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Installing the Rumford Fireplace Throat and Flue

The mortar is troweled onto the top of the firebox where the pre-cast throat will be installed. This throat prevents the loss of heated room air up the fireplace's flue. The throat will not be visible once the fireplace construction is completed. The cast-iron damper and smoke chamber are then put in place, marking the transition to the fireplace flue.

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Installing the Rumford Fireplace Throat and Flue Now Playing

Installing the Rumford Fireplace Throat and Flue

Securing Load Bearing Columns with Metal Straps to Prevent Wind Lift Now Playing

Securing Load Bearing Columns with Metal Straps to Prevent Wind Lift

Reviewing the Home's Framing Now Playing

Reviewing the Home's Framing

Building a Rumford Fireplace Now Playing

Building a Rumford Fireplace

Clip Transcript For:

Installing the Rumford Fireplace Throat and Flue

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" -Now, Jim does this refractive mortar set up very quickly or does it have different kind of property than regular mortar?"

" -It works pretty much like regular mortars. It does set up a little more quickly but it's a high-temperature mortar."

" -Okay. So now we have a small amount of it that needs to be troweled on to the top of the area where the actual throat, the pre-cast throat will be installed, right?"

" -Right."

" -We're setting the curve throat we talked about earlier that keeps the flow laminar and make this waste less heated room air to go up through the chimney by laminar flow. It allows the smoke to stay behind it, so we can build a tall box without it."

" -Well, that's one of the 2 key elements of a Count Rumford is that and the tall shallow reflective hearth."

" -Here it goes. What's that weigh?"

" -It probably weighs about 200 pounds."

" -These guys are strong."

" -Yeah. They are strong."

" -Now, the throat itself will not be visible once the rest of the chimney comes together, right?"

" -Exactly right. The throat is right at the top of the opening and they will lay block across it and it will be a smooth finished opening, no lower than that but your throat will be hidden behind those blocks."

" -Yeah. It's a shame because it has a pretty shape. It almost looks like an oriental pagoda."

" -You can always get in the fireplace to look at it."

" -Yeah. Now, is it proper to use the same refractive motor even on the backside of it once you've gone away from the firebox itself?"

" -It's not necessary to back it up with refractive motor, because everywhere there's a lining like other flues and the smoke chamber pieces, should be put together with refractory mortar because it close to the flue [unk]."

" -Right."

" -Behind it doesn't need to be refracted."

" -Alright, so the cast iron damper goes into place. And then Jim, the clay piece that you've got over there is one of 2 components, right?"

" -This is half of a smoke chamber. The lower half goes the other way, when we put this in here then that will make the transition from the throat area where the damper is to the flue side."

" -And the flue then begins to go up."

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