What Is A Rumford Fireplace?

Rumford fireplaces are different from other fireplaces in that they are shallower, taller, and made with a streamlined throat. This streamlined throat encourages smoke to make its way up and out of the chimney without hesitation. Rumford fireplaces made their debut in the 1790s and were designed by Count Rumford with heat efficiency in mind.

The concept behind the Rumford is that of radiating heat. Count Rumford knew that in other fireplaces, the heated air was exiting the chimney along with smoke. He concluded that in order to heat the interior of the home using a fireplace, that fireplace needed to radiate a great amount of heat. In order to make this a reality, he designed his fireplace to include angles that were conducive to heat reflection. He also made the opening of the fireplace much larger, which allowed more heat to radiate back into the room in which it was installed.

By designing his fireplace to have a streamlined throat, Count Rumford made sure that smoke problems were a thing of the past. Unlike most modern fireplaces whose designs encourage smoke to come forward out of the firebox, a Rumford’s straight back directs combustion products up, not forward.

The throat’s streamlined design basically uses fresh, room air to push smoke up and out of the home. This design doesn’t just allow for a smoke-free home, it actually makes the fireplace cleaner-burning and much more efficient. A Rumford will typically burn fuel more completely and produce much higher levels of heat than other types of fireplaces.

Because of their tall, elegant, open-hearth design, Rumford fireplaces are a popular choice for today’s homeowners. Many modern homes are built with taller ceilings and are ideal designs for Rumford installations. In addition to their beauty and elegance, Rumfords are gaining popularity because of their clean-burning efficiency. It seems that everywhere you look, there is some mention of green living and air quality. With a Rumford fireplace, you can enjoy the heat output of a wood-burning fireplace without the guilt of contributing to global warming. These fireplaces burn wood more completely and are guaranteed to sufficiently heat your home.

If you are interested in having a Rumford fireplace installed in your home, look no further than Chief Chimney Services, Inc. We have been installing Rumfords for years and have the experience and knowledge you’re looking for. Give us a call today or click here to schedule an appointment online and discuss the possibilities!

Another popular and trustworthy brand of pre-constructed fireplaces is Bellfires. Explore all the options before deciding on your chimney and fireplace installation.