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Chimney & Fireplaces/vertical grate for fireplace

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Expert: - 2/10/2008


Question
I have a fireplace with a conventional basket grate, and read about a vertical grate on the site gratewalloffire.com. The claim is that the vertical grate will obviate the need to poke the wood and will throw off more heat because the vertical design will cause the embers to heat better and push the heat into the room.

Are these claims scientifically accurate and have you had any experience with this type of grate?

My objective is to save the hassle of poking the logs and to get heat into the room rather than up the chimney.

Thanks for any input you can provide.

Answer
Richard,

Not sure about the claims being "scientifically accurate," but I can tell you the product has a U.S. Patent. That being said, If you are experiencing a fireplace that omits smoke into the room, don't believe that this grate or any other for that matter is going to solve your problem. As for the heat out, this seems logical that the larger ember profile would reflect more heat into the living area, but that heat will make a giant U-turn and be sucked up your flue as it always has. If your real concern is efficiency, I would invest in an EPA certified wood stove insert for your masonry fireplace. If your fireplace is a factory built, invest in removal and replacement with a high efficiency fireplace. Good luck.  

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Randy Brooks

Expertise

Inspection of Masonry, Pre-cast Tilt-up, and Factory Built Fireplaces as well as Free Standing & Insert, Gas, and Wood Appliances. We also provide Hearth Fire Loss Investigations, Litigation Support, Consulting Services, Flue Sweeping, Installation and Repair. Additionally, I’ve been a chimney sweep for 23 years, service and install hearth appliances as well as being recognized by the Superior Court of California as an expert witness.

Experience

Brooks Chimney Sweeping Since 1989 Ojai, CA Owner / President www.brooks-hearth.com

Organizations
NCSG, MEMBER,(National Chimney Sweep Guild), Member since 1990, Board of Directors representing Region 6, (CA, NV, AZ, UT, OR, WA, ID, WY, MT, AK and HI,) 2004-2011, ethics committee chair, 2004-2005, executive committee member, Vice President, 2006-2008, President, 2008-2011. CSIA, BOD (Chimney Safety Institute of America,) Board of Directors, ethics committee chair, 2004-2005, executive committee member, Secretary, 2005-2006, Vice President, 2006-2008, President, 2008-2011. HPBA, MEMBER, (Hearth, Patio, & BBQ Association,) since 2002. NFPA Member, (National Fire Protection Association) Since 2009. Technical Committee member for the 211 Standard.

Education/Credentials
California State Licensed Contractor, C61-D34, #750710. http://www2.cslb.ca.gov C.S.I.A., (Chimney Safety Institute of America,) Certified Chimney Sweep, #2580. Held since 1990 re-certified in ‘93, ‘96, ‘99, ‘02, ‘05, '08,'11. http://www.csia.org F.I.R.E. (Fireplace Investigation, Research & Education Service,) Certified Inspector, #FP-006. Held since 2000, re-certified in ’03, ‘06. http://www.f-i-r-e-service.com Fireplace Investigation, Research & Education Service,) Advance Expert Consulting & Witness, certificate, ’05 N.F.I. (National Fireplace Institute,) Certified Gas & Wood-Burning Specialist, #133851. Held since 2002, re-certified in '05,‘08. http://nficertified.org

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