangerous nights and insects that would annoy them and the bites, we cannot forget the bites.
Mosquitoes and stuff.
As man evolved the smelting of metals would not have been possible without the ability to use concentrated heat.
And the allure of those dancing flames enjoyed on a crisp evening in today’s modern man’s backyard among family and friends would never be experienced.
It’s really like coming full circle, back to the true form of comfort and relaxation that was discovered and enjoyed by our first ancestors.