Green Fireplaces

Ventilation

We applaud the whole house approach promoted by LEED. We advocate including the fireplaces when balancing the ventilation system for the whole house. Only by taking a wholistic approach can we hope to minimize the air necessarily lost up the chimney to carry away the smoke and insure good Indoor air quality.

Fireplaces heat radiantly so it is not sensible to require fireplace doors which block nearly all of the radiant heat. For the physics see our discussion on fireplace doors.

Fireplaces need make-up outside air for combustion and ventilation - just like any other appliance that vents exhaust gasses or stale air to the outside. The make-up air a fireplace needs - about one cubic foot per minute for every square inch of flue area - should not be provided directly into the firebox for the reasons given in Rumford's discussion about combustion air. It's inadequate at best, can bring with it bad smells, blowing ash and, in some situations, be a fire hazard.