There are two basic designs of fireplaces available for homes, those which burn wood or use gas. You can choose between fireplaces which require a chimney and those that are direct vent. When you do not have the space needed to run a chimney or do not want the expense, you can choose a direct vent fireplace instead, which uses a single vent out of an exterior wall of the home.

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With its distinctive style and one of the tallest openings in its class, the BIS Panorama™ wood-burning fireplace offers the most complete view of the flame, delivers more heat and performs better than most fireplaces on the market. Features

• Heats up to 2,500 sq. ft.
• Herringbone refractory brick creates a truly distinguished appearance
• Catalytic combustion-controlled fireplace
• Single cast-iron door available in black, brushed nickel or 24K gold-plated
• Choice of 5 stylish top and bottom louver designs
• Efficient air wash system keeps the glass clean
• Decorative log retainers
• Dual-handle ash drawer with lid allows for easy removal of ashes
• Airtight combustion chamber for maximum efficiency and highest heat output
• Easy access to combustion controls
• Efficiency: 75+%
• EPA-certified
• Easy connection to optional forced-air system
• Outside-air kit included for optimum efficiency
• Limited lifetime warranty

More than 50% of homes in America have a mold problem, according to This Old House. While it’s common for bathrooms , kitchens and bedrooms to develop a mold problem, homeowners rarely consider looking for it in their chimney and fireplace. However, moldy chimneys and fireplaces are more common than you think, and could be the reason for the musty smell in your home , so it’s crucial you get rid of it once and for all.

Getting to the root cause

There are several different parts of your chimney that could be to blame for mold growth. As a general rule, it could be one of four things causing the mold:

• A lack of ventilation
• A damaged chimney crown
• The brick and mortar
• A damaged chimney cap

Mold occurs in damp and cold places, so when there’s poor ventilation, any damp that does get in has nowhere to go and causes mold. If the chimney crown or chimney cap fail, this can add to the amount of moisture that gets into your chimney, thus worsening the problem. Meanwhile failing to waterproof the brick and mortar that sits within the chimney allows an increasing amount of water to build up, and will quickly lead to mold growth.

Clean up operation

When you suspect that mold has taken over your chimney and fireplace, you should cease using it and arrange for it to be cleaned. If there’s just a small amount of mold visible then you can clean it with an anti-fungal spray and a scrubbing brush. However, it’s best to call in an expert mold cleaning service, as with a chimney, you can never be sure how far the mold has spread or the true extent of the problem . To tackle mold fully, a mold remediation company will thoroughly inspect, assess, and test your chimney and fireplace. From there, they’ll treat the mold with an anti-microbial system, before checking that the mold hasn’t spread further around your home.

Solving the problem

Once the mold from your chimney and fireplace have been professionally removed, you’ll find that your home will instantly smell better. To ensure that things stay this way, you’ll need to tackle the root cause of the problem. This means replacing any faulty parts of your chimney, installing adequate ventilation, and damp-sealing all the bricks and mortar in and around the chimney. It’s also a wise idea to have your chimney professionally inspected annually. An inspection will identify any damp problems early on so that you can take action to remedy them before the mold returns and ruins the inside of the chimney, emitting that annoying musty odor .

Just like any part of your home, your chimney and fireplace are susceptible to damp and mold problems. But there’s no need to worry if you do suspect that mold is invading your chimney, as it’s simple enough to remove it. And, so long as you take preventative action to keep it at bay for good, you won’t have to deal with again.

Relaxing in front of the fireplace with family members, friends or by yourself can be an enjoyable experience. Like the days of old, when families would gather around the fireplace and discuss current events and what everyone was doing, you can spend family night around the fireplace playing games or talking. You can obtain efficient wood burning, gas and electric Napoleon fireplaces from Copperfield Chimney Supply , which provides quality hearth products for the home.

Choosing a new fireplace for your home provides you with many different available options. You can choose from wood burning fireplaces, gas fireplaces, electric fireplaces and bio fuel fireplaces. Most people choose either wood burning or gas because they want the effects of the fire to last longer. You can find Napoleon fireplaces available in both styles which offer you the ability to choose the design to match your home's décor.

Napoleon Fireplaces Offer a Variety of Models

When your home was built without a fireplace, you can still install one later to add value to your property. Napoleon fireplaces offer a variety of different models to fit any room or situation. You can obtain wood burning fireplaces which do not require a traditional chimney, but will require a chimney to be installed. Another option is it use direct vent gas fireplaces which only need to be vented to the outside. You can find this brand of fireplaces and other quality hearth products for your home when you shop at Copperfield Chimney Supply .

Possibilities

Allowing way more natural light than traditional fireplaces, and with some not even needing a vent, metal fireplaces are a major improvement

A truly wonderful product came on the market a few decades ago. The prefabricated, metal fireplace insert and metal flue changed the way architects design chimneys. Chimneys can now be light, thin and luminous instead of massive and monstrous. Important views going out and sources of natural light coming in no longer have to be closed off. Rather, the new metal flues allow architects to open up and make fully transparent any exterior wall — even those with a fireplace.

The double-wall construction is what makes these work. While there's an inner steel flue from bottom to top, there's also an exterior steel liner with a space between the two. The enclosure for these flues — whether a decorative metal skin or a wood and drywall box — is independent of the actual functioning of the flue, giving architects and designers much more freedom in how to treat the visible part of the fireplace.

So the next time you're building new or remodeling, consider one of these fireplaces to let the view in. Here are a few ways to use them.

Let the fireplace float. By placing windows around the fireplace (and placing the metal chimney on the outside), there's little to block the light and view, so the interior stays more open and bright. The fireplace seems to float in the wall rather than being anchored to one spot by a heavy masonry chimney.

Keep the glass box glass. On the outside the metal chimney remains the vertical totem it has always been. But now the glass wall can span up, over and in front of the chimney. There's no need to have a chimney that breaks up and separates the elevation into pieces.

Let it go through the roof. These flues can rise up and through dramatic roof overhangs with minimal impact. Just make sure you allow for the proper clearances by following local building codes and the manufacturer's specifications.

Avoid architectural features. The flue can also bend and be rerouted to avoid architectural features such as overhangs. Again (this can't be stressed enough), follow the building codes and manufacturer specifications when doing any chimney installation.

Bring it inside. These types of chimneys aren't just for exterior wall applications. Metal chimneys are ideal design elements for two-sided fireplaces, where they help keep the interior spaces more open and connected. This interior wouldn't be nearly as open, bright and spacious with a boxy chimney rising up from the fireplace.

Make it sculptural. One of the great advantages to using a prefabricated metal fireplace and metal chimney is the ability to place a hearth just about anywhere in the home and treat it as a sculpture.

Use a metal chimney with any style. Though more commonly used and associated with a modern aesthetic, a metal chimney flue can be used in any room where a more open and light-filled space is desired.

Let it spin. Metal chimney technology also allows the fireplace to be a floating object unconnected to the ground. The Fireorb by architect Doug Garofalo takes the prefab metal fireplace to a whole new level. Allowing a 360-degree rotation, this is a fireplace that can be placed anywhere in a space — it's like something out of The Jetsons.

You decide: To vent or not to vent. Many of the new prefabricated, metal fireboxes don't even require a chimney. Only if the fireplace is meant to be wood burning is there a need to vent smoke up and out. If it's solely a gas-burning fireplace, a direct vent (directly outside behind the fireplace) or a no-vent solution works just fine.

There's no need to feel uncomfortable with a no-vent fireplace — think of it as a gas appliance, like a stove. These fireplaces can burn the gas so efficiently that no venting is needed. Just make sure to install the fireplace in accordance with all local building codes and the manufacturer's specifications.