At some point this will probably be divided by fuel type, but for now, here are some of the most common hearth related terms, the most inclusive we know of on the web.  There are many terms, but if anything is missing, let us know.

 

Air Shutter - An opening in the tube supplying gas to the burner. It draws primary air into the tube and mixes it with the gas before the gas goes to a main burner and is ignited.  

Air Wash - As the primary air enters the firebox it is pre-heated and directed toward the glass at the top on the front door. The constant "washing" of that warmed air over the glass helps keep soot and creosote from building up on the glass.

Automatic Ignition - A system that will light the stove based on an input reading from a thermostat or other control.  Most stoves that light automatically also have the ability to turn themselves off when heat is no longer called for.

Alcove - A recessed or built in area of a room usually including both sides and top. 

Anthracite - Hard, dense, energy rich coal.  Cleaner and hotter than bituminous coal.  Generally the only coal used for home heating.

Bellows - A popular accessory to help boost combustion in wood fires, feeding air to the flames as it is forced out of an expandable bladder. Though unnecessary for a gas hearth where the combustion level is easily controlled with the turn of a knob, bellows' lovely finish in attractive blends of fine woods with vinyl or leather makes them a decorative accessory and useful tools for wood and coal fires.

Bituminous Coal - Less dense, lower BTU coal.  Very much softer and dirtier than anthracite coal.  Now generally used only for industrial applications and not recommended for home heating.

B-Vent - Factory built, double-wall metal pipe for venting gas appliances with draft hoods and other appliances listed for use with Type B Gas Vent. It consists of an aluminum inner wall and a galvanized or galvalum outer wall with a dead air space between the walls.  This is NOT the same pipe as used for venting pellet stoves, although the design and appearance are similar.

Biomass - Fuel derived from waste agricultural byproducts.  Often used also to refer to corn and grain stoves.  This is  a term that is still evolving.

Balanced Flue - See Direct-Vent.  Europe's (better) term for direct-vent products.

Back drafting (back puffing) - A term to describe the condition when the flow of combustion products in a venting system reverses direction.

BTU (British Thermal Unit) - The amount of energy it takes to heat one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.

Carbon Monoxide - A poisonous, colorless, odorless gas always present in the combustion process.  Only present in significant quantities if combustion is incomplete.  FlameWorks only sells vented hearth products and always recommends the use of a carbon monoxide detector.

Carbon Monoxide Detector - A devise that monitors the air for the presence of Carbon Dioxide and admits an alarm if sampled amounts reach a predefined level.  FlameWorks only sells carbon monoxide detectors that give a numeric reading as to the sampled amount.  Other, simpler detectors are available from hardware and department stores.

Cast Iron - A material used in our Morso stoves, select pellet and corn stoves and some fireplace fronts.  Often traditionally styled, but increasingly available with modern characteristics.  Iron is heated to a liquid form and poured into molds, usually with decorative detailing.  Usually heavier than steel stoves with significant heat retention capacities. 

Catalytic Combustor - A coated ceramic "honeycomb" used to reduce flue gas emissions.  A catalytic unit has a chemical secondary burn to help a wood stove meet EPA clean air requirements.  Also available in some fireplaces.  With all thing equal (two models - equal burn times performance, efficiency, etc) FlameWorks generally  prefers non-catalytic (non-cat) units although we represent both types of clean burning stoves AND fireplaces.     

Ceramic Logs - Present in nearly all gas stoves and fireplaces and available as and option in some pellet stoves.  Log effect compressed ceramic logs offer a realistic representation of real wood, but do not consume in the flame.  See also: Ceramic Coals

Ceramic Coals - Increasing popular artificial ceramic coal effect fireplaces and stoves.  Same basic material and composition as ceramic logs.

Chimney Connector - The pipe that connects a fuel-burning appliance to a chimney.

Class "A" Chimney - A residential type chimney suitable for use at up to 1000ºF, which complies with the optional 10-minute 2100ºF test. Such chimneys are labeled as Type HT and are required for certain solid-fuel applications.

Clearance or Clearance to Combustibles - The lab tested distance that is calculated and measured as a minimum distance a stove or fireplace part can be placed adjacent to a combustible surface, which INCLUDES drywall.

Close Clearance Stove Pipe - A double wall stove pipe usually consisting of an inner pipe, a small dead air space and an outer pipe. Used as a chimney connector it often reduces the necessary clearances to a combustible surface considerable over single wall stove pipe.

Coaxial Venting System - A Direct-Vent venting system using a larger outside diameter pipe for the fresh air intake and a smaller diameter pipe inside the outer pipe for exhaust gases. Usually the inside pipe is either 4" or 5" in diameter while the outside pipe is either 6⅝" or 8" in diameter.

Collinear Venting System - A Direct-Vent venting system using two separate pipes running next to each other. Normally both pipes are either 3" or 4" in diameter.

Combustion - The process by which fuel burns.  For this to occur, three elements are required: fuel, heat and oxygen.

Combustible Material - Material made of, or surfaced with wood, compressed paper, plant fibers, plastics, or other material that can ignite and burn, whether flame proofed or not, whether plastered or unplastered.  Note Drywall (sheetrock) is a combustible. 

Conduction - surface to surface heat exchange.  Not common in hearth heating.  See also Convection and radiation. 

Convection - The transmission of heat by air. Heated air rises and circulates.  Convection can in some cases be boosted by a fan or blower.  See also Radiation and Conduction.

Creosote - Chimney and stove pipe deposits originating as condensed wood smoke (including vapors, tar and soot). Creosote is often initially liquid, but may dry to pryrolze to a flaky or solid form.  Coal and gas units do not produce creosote.  Creosote is only present in (significant quantities) in EPA certified wood stoves that are either not operated property or used with wood that is not seasoned. 

De-pressurization - A condition when the air pressure in the home is less than the air pressure outside the home. It can be caused by inadequate ventilation or the use of other home appliances such as a furnace blower, or an exhaust fan in the kitchen or bathroom. It leads to back drafting or spillage in a conventional vent system. Depressurization is common in new, tightly constructed homes.

Direct-Vent - A venting system in which 100% of the combustion air is drawn from the outside and all the combustion products are returned to the outside.  Often referred to a as balanced flue system in Europe.  Often used incorrectly to identify any wall (non vertical) vented appliance. 

Draft - The pressure difference between the hot flue gases inside the venting system and the cool air surrounding the venting system.

Emissions - by products of combustion vented out of the home.  (Except for non-vented products, which vent into the home)

Engineered Fireplace - FlameWorks favorite term for a Factory-Built Fireplace.  Sometimes also called a Zero-Clearance Fireplace.

EPA Phase II - In 1988 the federal government issued strict emission controls on woodstoves. These standards were instituted in two phases. All stoves built after July 1, 1992 must meat the stricter standards outlined in the second phase of that regulation.

EPA Regulations - Government regulations of wood burning appliances mandating that products sold after July1, 1992 emit no more than 4.1 grams of particulate matter per hour for catalytic-equipped units and no more than 7.5 grams for non-catalytic-equipped units.

Factory-Built Chimney - A chimney composed of listed factory-built components that is easy to assemble to form the completed chimney. They conform to safety and building codes. They are air cooled or insulated. Designed to remove combustion by-products.

Factory-Built Fireplace - A fireplace composed of listed, factory-built components assembled in accordance with the terms of the listing.  See also: Zero clearance Fireplace and Engineered Fireplace.

Firebacks - Protect fireplace masonry and mortar, shielding them from extreme heat of the flames. Cast-iron firebacks store heat from the fire and radiate it into the room after the fire has died down. Firebacks work just as well in a modern gas fireplace logsets as they do in a traditional wood burning fireplace.

Fireplace Insert - An appliance designed to be installed within an existing fireplace.

Freestanding stove - A heating appliance normally on legs or a pedestal.  Available in nearly any fuel type.  Styles, colors and materials vary widely to suite individual tastes.

Flue - A vent, piping or chimney for a combustion device.

Gas Logs - Provide dramatic realism from the lifelike ceramic fiber, concrete or refractory logs down to the glowing embers. Manufactured log sets have a burner that uses either natural gas or propane.  Made in vented or un-vented versions.  FlameWorks also offers dual-listed gas logs.  Often known as logsets or fire logs. 

Gasket - A seal, often fiberglass that creates an air tight barrier.  Some gaskets are also comprised of silicone or other alternate materials.  

Glass - The window on the door(s) of nearly all the products FlameWorks handles is not actually glass at all. It is a technologically advanced material, able to withstand temperatures of over 2000º F and rapid temperature changes with no change in strength or durability.

Glass Doors - Used to close off the opening of the hearth so heat from the central heating system does not escape up the chimney when the fireplace is not being used.  The majority of glass doors are to be closed when the fire is burning, but often can be closed at the very end of the fire to reduce the amount of heat transported up the chimney.

Grate - A frame support, often heavy steel bar stock or iron, used to hold burning fuel in a fireplace.

Heat Life - The length of time a stove stays hot after burning a load of fuel.  Heavier stoves have longer heat life, but are often also slower to heat up initially. 

Hearth - Traditionally refers to the floor of a fireplace on which a blaze is built.  Today it is often used to refer to all the devices and equipment used in connection with the fireplace and stove industry.

Hearth Extension - A noncombustible surfacing applied to the floor area extending in front of and at the side of the hearth opening of a fireplace or a fireplace stove.

Hearth Pad - a non-combustible protector used around appliances, smoke piping and/ or chimney.

Heat Shield - A noncombustible protector used around appliances, smoke pipe or chimney, often built into a stove or other hearth appliance. 

Hopper - A container attached to, or built into, an appliance in which fuel, either wood pellet or coal, is stored and from which the fuel is fed to the burner.

Kindling - Small, thin, dry wood used to start a wood or coal fire.

Listed - Equipment, materials, or services included in a list published by an organization acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction. The listing states either that the equipment, material or service meets identified standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specific purpose. 

Liquid Propane (LP) - Liquefied petroleum gas, available in cylinders, for home use.  Tanks can be various size capacities, configurations and are available in below or above ground versions. 

Liner - Used primarily with fireplace inserts and placed inside an existing chimney (usually masonry) to reduce the diameter of the flue for more rapid exit of smoke and combustion gases. Also used when an existing chimney is unlimited or deteriorating.  Can be constructed of aluminum (for gas), stainless steel or other high quality metals or in some cases refractory based masonry products.

Mantle (or Mantel) - An ornamental facing surrounding usually consisting of legs, breast board and shelf components. 

Mantle Shelf - Sometimes referred to as a legless mantel.  Consists only of breast board and shelf components of a traditional mantle.

Masonry Chimney - A field-constructed chimney of solid masonry units, including brick, stone, listed masonry material, usually lined with fire clay (terracotta) flue liners.

Millivolt (Mv) - Unit of electromotive force equal to one-thousandth of a volt.

Natural Draft - See B-Vent.

Negative pressure - See depressurization

NFPA 54 - National Fire Protection Agency standard #54 "National Fuel Gas Code" .

NFPA 211 - National Fire Protection Agency standard #211 "Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances".

Non-catalytic - Non-catalytic stoves have a series of secondary air tubes under the baffle in the top of the firebox. These tubes draw a precise amount of heated air, inject it into the fire and actually cause any particles in the smoke to burn. Consequently your stove is helping to keep our environment clean while you enjoy the benefit of more heat out of less wood. 

Noncombustible Material - A material that, in the form in which it is used and under the conditions anticipated, does not ignite, burn, support combustion or release flammable vapors, when subjected to fire or heat.

Oxygen Depletion Sensing (ODS) Pilot Assembly - A pilot burner found in Un-vented appliances, which can sense and respond to the change in oxygen level. It consists of an orifice for gas flow and a bimetallic air shutter, a thermocouple and a spark electrode. Before the oxygen level drops to approximately 18% the flame lifts off and causes the thermocouple to cool shutting off the gas flow to the burners.

Pellets - Premium pellets are made of 100% wood sawdust with no additives.  The sawdust in pellets is a manufacturing by-product often otherwise destined for landfills.  FlameWorks also handles alternative pellets made out of less desirable woods with more bark and also cardboard based pellets.

Piezo Electric Igniter - A device which delivers an igniting spark by mean of pressure on a crystal.  Sometimes given the nickname of sparker.

Regulator - A device for controlling and maintaining a uniform outlet of gas pressure. Usually part of a combination gas valve.

Radiation - The transmission of heat via radiant energy.  As an example: feeling the warm sun on your skin on a cold winter day.  One of three: radiation, convection, conduction. 

Sealed Combustion System - A Direct-Vent system. A self-contained combustion system in which all the combustion air is drawn from the outside and all the combustion product is returned to the outside. The combustion system does not interact with the home.

Seasoned - Refers to fuel wood that has been allowed to dry before burning. Seasoning generally takes six to 12 months. Wood burns much easier when its moisture content has been reduced. Freshly cut woods can contain as much as 80% water.  See our page on wood combustion.

Sediment Trap (Drip leg) - A required part of every gas installation, which allows a collection point for moisture, and foreign particles (i.e. copper sulfide) that may be in the gas.

Spill Switch - A heat activated safety sensor, which detects flue gas flow reversal, which will shut an appliance off.  Used mostly on B-Vented units.

Steamers - Kettle-like steamers, available in a wide range of styles and colors, harness the heat energy of fireplaces and stoves and release warm moisturizing steam into the air.

Steel Stoves - Fabricated from flat steel stock.  Steel units have a wide array of styles and finishes.  Steel stoves and fireplaces almost always have convection passages designed in and usually have option for fans or blowers for increased air circulation. 

Soapstone - A metamorphic rock formed under intense heat and pressure. It developed from a molten state deep within the earth with an unusually stable composition. Unlike other stones, it can withstand fire and dramatic changes in temperature. Other stones, such as granite and marble, also hold and radiate heat, but only soapstone is able to withstand direct flames indefinitely.

Thermocouple - A device consisting of two pieces of dissimilar metals joined together at one end (hot junction). When the hot junction is heated, the thermocouple produces DC Millivolts between 25-30 millivolts. Used to power the gas safety valve.

Thermopile - A number of thermocouples connected in series to produce more DC Millivolts than a single thermocouple. Depending on size the DC Millivolts range between 250 and 750 millivolts.

Thermostat - A devise which monitors room or house temperature and sends a signal to

Thimble - Special metal or clay sleeves for wall and ceiling penetrations when installing a venting system to ensure that the proper clearance away from combustibles is maintained.

Vent-Free - Gas appliance systems where all combustion byproducts (mostly water vapor and carbon dioxide) are released into the same room environment as the appliance. See also other terms used for vent free here. Look at the bottom of the page.

Water Column (W.C.) - Unit of measurement for gas pressure in inches of water. Approximately 28 inches water column equals one psi.

Zero-Clearance -See clearance fireplace - See Engineered Fireplace and Factory-built Fireplace. Note: the term zero clearance is often misused and misunderstood. Zero clearance usually applied only to the bottom (under) the fireplace and there are almost always differing clearances from the sides, back, top and front of a engineered fireplace, as well as to mantle projections and sidewall (perpendicular) clearances. Occasionally there are also requirements for floor protection clearances.