When temperatures drop, few activities can top snuggling in front of a warm and cozy fireplace.  One of the best wood burning fireplaces ever designed is a Rumford fireplace.  Count Rumford was born in Woburn Massachusetts in 1753.  He became very well known and widely read in his own lifetime.  As a high ranking Bavarian government official he received the title of Count Rumford.  He is primarily known for the studies he did on the nature of heat were he detail his improvements on fireplaces.  So let experience the art of building a fire in your Rumford fireplace.

To start, choosing well seasoned wood is important in more then one way.  With the use of seasoned wood your fire will catch easier and burn cleaner.  Since your Rumford fireplace are quite a bit larger and taller you can build your fire without a grate.  Start by laying the fire:  Put a sheet of newspaper against back of the firebox, then add some longer kindling 15 to 18 inches long and 1 inch in diameter.  Next lean four or five logs on end right against this cylinder of kindling, making them all pointing up toward the center of the throat, just like a tepee.  No grate will be needed with your Rumford fireplace.  You can build your fire right on the bottom of the firebox.  In fact the fire burns hotter and cleaner when you do.  This way you keep more of the smoke and gases in the flame, and most of it will burns up and produce less smoke and pollution.  This will also maximize your radiant heat output.

Before you go any further “Open the damper”.  Place some newspaper on the top the logs and light it, this will heat up the flue and get the air in going up and out.  Next light the paper in the kindling bundle.  As your fire starts to burn you can add a little more paper or kindling as needed.  After a few minutes you may want to adjust the logs or add one or two more, just remember lean them up against the back of the firebox like a tepee.  A tepee fire will fall in on itself as it burns, and rarely needs to be tended.

Now sit back and enjoy the cozy warm fire in your Rumford fireplace and thank Benjamin Thompson, The Count of Rumford for whom the fireplace was named. In 1790′s his Rumford fireplace became state of the art worldwide and remains so to this very day.

Filed under: Masonry Info by Tim Wheeler