Different kinds of Chimney Accessories

A poker, a hearth brush, and a shovel are all essential tools. A set of tongs is useful for moving logs and a hoe to move ashes around (especially helpful for pushing them into the ash pit). Most people prefer going with kitchen chimneys because it helps them to reduce the cost involved while cooking in the kitchen. Check out some of the best kitchen chimney brands, who are offering quality auto clean chimneys suitable for every kitchen effectively.

A bellows is also a favorite of some people, which can be used to blow air into the coal bed and start a fire.

Common Chimney accessories

Buying chimney accessories is an important part of using chimneys because the right kind of accessory can help you in reducing maintenance costs without hassles. Check out some of the common chimney accessories that can help you use the chimney to a major extent from time to time.

Grate

If you don’t have a fireplace built specifically without a grate, it’s not a good idea to build fires on the inner hearth. Because air can’t get in, fires that are built directly on the floor of a firebox won’t burn as well.

You can measure the inner hearth’s width, depth and width in front and back if you don’t own a grate. A grate made from welded steel bars will last longer than one made of heavy cast iron. A cast-iron grate is worth the extra expense if you intend to use your fireplace frequently.

Andirons

Andirons can be used in place of a grgrate. However, as logs begin to burn, andirons won’t be able to hold them up. They will fall to the floor of your firebox. Even if you don’t have andirons, a grille is a good idea. The andirons can be used as decoration or ambiance. Special shanks are also available at stove shops. They are the same as the one you used to set the logs. However, they are very short from front to back so that you can put the andirons directly in front of your grate. Simply remove the old assembly and attach these. You can bring one of your andirons with you to the stove shop to check if it works before you purchase them. For those with a shallow fireplace and glass doors covering the opening, short shanks for andirons can be useful. The andirons can be placed outside of the hearth doors with short shanks (just for decoration).

Spark Screen

You can measure the width and height of your fireplace opening, as well as the space surrounding it (the clearance from exterior damper handles or mantels, etc.). 

Fireplace doors

Highly recommended. These tempered glass doors are made from metal and are designed to fit into your fireplace opening. Many doors have a mesh or gate-style hanging screen and louvers to regulate airflow to the firebox when they are closed.

If your fireplace starts to smoke because of wind conditions or other issues, you can close the doors to stop smoke from entering your home.

Doors can also be used to solve common fireplace problems. These problems can be solved by doors, which we will discuss starting at page 25.

One word of caution

Don’t let sticker shock discourage you from buying a quality set of doors. It is amazing how much the quality difference between a $100 and $600 set can be. You will be happy you paid more for a set that is durable and beautiful. You can look great for about a year with a cheap set of doors, but then the doors start to buckle and bind and become an eyesore in your living room.

Some homeowners choose to install fireplace inserts in order to extract more heat from their fireplace. There are many types of inserts, including high-efficiency wood stoves that can be installed in a fireplace and hollow grates that have a fan to circulate heat.