The main difference between open fireplaces like Rumfords and stoves is in the way they transfer heat. Fireplaces are radiant heaters. They heat like the sun and make you feel comfortable at cooler air temperatures. Stoves basically heat air. In terms of efficiency, clean-burning and heating effectiveness, a Rumford fireplace wouldn't take a back seat to any stove. Whether or not you chose a stove or fireplace might depend on a number of factors, the main ones being life style, house design and climate.

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8/29/03 Hello Mr. Buckley, I am writing for your opinion/ideas on the question of building a fireplace vs. installing a wood stove in a new modular home we are building in Vermont. It is my idea to be able to have a fire in the house, mostly for the pleasure of it, truthfully. At the same time, I didn't want to have something decidedly energy inefficient and 'un-environmental', as I'd assumed was the case with most fireplaces. At the same time, a wood stove never to me seems like the same thing to sit around and enjoy as a fireplace, and they do take up more room space. As I've raised the question with friends, someone sent me to someone else who sent me to your site. The Rumford fireplace does sound like a good option, being relatively energy-efficient, although, having never seen one in a home, I've no idea how the shallowness of the firebox looks and 'feels' (does it feel like the fire is falling into the room?) Also, now we are getting some quotes in from masons and are very surprised at the expense (at least $10,000) of putting in a fireplace, even a smallish one (3 ft.). So we are wondering what would be best to do and I thought I'd ask your opinion. Does a Rumford fireplace really give anything back to the home energy-wise? What is your opinion of the comparable qualities of fireplaces vs. woodstoves? How about the comparable qualities between a mason-built Rumford vs. installing a pre-built Heatilator or Fireplace Xordinar? Those would certainly be cheaper. Any other ideas on how to cut costs on putting in a Rumford fireplace? I have no idea how busy you are out there on the West coast, so maybe you don't have time for this, but since you seem to be excited about these Rumfords, I thought I'd ask. Thank you in advance for any thoughts. Sincerely, Bobbie Sargent Barre, Vermont Bobbie, Of course I have time to attempt answers to thoughtful questions such as yours. The main difference between open fireplaces like Rumfords and stoves is in the way they transfer heat. Fireplaces are radiant heaters. They heat like the sun and make you feel comfortable at cooler air temperatures. Stoves basically heat air. Yes, they radiant some heat, but less efficiently at lower temperatures. Mostly they heat the air around the stove. In terms of efficiency, clean-burning and heating effectiveness, a Rumford fireplace wouldn't take a back seat to any stove. Whether or not you chose a stove or fireplace might depend on a number of factors, the main ones being life style, house design and climate. Life style: Fireplaces heat what they "see" so you need one in every room you want to heat and they require some management of the fire, so fireplaces would not be a good choice for your main heat source unless you stayed home all the time, had servants to tend the fires or liked to tend them yourself. A stove or furnace is more suited for general heating with minimal tending. Having said that, we depend on our furnace to maintain a certain minimum temperature but use the fireplaces to make our rooms comfortable and cosy when we want to settle in for the evening without having to turn up the thermostat. House design: Again, fireplaces heat what the "see". You can't pump sunlight around corners or upstairs. On the other hand you don't lose radiant heat out the windows or in the rafters. Radiant heating fireplaces are more effective at heating large open spaces - even the outdoors - where you want to heat people and not the air. A stove, on the other hand, would heat the air that you could blow around to heat the back rooms. Climate: Radiant heating fireplaces are compatible with good ventilation and are effective in moderate climates. That's why fireplaces are more popular in places like England, France, Italy, Virginia and the west coast. In colder climates it's just too cold to keep the windows open and stoves are more efficient in small tightly closed-up houses. Stoves are more traditional in Germany, Sweden, Russia and Minnesota. Vermont isn't too cold. There would be days when you'd want to button up and the excess air a fireplace needs would be a penalty but then there would be days when it's above freezing outside and the fireplace would be very effective at keeping you comfortable as you open up some windows and enjoy the coming spring. In the end you'll have to decide, of course. I love my fireplaces for the reasons you cite. But then I'm mostly English, enjoy fresh air and live in a maritime climate. For more reading about efficiency see http://www.rumford.com/tech9.html There are more and more Rumfords around. Ask your mason or dealer to try to find one you can see burning - or call some of the folks who have written us and are listed at http://www.rumford.com/endorse.html There's at least one, I see, in Vermont. As for cost, $10,000 plus seems pretty high to me. You may be able to save quite a lot by keeping the chimney inside the exterior walls of the house and building it with block rather than brick or stone - more efficient too. Keep it simple. Bigger and fancier costs more. Study the job pictures at http://www.rumford.com/prod.html It's a basic "simulated" production job - meaning that we made sure everything went right - but we built the whole fireplace and chimney in a little more than one day for under $2,500. Custom jobs, bigger and fancier jobs cost more. We like to see masons make money but we think they should work smart. You might consider sharing the risk and hiring a mason by the day or on a time and materials basis. Let me know if I can be of further help. Warm regards, Jim Buckley

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