| Term | Definition |
| andirons | An andiron is a horizontal iron
bar, or bars, upon which logs are laid for burning in an open fireplace. Andirons typically stand upon
short legs and can be connected with an upright guard, called a fender. |
| bellows | A device for producing a strong
current of air, consisting of a chamber that can be expanded to draw in air through a valve and
contracted to expel it through a tube. |
| b-vent (natural vent) | A type of firebox that
runs on gas, uses the air from the interior room to fuel the fire, and vents combustibles through the
flue vertically. |
| BTU (British Thermal Unit) | A primary unit
for measuring heat in the hearth industry. Technically, it is the amount of energy required to raise
the temperature of 1 lb of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit. BTU is helpful in understanding the heat a
fireplace gives off in terms of how well it will heat a room. |
| Clearance | The distances required between a
stove, connector pipe, chimney, or any combustible material as mandated by manufacturers and building
codes. |
| Damper | A valve or plate that stops or
regulates the flow of air inside a chimney. |
| direct vent | A type of firebox with a venting
system that pulls in outside air to fuel the fire and then uses the flue to efficiently vent
combustibles out and away from the room. This type of firebox can vent upwards, through the roof, and
vent from the back of the firebox, through an exterior wall. |
| escutcheon | The ornamental or protective
plate around the flue valve. |
| fender | An upright, horizontal guard which
may be of iron, steel, copper, bronze, or even silver; it is often elaborately ornamented with patterns
or heraldic ornaments, such as the fleur-de-lis, sphinxes, grotesque animals, mythological statuettes or
caryatides supporting heroic figures or emblems. |
| fireback | An often decorated cast-iron plate
lining the back wall of a fireplace that protects the masonry and mortar in a site-built firebox, or the
refractory panel in a manufactured firebox by shielding the materials from extreme heat. Additional,
the fireback radiates heat into the room after the fire has gone down or the gas has been turned off. |
| firebox | The part of the fireplace where fuel
is combusted and the fire is contained. The firebox either sits on a masonry base at the floor level of
the room, or can be floated above the floor. |
| fireplace inserts | A structure that is
retrofit into an existing fireplace to increase the heat output in both masonry and manufactured
fireboxes. |
| flue | A duct, pipe, or chimney for conveying
exhaust gases from a fireplace to the outside of the building/home. |
| gas logs | A gas fireplace accessory made of
ceramic or ceramic fiber that simulates the look of real wooden logs. |
| glass doors | Doors that attach to the
perimeter of the firebox opening that function to prevent heat from escaping up the chimney and cold air
from entering the home when the fireplace is not being used. They can come in either a bi-fold style
with two glass panels that fold into each other and runs on a track, or a trackless style that swings
outward to open. |
| grate | A frame of metal bars for holding fuel
(such as wood logs) when burning in a fireplace, furnace, or stove. |
| hearth | The floor level extension of the
fireplace, directly in front of the fire-box opening. |
| leg | The vertical frame of the fireplace that
supports the mantelpiece; also called “jambs”. |
| masonry fireplace | A fireplace that is
constructed of brick or stone. |
| manufactured fireplace | Also known as
“prefab”, this is a fireplace that is constructed of sheet metal, but can be faced with a brick texture. |
| mantel | The upper portion of the decorative
framework on a fireplace which acts like a shelf |
| overmantel | The ornamental area or panel
situated above the mantelpiece. |
| surround | The area around the opening of the
fireplace, which may be faced in marble, stone, cast-stone, ceramic tile, etc. |
| tool set | The tools used for
maintaining a wood burning fireplace including a broom and shovel to clean ash, a fire poker and tongs
to move logs, and sometimes a bellows for stirring the fire. |
| zero-clearance fireplace | A manufactured
fireplace constructed in such a way that it can be placed with minimum or nearly no-clearance to
combustibles. |
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