If unsure, use these simple guiding principles to decide:
- Smaller rooms benefit from smaller fireplaces (24 – 32 inches or 61 – 81 cm).
- Bigger rooms can accommodate larger ones (40 – 72 inches or 102 – 183 cm).
How big should a fireplace be?
The standard measurement for a wood-burning fireplace is 24–36 inches wide, 24–29 inches high, and about 16 inches deep. Gas and electric inserts sit inside the firebox and are slightly smaller.
What are the standard dimensions of a fireplace?
Typical fireplace dimensions depend on much space you want them to take up. The standard fireplace opening is between 24 and 36 inches wide, 24 and 29 inches high, and 16 inches deep. The distance from the hearth to the fireplace damper is about 37 inches. The rear of the firebox should be between 11 and 19 inches wide and 14 inches high.
How big should a fireplace screen be?
The breadth of an open-hearth screen with a single panel should be at least 5 cm (2") larger than the breadth of the front of the fireplace. If the fireplace screen stands in the fireplace, it is not always necessary to fill the complete width of the front of the fireplace in order to catch all the sparks.
How tall is a fireplace?
The most common fireplace sizes are: 24 inches by 24 inches 36 inches by 30 inches 48 inches by 32 inches
What is the standard size opening for a fireplace?
The average fireplace has the following dimensions: What is this? An opening that's between 24-36 inches wide, 24-29 inches high, and 16 inches deep. On average, the distance between the hearth and the damper is about 37 inches.
What size fireplace insert should I get?
Once you have the area of the room, multiply that number by 20 to get the minimum number of BTUs you will need to efficiently heat your room. For example, a room that is 500 sq. ft. would need a fireplace insert with at least 10,000 BTUs.
How wide should your fireplace surround be?
As a general rule of thumb, the mantel should at least be three inches wider on both sides of the fireplace. The average mantel width in most homes is six to twelve inches. With these dimensions, you can effectively deflect the heat coming from the firebox.
Should the fireplace be bigger than the TV?
The general rule of thumb is to ensure that your fireplace is wider than your TV. In our experience, the fireplace should be a little wider (6-8 inches) than the TV. This allows the wall to frame the TV, while offering sleek lines for the edges of the fireplace.
What is the difference between a fireplace and a fireplace insert?
If there are gaps and the existence of a stone/masonry encasing it is an insert. If there are no gaps and the fireplace is built into the wall, it is a fireplace.
Are fireplace inserts worth the money?
Studies have shown that as much as 95 percent of the residual heat in a traditional wood fireplace is expelled outside. A wood-burning fireplace insert offers a slower, more efficient burn rate providing up to five hours of uninterrupted heat. It consumes less fuel and has heating efficiencies of 80+ percent!
What is the average width of a fireplace?
Most fireplaces are 42 inches wide, while some smaller fireplaces can have as little as a width of 36 inches. Some somewhat bigger fireplaces can even be 48 inches wide.
How far should fireplace stick out?
So how far should a fireplace hearth come out? InterNACHI recommends that for fireplaces that have an opening of 6 square feet (0.56 square meters) or smaller, a hearth should extend at least 16 inches (406mm) out into the room from the opening, and by at least 8 inches (203mm) away from the sides.
How big should your mantel be?
A safe route is to make it 12” longer than the fireplace box. For instance, if your fireplace box is 42” then you would order a 56” long mantel. The majority of mantels we sell are from 66”-78”, but we make every mantel custom to your unique space.
How big is too big for TV over fireplace?
What is this? Typically, TVs 55″ and under are ideal to keep above the fireplace. However, the viewing distance can also affect the size.
Where to put a TV in a room with a fireplace?
As far as TV placement, you will want to mount your TV in the corner where your fireplace wall and a perpendicular wall meet. This, again, ties back to simplifying furniture arrangement by keeping key points of focus in closer proximity.
Is it OK to have a TV above a fireplace?
The short answer is – yes. However, to ensure your television isn't damaged from the heat, care must be taken to ensure heat generated by the fireplace is redirected away from television. There are several ways to do this, such as installing a proper mantel and building an alcove for the television.
What do I need to know about buying a fireplace insert?
To choose the best fireplace insert, you will need to secure the following measurements:Opening Height.Opening Width.Top-To-Bottom Opening Depth.Read Width And Depth Of Area In Front Of Fireplace (Hearth)
What should I look for when buying a fireplace insert?
It is important to get one that will fit the size of your fireplace and produce the right amount of heat. Measure the depth, width, and height of your fireplace so you'll know a given insert will fit. Then consider the heat output. If an insert doesn't have enough heat output, it won't heat effectively.
How do you measure for a replacement fireplace insert?
The key factor in selecting the size is based on the opening of the existing fireplace. To determine the right size, measure the following: opening height; opening width; opening depth (top and bottom); rear width and the depth of the hearth (area in front of fireplace).
What size gas insert do I need?
Typically, gas fireplaces are classified into four sizes – small, medium, large, and extra-large. As a basic benchmark, a small gas fireplace will heat less than 500 sq. ft., a medium gas fireplace will heat between 500 – 1,000 sq. ft, a large gas fireplace will heat between 1,000 – 2,200 sq.
How big is a fireplace?
An average fireplace is about 36”x30”. When it comes to the actual dimensions of a fireplace, these can be found in just about any size larger than 24”x24”, all the way up to 48”x32” and higher. The physical size of a fireplace insert is often listed by the width in inches, and they tend to range from about 20” to 60”.
How to measure fireplace size?
To calculate fireplace size, measure the width, length, and height of your room in inches. Multiply these three numbers together to determine the room’s volume, then multiply that number by four, which will give you a close minimum heat output. You can select an appropriate size with the original dimensions.
How to size a fireplace mantel?
To do this, just make sure that the mantel shelf width divided by two is less than the width from the fireplace center to any wall, door, window, or shelf.
What is the most important factor when selecting a fireplace?
While heat output matters, most people no longer rely on fireplaces as their only heat source, so size is the most important factor when it comes to selecting one. You’ll want a fireplace that doesn’t overpower a small room or get swallowed up in a big room.
How much heat does a gas fireplace use?
For another idea on how much area fireplaces can heat, are some of the most common heat outputs for sizing gas fireplace inserts: 1 Small: 10,000-18,000 BTU – heats up to 800 sq. ft. 2 Medium: 25,000-30,000 BTU – heats up to 1,400 sq. ft. 3 Large: 35,000-40,000 BTU – heats up to 1,800 sq. ft.
How to divide shelf width for fireplace?
If you’re getting a fireplace mainly for aesthetics, then simply take your mantel’s shelf width and divide it by two. Then, just make sure it’s less than the width from the fireplace center to any wall, door, window, or shelf.
What is the first thing to decide on when it comes to fireplace size?
When it comes to fireplace size as compared to room size, the first thing to decide on is what kind of unit you are planning on installing.
What is the most important aspect to consider when choosing a fireplace?
The size of the room is an important criterion regarding this major purchase; however, the most important aspect to consider, in order to optimize your fireplace’s efficiency, is its power, its capacity to heat, expressed in BTU.
Why do we need a fireplace in our living room?
But to make sure everyone feels and appreciates it, your fireplace needs to produce adequate heat, not too hot, not too cold.
How deep is a fireplace?
A fireplace’s depth is measured from the back of the firebox to the opening—the average depth of a fireplace is about 16 inches deep.
How big is an electric fireplace?
There are electric fireplaces perfect to be situated in right smack in the middle of a living room and usually have a dimension of 31 inches in height, a width of 44 inches, and a depth of 13 inches.
How tall should a fireplace mantle be?
With the height, generally, a mantle should at least be 12 inches above the opening. For a standard fireplace with a 36 inches width, it should be 29 inches tall.
What is a fireplace insert?
A fireplace insert is usually a sealed box taking the place of an old masonry fireplace. A fireplace insert can be powered by wood, gas, or propane, and they produce more heat and consume less fuel than a traditional fireplace. There are two types of fireplace inserts, and they could either be powered by gas or wood.
How tall is a masonry fireplace?
The height of a masonry fireplace will depend solely on the size of the room where the fireplace will be located.
How big is a gas fireplace insert?
Small gas-powered fireplace inserts have a width, height, and depth of 26, 17, and 14 inches.
Why do outdoor fireplaces come in bigger sizes?
This type of fireplace usually comes in bigger sizes because they are out in the open and are more vulnerable to air and weather.
How wide should a fireplace be?
A 36" or 42" fireplace opening width is more common, but you need to assume about 18" on each side for a typical non-combustible surround and wood mantel, 24" on each side for something more grand. The same thing goes for stone on each side. You need enough room to make it look like an actual masonry fireplace.
How tall is a Rumford fireplace?
The Rumford is taller than the traditional fireplaces. So probably 36" and 42" Rumford are 43" tall. This room will have a wide 8" - 11" white oak plank floor much like the one in the photograph you posted pmorganii. PRO.
What is the ratio of a wood burning fireplace to a central air system?
Modern central air systems can create problems for open front fireplaces. Most codes require a wood burning fireplace to have a ratio of at least 1:10 for the flue cross-sectional area to the fireplace opening area. I like to see a ratio of 1:8. It sounds like your flue may be undersized.
How to get smoke out of a fireplace surround?
Open the surround door at all, smoke back flush into room. Installed an external air component into hearth, no help. Either close the door and let it burn up in a flash or keep the door slightly open and suffer from smoke infiltrating from the top of the mantel while huge draw remains at the middle.
Why does my chimney smoke?
The first thing I would suggest is to be sure there is positive pressure in the room. If you open a window and it draws fine, then the air pressure in the closed room may be less that the pressure outside. Something as innocuous as a range hood fan could cause this. Another thing that may be causing it to smoke is a chimney that is too short.
Can you be too small for a centerpiece?
You can always be too small...but never too big for a centerpiece like this in my opinion...found this and thought it looked great...maybe a stone surrounding....
How tall should a fireplace be?
Fireplace Design & Dimensions 1 Sides of fireplace must pinch in towards back 2 Back wall of fireplace must be straight up for first 12 inches 3 Back wall must slope towards front for remainder of height 4 Width and height of opening MUST come from table below 5 Smoke shelf up above fireplace must be sized correctly – see below
How high should a damper be above a fireplace?
The height of the damper is very critical as well. The bottom of the damper should be a minimum of 8 inches above the top of the fireplace opening. If your damper is not at least 8 inches above this spot, you will have smoking problems for sure!
What is the inner design of a fireplace?
The first is the inner design of the firebox where the fire burns (firebox), the hidden smoke shelf area above the firebox and the flue that rises up and through the roof. This MUST BE done correctly or your fireplace will send billowing smoke into your home.
How far does a masonry firebox slant?
The rear wall of the firebox rises vertically from the floor of the fireplace and then begins to slant towards the fireplace opening just at about 14 inches. The sidewalls of the firebox are vertical. Note that the firebox is not the same width front to back.
What is the second design consideration for a fireplace?
The second design consideration is what the fireplace looks like to those who look at it while in the room.
Do you need to raise the chimney height when using a smaller flue?
When using the smaller flue size , you will be required to raise the height of the chimney. Taller chimneys draw better than short chimneys of the same flue size. The smoke chamber height and design is very critical. You generally can’t see this space as it is hidden above your fireplace damper.
Is a firebox the same width front to back?
The sidewalls of the firebox are vertical. Note that the firebox is not the same width front to back. It gets narrower towards the rear of the firebox. The firebox depth does not include the thickness of the brick – or marble tile in my case – that faces your fireplace. This is very important!
What Is the Average Width of a Fireplace Hearth?
A fireplace hearth is the flat surface that extends from the fireplace. It’s a crucial part of any fireplace because it protects against fire and heat damage and provides a safer space for you to walk around the unit. It also catches any fallen pieces of wood or coal, should they happen to fall.
Should a Fireplace Mantel Be Wider Than the Fireplace?
A fireplace mantel is a crucial part of the fireplace. It’s not just a decorative addition to the room—it plays an essential functional role in directing all smoke up the chimney, preventing pollutants from entering your home. Therefore, you should get its dimensions right as well.