ESB: Efficient Fireplaces

The relatively low cost of zero-clearance and gas fireplaces has put the pinch on traditional masonry fireplace construction. But in some areas--Washington, Colorado and parts of California in particular--strict environmental laws have complicated the process further. Washington now prohibits the burning of wood on certain days to all but "certified," clean burning appliances, which usually means factory-built fireplaces or wood stoves. Parts of Colorado and California have even stricter rules. Gary Zagelow, residential sales manager for Mutual Materials, a large masonry manufacturer in Portland, Oregon, says that 15 years ago, masonry fireplaces accounted for half of his company's residential business. Today the number is 10 percent.

For masonry fireplaces to survive, they have to burn cleaner and more efficiently. And that's now happening. At least three manufacturers have introduced clean-burning masonry fireplaces that are certified under these states' environmental regulations. The systems are similar in that the manufacturers supply the pieces critical to combustion efficiency. The local dealer supplies firebrick, backup material, flue liner and stone, along with accessories, such as glass doors, screens, grilles and mantles.

Two of these clean burners are variations of the Rumford design that was developed in England in the late 1700s. The Rumford is a tall, shallow fireplace--about as tall as it is wide--that burns hot and easily radiates heat into the room. To prevent smoking, the fireplace is built with a rounded throat that draws air up into the smoke chamber. One product, the Buckley Rumford, developed and marketed by Jim Buckley in Port Townsend, Washington, has a traditional straight-backed firebox. The other, the Frisch-Rosen fireplace, is manufactured by Lopez Quarries in Everett, Washington. Based on a design that originated in Holland in 1939, Frisch's "aerodynamic Rumford" has a curved back. Jerry Frisch, who markets the product, says that it can be used in new construction or retrofitted to an existing fireplace.

The third, and perhaps the most interesting product, is the Moburg MRC from the Portland, Oregon-based Firespaces, Inc. It's a standard brick fireplace on the outside and a masonry heater on the inside. According to company spokesperson Lena Mohajerin, the 25-piece refractory core is built on site by trained installers, and can be surfaced with any masonry material. Secondary combustion begins in the firebox, where burning gases are mixed with oxygen in five separate locations. The burning continues as the gases travel down hidden channels between the firebox and the chimney. The heat from the burning greatly reduces pollutants and is stored in the masonry mass. After the fire goes out, heat is slowly released over the next 12 to 16 hours.

While Buckley's and Frisch's designs are priced to compete with typical site-built fireplaces, the MRC is definitely after the high-end market, with prices starting around $7,000. The MRC must be assembled by an authorized installer. However, Mohajerin reports that the company is in the process of writing an installation manual that will let any contractor put an MRC together.


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Efficient, Clean-Burning Fireplaces