A to Z Fireplace Terms

Choosing the perfect fireplace for you can be difficult with a lot of different things to consider. To make it easier for our customers, we’ve cut through the jargon and explained definitions and fireplace terminology used throughout the site. If you still require further help or advice, please contact one of our expert team.

Ash pan
A metal tray designed to sit at the base of the fireplace to catch the ash as it burns away. This is found in fireplaces used for solid fuel.
Air Vent
A small grill placed in the wall of your room. It is needed for gas fires with an input of over 7kw
Agean Limestone
This is the product our limestone mantels are made of. Formed over millions of years. Each piece is individual and is made from 100% agean limestone.
Bars
An integral part of the cast fireplace which sits at the front to stop coal or wood falling out. Normally, below the bars, there is an ash pan cover which hides the ash pan and is moved forward to access this.
Builders Opening
The opening dimensions in the chimney breast to allow the fitting of the fireplace into the chimney. Each fireplace has a particular size that it needs to be to allow correct fitting.
Cast Iron
This is the product the fireplaces are made from. Cast in foundries in China, painted with black heat-resistant paint or highly polished.
Cast Iron Back
This is at the back of the fireplace and is the area that the fuel is burnt in. Designed for each fireplace, it’s needed for use in solid fuel use and forms part of the fireplace.
Cast Iron Insert
A name given to describe the actual cast iron part basically it means the fireplace. These are then covered by a mantel made from wood, cast iron or stone.
Combination Fireplaces
A fireplace that’s all in one. It has a shelf attached to the top of it, so there is no need for a separate surround. They come in various sizes for use in every room of the house.
Carrara Marble
This is the marble used to make our marble surrounds. It’s a natural material, light grey in colour with veins running through it. An absolute natural beauty within the fireplaces.
Carbon Monoxide
A poisonous gas which is produced by burning fuels. It needs to be vented away from the fireplace.
Chimney
Common in houses of all ages, the chimney breast is the main focal point for a room and is normally brick-built and designed to draw the fumes away from any fireplace.
Clearance
A clearance is the measurement which is needed to install items. i.e. when fitting a stove there is a clearance measurement that needs to be taken into account so that no combustible product, i.e. wood carpet etc. is within that range.
Ceramic Fibre Back
An item used at the back of a tiled fireplace for gas use. It’s not as heavy as a cast iron back and reflects the heat better into the room, more so than a traditional cast iron back.
Corgi
No, not a dog, it’s the body that oversees the fitting and safety of all gas appliances, which has now been replaced by Gas Safe Register.
Class 1 Chimney
Common in older houses earlier than 1960, the class 1 chimney is easily identifiable by a 7″ or greater flue. An easy way to tell if it’s class 1 is to see if there is a chimney pot on the roof.
Class 2 Chimney
Either on an older house where the original flue has been lined with a flexible 5″ liner or a newer house which has steel flue built in. This type of fireplace is easy to spot with a steel flue terminal on the roof or silver cowl instead of the standard chimney pot.
Damper
A damper is an item that is used to restrict the air flow to a chimney normally used at the top of the fireplace. It’s a metal plate that can be open and closed to shut off draughts when the fireplace is not in use.
Decorative Gas Fire
An appliance that has a living flame fire is used for decorative use more than a primary heat source, typically with a heat output of 2kw they are used for effect and a secondary heat source.
Electric Insert
Designed to fit our range of fireplaces, the electric insert can be used in no-chimney situations. They sit behind the bars and have 3 settings: Effect, Heat 1 and Heat 2. Not as realistic as a gas insert, they are better than having nothing. They can be used with real lumps of coal to place around the insert to make it look even more realistic.
Fire Back
Designed as part of the fireplace to radiate heat into the room and to protect the chimney from damage, they are available in Cast Iron and Ceramic fibre.
Fireplace Insert
The part of the fireplace that sits behind the surround. It’s made from cast iron and comes in arched, tiled and fascia panels for use with solid fuel, gas, electric, or bioethanol.
Fire Basket
This is a freestanding device which sits at the base of the fireplace and contains all the fuel for burning. We do traditional and modern designs for every home; a real open fire for the price of a simple basket.
Fireguard
A device that sits in front of the fireplace to stop young children touching the fireplace. Some designs have small mesh frames on them which will stop sparks from escaping from the fire. These are called fire screens.
Free Standing Stove
This is a wood burning or multifuel stove that sits on its own legs and is a fireplace contained all-in-one with a glass door so no fumes or embers can spill out. They really are the clean way of having a solid fuel fire without all the mess.
Flue Pipe
Attached to the top or rear of the stove, this is the item that vents the fumes away into the chimney breast.
Flue Liner
A flue liner is a flexible liner that is used to line the chimney when it’s in bad condition. They are available in 5″, 6″, and 7″ for use with gas and solid fuel attached to a cowl at the top of the fireplace. They make the cost of replacing the lining in the chimney breast very economical.
Grate
The term used for the grate at the bottom of the fireplace which the fuel is burnt on. Some come with coal savers to stop the fuel falling forward and make the area slightly smaller to burn in.
Grate Polish
Known as Black Lead, it gives the fireplace a traditional look as to the type your granny used to polish the old kitchen ranges with still in use today it gives the fireplace a true traditional look.
Gas Fire
These are available for all our cast iron fireplaces and convert the fireplace from solid fuel use to having it used for gas with a living flame fire. They are cleaner and easier to use than solid fuel and really do provide a realistic look to an open fire. Available in Class 1 and Class 2 Chimneys, we have 1 to fit every type of room.
Granite Hearth
The granite hearth is one of the bases we use for all our fireplaces. It can be cut into sections for solid fuel use or used in single slab form for use with gas, electric and bioethanol. It’s as tough as nails and will not scratch in day-to-day use and forms the perfect hearth for the perfect fireplace.
Hetas
The body that oversees the fitting and safety of solid fuel fireplaces.
Hearth
Made from granite, tiled, and slate. The hearth is the slab at the bottom of the fireplace that it all sits on. Suitable for solid fuel and gas use, they have to be certain sizes for certain uses.
Jura Stone
A natural product made from unappealing sheets of marble and coated with 2 finishes one is smooth Cotswold and the textured Chiltern. Both finishes give the appearance of stone and are cold to the touch like real stone.
LPG Gas Inserts
LPG gas inserts are available for our range of fireplaces where customers have no mains gas.
Lithofin
A limestone and slate sealer to seal the porous surface of new limestone to avoid staining from any type of spillage
Mantel
This is the surround that fits around the fireplace, available in cast iron, wood, limestone or marble in lots of different sizes and shapes. We have designs to fit from the most basic front room or to grace the drawing room of a period manor.
Multi-fuel
Multi-fuel stoves are capable of burning a variety of materials in wood, coal, anthracite, coke etc. Just to name a few, they used to be wood burning stoves, but now they are designed to burn a multitude of items without buying various grates for different burning applications.
Natural Gas
This is the type of gas that’s piped in to most houses in the UK. It is highly flammable and used in the home for many heating uses.
Oxygen Depletion Sensors
A device fitted to the gas insert that shuts down the gas fire when fumes spill into the room and are not vented away correctly. Basically, it’s just a safety device.
Portuguese Limestone
Same as Agean limestone, a phrase that’s used to describe the material the limestone surrounds are manufactured from
Polished or Full Polished
The term used to describe the finish of a highly polished metal surface on the fireplace it’s easy to keep clean using wd40 or metal polish. It can be used for gas or solid fuel use but will tarnish around the bars when used in a solid fuel situation.
Power flue Fire
A type of gas fire that vents straight through the external wall to extract the fumes without the need for a chimney. They are taken away by an integral fan so you can have a working living flame gas fire without having a chimney.
Rebate
A measurement used on the fireplace surrounds to measure how far the cast needs to sit from the wall is always between 25-75mm. Normally, as a rule of thumb, you need 25mm for an arched insert and 75mm for a tiled insert. Most timber surrounds have adjustable rebate strips but limestone and cast iron fire surrounds are fixed at 70-75mm.
Rear Flue
The rear vent on the back of a stove to allow the flue pipe to connect and be taken straight out of the wall
Top Flue
The traditional way to vent the flue pipe from the stove is to attach it to the flue collar, and it goes straight up into the chimney breast.
Tubeline Tiles
These tiles are supplied by us for use in our tiled fireplaces. They are hand-painted and no two sets are the same. With such a good selection, I’m sure you will be able to choose a set to fit in with your decor.
Vent (Wall Vent)
Not normally needed for gas inserts under 6.9kw input. Only required for those appliances over that rating or where the spillage test fails.
Wax Finish
This is the finish applied to our timber surrounds to create a traditional look. It’s stained with an antique water-based wood stain then hand finished with an antique colour and hand polished to create a patina.
Zebo
A finish applied to black fireplaces to create a traditional look, also goes under the name of black lead.