Can a fireplace behave itself in a tight house?
Talk about a clash of technologies: In a house that is to be tightly-constructed and well-insulated so it will be cozy and easy to heat, the homebuyers want to have a traditional open fireplace, a device whose design was state-of-the-art a couple of centuries ago. Once built, this new house and old fireplace will not coexist without conflict and the owners might regret reaching back in history to select their fireplace. To perform reliably in a modern house, the unruly traditional fireplace must be tamed by some new technology, but it need not lose the essential qualities that have always compelled us to gather around the hearth. Declaring my bias, I freely admit my enthusiasm for fireplaces and think that every house needs a hearth to be complete. A fire burns on my hearth all winter and I never tire of watching the flames and being within range of their warmth. That said, I also think the traditional open fireplace is headed for extinction and I, for one, won’t shed a tear at its pas
