Fireplace Grates: What You Need to Know

Fireplace grates have been around since the 1600’s. Grates were used to hold the burning wood off of the stone base of a fireplace. They were made of iron, and set a few inches off of the fireplace base. This also helped keep the stones from cracking. During this time period, Prince Rupert discovered that raising the fireplace grate, helped to improve the venting system, as well as the airflow. This allowed more air to get below the flames and increase the temperature of the heat, making the flames burn much hotter, and even brighter. It also allowed the smoke to blow upwards more.

Before fireplace grates were discovered, people built their fires in the middle of their homes and allowed the smoke to escape from the roof. This idea lasted for thousands of years. The downfall to this was that some of the smoke stayed inside the home. This caused many people to experience burning eyes and coughing.

Fireplace grates have evolved quite a bit since that time, and today there are many types available including the cast iron fireplace grate, solid steel, and various other materials. You can also find them in many different sizes and shapes. The size of the grate is more important than anything. Small grates tend to have small fires that do not put out as much heat as large fires. However, larger grates tend to burn wood much faster. Some fireplace companies will offer a small mesh screen to go on the bottom of the grate, so that it can keep the embers from falling to the base of the fireplace.

Want more information on fireplace grates? Check out the Heating and Air Guide, the home heating and cooling site.

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