History of the Rumford Fireplace

If you have a cabin here in Arizona you will need some heating help this winter.  The best and most efficient is the Rumford Fireplace.

The History

The Rumford fireplace is a tall, shallow fireplace designed by Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, an Anglo-American physicist who was known for his investigations of heat.

Rumford applied his knowledge of heat to the improvement of fireplaces. He made them smaller and shallower with widely angled covings so they would radiate better. And he streamlined the throat, or in his words "rounded off the breast" so as to "remove those local hindrances which forcibly prevent the smoke from following its natural tendency to go up the chimney..."

Rumford wrote two papers detailing his improvements on fireplaces in 1796 and 1798. He was well known and widely read in his lifetime and almost immediately in the 1790s his "Rumford fireplace" became state-of-the-art worldwide.

Today, with the extensive restoration of old and historic houses and the renewed popularity of early American and classical architecture in new construction, Rumford fireplaces are enjoying a comeback. Rumford fireplaces are generally appreciated for their tall classic elegance and their heating efficiency.

The Rumford fireplace created a sensation in London when he introduced the idea of restricting the chimney opening to increase the updraft. He and his workers changed fireplaces by inserting bricks into the hearth to make the side walls angled and added a choke to the chimney to increase the speed of air going up the flue. It effectively produced a streamlined air flow, reducing turbulence so the smoke would go up into the chimney rather than lingering and often choking the residents. Many fashionable London houses were modified to his instructions, and became smoke-free as well as more efficient. Thompson became a celebrity when news of his success became widespread. In an age when fires were the principal source of heat, this simple alteration in the design of fireplaces was copied everywhere .

It may be hard to believe that a fireplace design more than 200 years old is still a leader today, but this is one of the most efficient designs ever.

Looking for a great place to get help with your heating needs this winter? Give Aaron’s Mechanical Service a call at 623-388-4436.

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Aaron’s Mechanical Service
623-388-4436
info@aaronsmechanicalservice.com
http://aaronsmechanicalservice.com