Ceramic Fireplace

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WoodChoppa

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May 21, 2010
74
N.D.
Anyone have any experience with the ceramic fireplaces found in this link?

http://www.robustfireplaces.com/Earthfire.html

Basically seems to be a ceramic pot much like a kamado BBQ such as the Big Green Egg but can be used inside, atleast in South Africa and Calif. I guess. My wife thinks this is a nice looking replacement for my old Jotul but I'm kind of skeptical.
 
No doubt it is unique. I just checked out the link real quick. Is this UL listed and approved? Normally you would see the UL listing on the first few pages of an install manual. I guess I would feel better having cast iron or steel stove to contain the fire. They are neat looking, but for me safety first then looks. It would be nice on a patio.

Another consideration is that there is no internal baffle or secondary burn system. It looks to be similar to a chiminea with heat and smoke going right up the flue. I did not see any specs on BTU's or efficiency ratings. At least with an EPA stove you have more control over the combustion, they are cleaner burning and smoke spillage is lessened as well as.

If the wife like the looks of stove, maybe check out a soapstone stove.
 
They do claim to have the UL approval but I'm sure they are not EPA compliant. Just a pot with a chimney on top from the looks of it. I guess their claim to efficiency is simply that the pot will radiate heat for hours after the fire has gone out due to the ceramic mass. This fireplace will be used for "atmosphere" and a little bit of spring and fall heating so efficiency is not a big deal, I've got an Econoburn boiler to do the heavy lifting. I guess my wife is probably going to win another one.
 

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The main comparison between this unit and a woodstove is that they both contain fire and burn wood. This is a fireplace with an open front, not a closed woodstove. If replaced by a modern Jotul or equiv. stove you would gain much greater efficiency, much cleaner burning, greater safety, longer burning, etc. If you want mass, get a soapstone or heavy castiron hybrid stove.
 
Sorta looks like a time travel machine.
 
BeGreen said:
The main comparison between this unit and a woodstove is that they both contain fire and burn wood. This is a fireplace with an open front, not a closed woodstove. If replaced by a modern Jotul or equiv. stove you would gain much greater efficiency, much cleaner burning, greater safety, longer burning, etc. If you want mass, get a soapstone or heavy castiron hybrid stove.
As I said in another thread, I've had a couple, so the complexities of this are lost on me. Why isn't this type of stove very efficient? It seems that it could be made fairly airtight. Is it because it can't maintain firebox temps that are hot enough to get an efficient burn (i guess I don't see any air control on it either)???
 
Correct. Unregulated air supply, incomplete combustion passing unburnt wood gas up the flue would be a couple differences. It's also wide open as the fire dies down allowing it to suck the heated air out of the room and up the flue.
 
There is no door on it?
 
BeGreen said:
t's also wide open as the fire dies down allowing it to suck the heated air out of the room and up the flue.
ohhhh, a second look at the picture above and I now see that there is absolutely no door on the sucker.
 
In one of the pics I saw something that looked like a portable screen on a stand that you can put in front of it. Otherwise, I would be kind of leery burning indoors with it.
 
There is a wrought iron screen on a tripod base that could be purchased under "accessories." I could see this on a patio somewhere in the So Cal or Arizona area. Very interesting indeed.
 
So this is a glorified Chiminea ?? Thats what it seems to me.

Shawn
 
pretty much just an indoor chimenea, it seems.
 
Their website is pretty interesting, especially the Raku process where the unit is doused with woodshavings at 1,800 degrees and then water at 1,300 degrees withstanding thermal shock.

It is definitely not a crock of sh*t the way it is manufactured(had to get the pun in there).
 
Yah basicaly a real nice chiminea at about $2000! This product comes out of South Africa where I bet they aren't too concerned about maximizing BTU's even in the dead of winter. I'm sure if they wanted they could add a door, some secondary air controls and such but it's never gonna pass EPA regardless.... so just take it for what it is...real purrty!
 
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