If you enjoy spending time outdoors while having fun, an outdoor fireplace is a perfect investment to add to your backyard. Campfires are fine, but you keep moving your chair around the fire, keeping the smoke out of your face. Most people who have sat by the fire can attest that it is almost impossible to escape the smoke, even on a calm night. Most custom outdoor fireplaces, if designed correctly, will direct smoke upwards from your outdoor seating area so you can enjoy the atmosphere of the fire with family and friends without trying to keep smoke out of your home. It is what makes stone fireplaces so beautiful and unique.
Understanding more about outdoor fireplace
Exterior custom masonry fireplaces have taller chimneys that help channel smoke, creating a vacuum effect that draws smoke up the chimney. These complete chimneys are too short, and the combustion chambers are not the correct size. In addition, they do not have a proper smoke chamber and smoke shelf, which are necessary to draw the smoke into the chimney.
Another important aspect of designing outdoor fireplaces is making sure the firebox opening is no more than 30 inches high. It is important because you are burning outside, and the wind often changes direction and can blow smoke out the front of the chimney. It’s better to have a shorter firebox to direct the smoke faster and reduce the chance of smoke leaking out the front and into the outdoor living room.
More is not always better. Some might think that a larger combustion chamber means more heat, but this is far from the case. A properly designed fireplace will produce enough heat to heat an outdoor space. A large firebox can lead to heat loss and inefficiency, especially if you’re starting a small fire in a large firebox.
You’ll be warm when you’re around a fire in a campfire, but take a few steps back, and it can get pretty chilly. An excellent example of this is an open fire. With a well-constructed fireplace, heat radiates from the fireplace walls to the patio. The stone structure of the fireplace inherently traps heat and helps radiate it to the outdoor patio area, providing more warmth than an ordinary fire pit, where all the heat is directed to warm the stars in the sky.
When looking for an outdoor fireplace builder, hire a professional fireplace mason who understands the anatomy of a fireplace and how it works. Many landscaping companies or general contractors sell outdoor fireplace sets, but they have no idea how a fireplace works.
Conclusion
If you are investing in an outdoor fireplace, hire a professional masonry contractor who is experienced and understands what it takes to keep your outdoor fireplace working correctly to enjoy the ambiance and leave lasting memories.