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Rumford
fireplaces
Rumford fireplaces are tall and shallow to reflect more heat, and they have streamlined throats to eliminate
turbulence and carry away the smoke with little loss of heated room air.
Rumford fireplaces were common from 1796, when
Count Rumford first wrote about them, until about 1850. Jefferson had them built at Monticello, and Thoreau listed them among
the modern conveniences that everyone took for granted. There are still many original Rumford fireplaces - often buried behind
newer renovations-throughout the country.
Count Rumford, for whom the fireplace is named, was born Benjamin Thompson
in Woburn, Massachusetts in 1753 and, because he was a loyalist, he left (abruptly) with the British in 1776. He spent much
of his life as an employee of the Bavarian government where he received his title, "Count of the Holy Roman Empire." Rumford
is known primarily for the work he did on the nature of heat. Back in England, 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 in1798.* 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.
Building
or restoring a Kansas City Home? Need a Masonry Contractor, Brick or Stone Contractor you can rely on? To learn more call
us today! Masonry Art, Kansas City, Kansas Contractor Services. Call us now for a free consultation. Serving Metro Kansas
& Missouri and surrounding counties.
Radiant heating Rumford fireplaces that heat people instead of the air are great
for extending the hour and the season of an outdoor space. Outdoor fireplaces are built just like indoor fireplaces (so you
can use all the plans on our "plans and instructions" page) except that you don't need a damper and usually the clearance-to-combustibles
and other code issues are easier to follow. Outdoor fireplaces may smoke in a breeze so shelter the fireplace from the wind
and build the chimney as tall as you can. You can add a chimney pot to increase the effective height of the chimney. Masonry
Art is a full-line masonry subcontractor, brick, stone contractor and masonry supply company that specializes in Residential
and Commercial masonry construction, patios, Sidewalks and Driveways, flagstone, cobblestone, Retaining Walls, Paver Stones
for Walkways and Patios, masonry fireplaces and featuring Natural stone veneers, brick veneer, cultured stone veneer, pavers,
tile, Rumford fireplaces, brick ovens and masonry repair, tuck pointing, restoration.
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Our
modern outdoor Rumford display! We had fun building this one, no set of plans just an image in our mind. We just started building
and this is the finished product. The only thing missing is a backyard, a custom BBQ Grill and out door kitchen full of freinds.
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