Knowledge Builders

can you overload a fireplace

by Dr. Ford Smitham PhD Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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* The fireplace should never be overloaded with too many logs, which can cause a fire to burn out of control. Check to see that is is burning properly and do not leave a fire unattended.Dec 25, 1986

Full Answer

Can you over fire a wood burning stove?

Regularly over firing your wood burning stove can cause any problems to the metal components to occur more quickly. Wood burning stove made of steel are more likely to bend and warp, while cast iron stoves can begin to crack or even expand due to prolonged high temperatures.

Can an over firing wood stove damage the baffle plate?

The baffle plate located inside the top area of a wood stove can be at most risk of damage due to an over firing stove because it’s located right above the fire. The baffle helps to hold gases in the firebox for longer before exiting through the flue, and to also reflect heat back into the firebox. The baffle inside one of our wood stoves.

What happens if you over fire a chimney?

The extra heat generated by an over firing stove can cause hot air to ignite the creosote. Having your chimney or flue swept at least once per year in line with recommend guidelines helps to reduce the chance of chimney fires. Along with overloading of fuel, allowing too much air into the stove can cause also over firing.

What causes an electric stove to overfire?

Along with overloading of fuel, allowing too much air into the stove can cause also over firing.

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Can you overfill a fireplace?

This is known as "over-firing." Burning things like paper trash (including wrapping paper) and construction lumber, or just overfilling the box with firewood creates extremely hot and large fires that will damage the containment box of smaller fireplaces over time.

Can you overheat a fireplace?

If your fire still burns too hot after checking the airflow and fuel usage, you may have an issue with the venting. Once you get to the point where you see the warping of the appliance, you'll know you have overfired your fireplace. Though, at that point, there isn't much you can do to fix the damage.

What happens if you put too much wood in a fireplace?

One thing that can happen if you put too much wood in your fireplace is that you actually end up smothering the fire. This doesn't give it enough room to breathe. You'll just create more smoke and less heat, which doesn't benefit you in any way.

How much heat can a fireplace handle?

How Much Heat Can a Fireplace Handle? Generally, a wood-burning fireplace can generate temperatures around 1500°F. Although, a wood-burning fireplace loses a lot of heat through the chimney or flue. These fireplaces can produce between 20000 and 40000 BTUs (British Thermal Unit).

How long can you have a fire in a fireplace?

A fireplace burning at on high (HHV) will produce 55,000 BTUs and burn for a duration of 2.5 hours. The same fireplace burning on low (LHV) will produce 18,000 BTUs and burn for a duration of 8 hours.

How much wood can you burn in fireplace?

Wood consumption varies greatly depending on the type of fireplace or stove in use. An ideal baseline is to figure 1 cord per 7 full days of burn for a large open fireplace that does not have any air restriction devices installed.

When should I add more wood to my fireplace?

Only add more wood when the fire has started to burn down. Once the fire has settled in and isn't blazing anymore, carefully add fresh logs to the top of the fire and move them around until they have enough air to catch.

Why is my wood fire so Smokey?

Excess fire pit smoke is typically the result of the incomplete burning of firewood due to excess moisture in the wood, typically “green” wood or older wood that has not been able to dry adequately.

How many logs should you put in a fireplace?

A good rule of thumb is to put one log in for every square foot of fireplace opening. So, if your fireplace is 12 square feet, then you would use 12 logs. If you have a gas fireplace, then you can use smaller logs or even firewood.

How hot do fireplace chimneys get?

2000 degrees FOnce a chimney fire is going, it can burn up to 2000 degrees F, which is hot enough to break and crack clay flue tiles and melt metal flue liners in mere moments. That's why a small chimney fire can become a house fire in very little time.

How much heat from a fireplace goes up the chimney?

Putting a Damper on Your Energy Bills What's more, between 80 and 90 percent of the heat produced by wood burned in an open fireplace is lost up the chimney. This means that for every $100 you spend on firewood, you get only $10 to $20 worth of heat. The rest goes up the chimney.

What does over firing look like?

This means that either too much air or not enough fuel is being burned in your stove. You may also notice more creosote build up on and around your chimney pipe and hear an increase of popping sounds from the firebox, along with seeing flames coming out of the top vent openings- all signs of over firing.

How hot can a fireplace mantel get?

Average room temperature is 70-75°F; therefore a 187-192°F surface temperature can be expected. On a solid surface, 150°F is very hot to the touch (to put this in perspective, water boils at 212°F and the average bath water temperature is 110°F).

Do gas fireplaces turn off when too hot?

Most new gas fireplaces have a safety shut-off valve if the pilot light goes out. So if you have a new gas fireplace, the chances are that it has this feature.

Can a gas fireplace overheat?

In a small room, a fireplace with a high output rating could be overpowering and cause overheating and discomfort, rather than cosiness. It will also consume more fuel than necessary to heat the room. A common problem is over- sizing the fireplace for the application.

How hot can a gas fireplace get?

A direct vent gas fireplace or fireplace insert has a sealed piece of tempered or ceramic glass on the face of the fireplace. As a result of normal operation of these fireplace products, the glass front will become very hot. It is not unusual for the glass to reach sustained temperatures of over 475° Fahrenheit.

Before

Now, I’ve already changed this fireplace a few times. When we moved in it was dark brick.

Inspiration

I had been seeing over grout projects. One from Chris Loves Julia with their stone fireplace.

Supplies

I used just a little more than one 50lb bag of white mortar. They were $15 each so I didn’t hesitate to buy another just to make sure I’d have enough.

How to

To start off, I used painters tape to protect the floors, walls and ceilings from grout and removed the mantel.

In retrospect

Ok, now I’m going to share some close ups and critique myself because knowing what NOT to do is equally as helpful as knowing what to do.

Can you overfire a stove?

It is possible to overFIRE a stove, getting it too hot for safety or hotter than the stove can handle . If you can load up the firebox and still not have too hot a fire, then I think you are probably OK. Too much wood might interfire with air flow, and it shouldn't touch the secondary burn tubes, perhaps there are other concerns?

Can you make a stove bigger than it is?

Yep. One of those facts of life. You can't make a stove bigger than it is by over stuffing it. Like pappy used to say, you can't put five dollars worth of peanuts in a three dollar bag.

Why do outlets fire?

Outdated appliances and faulty electrical wiring are major causes of outlet fires. Another reason is the removal of the grounding prong from sockets, which blocks the safe path for current to flow in the event of a short circuit or fault.

What are the things that can cause a Christmas fire?

Things like faulty wiring, winter weather and bad product choices can all act as contributing factors in a holiday fire.

How many amps does an outlet supply?

Let’s assume that you have a 1000 watt iron. So, dividing power by voltage – 1000W/120V – gives 8.33 amps of current. Considering that you have an outlet of 20 amps and your current load is 8.33 amps, you’re using 41 percent of the total available current and have 59 percent still available.

Can a certified product cause an overload?

Even certified products can cause an overload. Electrical devices that are built to put out heat, like space heaters and hair dryers, tend to use more power than other devices. Devices like these may overload a circuit, especially one that's already reaching its maximum amperage allowance. Coupled with a faulty circuit breaker, this overload can cause the products to overheat and possibly catch fire.

Can you ignite wood in winter?

That's more than enough to ignite wood or old insulation under normal circumstances, but winter weather is less humid than in the summer. Inside a house in the winter months, the relative humidity within the walls can drop to that of the average desert, turning studs -- wooden wall supports -- into kindling, easily ignited by an arcing current.

Can a certified product overload a circuit?

Even certified products can cause an overload. Electrical devices that are built to put out heat, like space heaters and hair dryers, tend to use more power than other devices. Devices like these may overload a circuit, especially one that's already reaching its maximum amperage allowance.

Can portable heaters be plugged into a power strip?

This activity can overload a power strip and either trip the circuit breaker or cause dangerous overheating. For that reason, these appliances should always be plugged into a dedicated outlet.

Do coffee makers need amperage?

Coffee Makers. You may not think that your morning cup of joe requires that much energy to brew, but most coffee makers need quite bit of amperage to turn those roasted beans into a hot beverage. Plug your coffee maker directly into the outlet or you run the risk of waking up to a half-brewed pot of coffee.

Can a refrigerator be plugged into a wall outlet?

Refrigerators and Freezers. Large appliances like refrigerators require a lot of power and frequently cycle on and off, which can easily overload a power strip. These devices should be plugged directly into a wall outlet dedicated solely to powering the appliance. If you try to plug additional appliances into the same outlet, ...

Why is the front of my fireplace hot?

It makes sense that the front top of your fireplace would have very hot air escaping because of how fireplaces are made.

What happens when you mount a TV above a fireplace?

More issues that can happen when mounting a TV above a fireplace is unexpected wall damage, damage to the interior fireplace system in -wall, and the TV falling hazard.

What is a fireplace shelf?

A well placed Fireplace Mantel or a Fireplace shelf can act as a buffer to help protect your heirlooms and TV from the heat radiating up from the front of your fireplace. It can offer only some protection though, to delicate electronics and the plastic casing around your television. The mantels and shelves work to both block ...

Why do you need a heat buffer for a fireplace?

Because the front top of your fireplace can produce a lot of heat you’ll need a heat buffer to send it out and not up toward your mounted TV. All heat generating fireplaces have the potential to melt not just your new flat screen TV but anything you add above your fireplace.

Why put electrical outlets on the other wall?

This is because it is just easier and safer to put the electrical outlets on the other walls. And until recently no one really needed electric outlets near their fireplace.

Can a fireplace be built on the same wall as a brick fireplace?

Your fireplace wall area may be constructed of the same building materials as the rest of your home. Or as often is the case for Masonry Brick Fireplaces, it may be a stand alone feature material. You must know what type of wall you are mounting your television to before you buy your mounting hardware.

Can you hang a TV above a fireplace?

For everyone, including those with Electric Fireplaces* one of the most important things you need to know is that your television’s warranty might exclude hanging the TV above your fireplace.

What happens if you overload your freezer?

For the most part, if you overload your freezer you will only end up destroying some of the food items. If you have put so much stuff in the freezer that the airflow is broken, or you have blocked the vents then some food items will not actually freeze all the way through. In addition to this if you are constantly opening and closing your freezer then you are making this problem even worse, by trapping hot air in your freezer.

How does overloading a freezer work?

Overloading the freezer blocks the vents. All freezers have air vents, the way a freezer works is that they actually pull out the hot air and will blow in cold air. If you block these vents then the freezer will have to work extra hard to reach the target temperature. As the vents are blocked it will not be able to pull out the hot air, ...

How does overloading a freezer affect the airflow?

By overloading your freezer you can basically limit the airflow so much that the freezer will not work correctly. Most freezers have only one thermostat, which is usually located in the middle or on the bottom section of the freezer. A thermostat is a small device that measures the temperature and once the temperature rises to above a threshold it will start the freezer to lower the temperature.

How to tell if you overloaded a freezer?

One telltale sign that you have overloaded your freezer is that it will have rust forming at the bottom of it . All freezers have a waterproof protection in their interior, after prolonged use, most of this protective layer will be damaged especially if you have overloaded the freezer. A slight bump can turn into rust extremely fast, what tends to happen is that if you have overloaded your freezer some water will drop to the bottom and refreeze.

What happens if you pack a freezer too tight?

If you pack your freezer extra tight you will disrupt the airflow, and most of the cold air will be on the bottom of the freezer and the top of the freezer will have higher temperatures. Although this will not ruin the freezer but it might ruin the contents of the freezer. Food items that are on top will be in a semi-frozen state, ...

Can a freezer overflow?

Yes, a freezer can be overloaded and it tends to happen when you have way too much stuff in your freezer. Once your freezer is overloaded you will limit the airflow in the freezer, at that point you might notice condensation forming on some food items or some items not even freezing entirely. One telltale sign that your freezer is overloaded is that it is constantly running, and sooner or later the freezer will stop working.

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Url:https://househomemade.us/2021/01/how-to-over-grout-your-fireplace.html

5 hours ago  · This can happen for a few reasons. The first reason is putting too much fuel in the fireplace. You don't need every square inch of the firebox to be full of wood for the fire to burn hot. Doing so will actually cause the fireplace to warp. So, check the manual when you get your appliance to see what type of wood and how much is best for optimal burning.

2.Can you overload a stove? | Hearth.com Forums Home

Url:https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/can-you-overload-a-stove.39254/

14 hours ago  · If you put more wood into a wood burning stove that what is recommended you can overload the stove, and potentially cause the stove to over fire. Overloading a stove may …

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4 hours ago  · Coupled with a faulty circuit breaker, this overload can cause the products to overheat and possibly catch fire. But it's even more likely that a fire will occur in a place you …

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