Fireplaces with transparent doors look impressive and fit into any design style. Transparent glass allows you to admire the mesmerizing flames of an open hearth, providing the same level of fire safety as a solid metal valve. Glass doors reliably protect furniture and decor from soot deposits, and also prevent the combustion of oxygen in the room. Heat-resistant glass for a fireplace is characterized by increased strength, resistance to high temperatures and temperature changes.
Features of heat-resistant glass
Fire-resistant glass has a low thermal expansion coefficient (thirty times less than that of standard glass) and high heat transfer, which allows it to withstand heating up to 1000 degrees and not crack from sudden temperature changes. Glass doors for a fireplace, after thirty minutes of contact with fire, heat up only to 50-250 degrees, and the temperature of tempered glass during the same period of time rises to 500 degrees and above.
Transparent doors leave the hearth open for viewing
In the production of heat-resistant glass, practically no foreign impurities are added; special raw materials and special equipment are used. The second secret of the fire resistance of a fire-resistant material is in special hardening methods, thermal polishing, chemical treatment. All this together allows you to get an elegant product that is not inferior in strength metal products.
Correct transparent doors are not afraid of fire and temperature changes
Heat-resistant glass for fireplaces is almost impossible to scratch, break or damage. High strength indicators allow it to be used as a protective floor screen around fireplaces. Such a floor is not afraid of accidental falls of firewood, hot coal and metal pokers.
How to choose a glass door for a fireplace
On sale you can find ready-made cast iron fireplace inserts with glass and separate doors designed for installation in brick fireplaces. The door should be purchased before the brickwork begins, otherwise it will be more difficult to find a product of the right size. It is important to remember that the usual strained glass not suitable for fireplace.
Types of transparent doors for fireplaces
Fire doors with glass are reinforced with a durable frame made of cast iron or steel and complemented with a handle. Ideally, the handle should be made of a non-heating material. Fireplace doors are distinguished by size, opening principle, frame material, and design. By using modern technologies Relief patterns and multi-colored ornaments are applied to the glass surface. Stained and tinted glass looks very impressive.
The most interesting from a design point of view are the doors that open according to the guillotine principle. They allow you to operate the fireplace not only indoors, but also in a classic open form. Considering the large weight of the fire-resistant structure, it is worth taking a closer look at automatic opening mechanisms that provide additional protection from burns.
Technical characteristics of heat-resistant glass
When choosing a door for fireplaces with glass, you need to pay attention not only to the design of the part, but also to a number of technical characteristics.
- Heat resistance is the most important indicator of heat-resistant glass for a fireplace. The passport of each product indicates the recommended operating temperature; as a rule, it is 500-550 degrees. Maximum values (up to 1000 degrees) can be found in laminated glass. Here you should focus on the preferred fuel; for example, heating with wood requires higher heat resistance.
- The service life of thermal glass is indicated in hours. The higher it will be working temperature, the less the glass door will last. Manufacturers recommend keeping the combustion temperature no higher than 550 degrees, while ensuring normal draft.
- The thickness of the glass screen for a fireplace determines its strength; in this case, it is better not to skimp and purchase a product with a thickness of 3.5-4 mm.
- Laminated glass is superior to single-layer glass in all respects, but experts believe that for hearth and home One layer is enough.
- Self-cleaning fireproof glass for fireplace is coated with inside a thin layer of metal oxide. The invisible coating increases the surface temperature, causing the soot to burn without a trace.
- Sound insulation protects residents from the pleasant, but quickly annoying sound of crackling burning fuel.
Patterned double door
Features of caring for glass fire doors
Even self-cleaning glass requires regular care, but cleaning the glass surface is allowed only after the door has cooled down. Working with a hot surface can cause irreparable damage to the heat-resistant material.
For cleaning, it is better to use special compounds; they not only instantly clear the doors of soot, but also create an additional protective layer that facilitates subsequent cleaning. Despite the strength fire resistant material, it is strongly recommended not to use abrasive products - they can damage the polishing and the top protective layer.
U-shaped fireplace door
Making heat-resistant glass for a fireplace with your own hands is almost impossible. The experiment may result in injury and fire. Of course, it is possible to install doors on your own in an existing fireplace or one under construction, but if you do not have the appropriate skills, it is better to entrust this important work to specialists.
Video: presentation of fireplace doors
Glass fireplace doors are a harmonious combination of beauty, comfort and safety.A fireplace with a mesmerizing dance of flames, loved ones and children nearby - probably for many this is a picture of an ideal family vacation after a busy day at work. Beautiful, calm, cozy... But it's not always safe! Fire is as terrible as it is beautiful. Flying sparks can cause a fire, small children do not always realize the danger of being near a fire, the room may become smoky from wood burning in an open firebox, and oxygen is burned.
Decide this problem You can if you purchase and install a special door for the fireplace.
Necessity or unnecessary waste
By purchasing this product, you will eliminate these problems and make your home even safer and more comfortable. We'll try to help you do it right choice, satisfying your needs. The main factors determining the choice are safety, style and ease of use.
It is worth noting that the modern market offers a wide range of these products: Metal, ceramic, glass or combined heat-resistant doors are available.
Solid metal products seem more reliable compared to glass ones. They will certainly make the fireplace safe, but will block access to the contemplation of the hearth. Such doors are acceptable in homes where the fireplace serves only as a heating device.
The ideal and most in demand nowadays are doors with glass for fireplaces, giving the opportunity to observe the beauty of the playing flame, while controlling the combustion, without opening the firebox each time. Fireplace doors prevent smoke and combustion products from entering the living space, protect against plaque, soot, and prevent the combustion of oxygen. The glass will also protect against the painful and unsafe thermal effects of the flame. The noise insulation created in this way will eliminate the annoying crackling sound of burning wood. And most importantly: a fireplace with such a door is much safer and even more economical than an open hearth.
Material requirements
For fireplace doors, high-strength and heat-resistant thermal glass is used, which has undergone special hardening and processing. It can withstand up to 10,000 C for several thousand hours of direct use. This glass contains elements such as heat-resistant quartz and transparent crystal ceramics. Quartz glass is the most popular because it has the smallest expansion when heated. This material is not inferior in strength even to metal products. Using ordinary thermal glass (for the sake of economy) is not advisable, since it cannot withstand temperatures exceeding 1500 C and may crack upon first use.
Glass can be of various sizes depending on the parameters of the fireplace, various geometric shapes and curvature.
It is possible to use tinted glass, which will muffle the bright light of the flame. Installed double or laminated glass will contribute to even safer use.
When choosing glass you need to consider:
- heat resistance, paying attention to the type of fuel;
- lifetime,
- thickness of the glass screen (at least 3.5 - 4 mm).
Fireproof glass has a disadvantage: it is quite heavy.. This must be taken into account when choosing door fastenings and methods of their operation, creating the most comfortable conditions to operate this device.
Door decoration
There are two operating principles for fireplace doors: mechanical or automatic. With a mechanical principle of operation, the structure opens manually, with an automatic one, using a special electric motor controlled automatically. Considering the rather large weight of the devices, it is recommended automatic mechanisms, which also provide additional protection against burns.
Glass doors can be closed in several ways. There are lifting and sliding options. The most common are double swing doors, when both doors are fastened in the center and hung on side hinges, and swing doors, in which one of the doors is fastened on side hinges; the doors close upward. Modern designers have developed a model that opens according to the guillotine principle, allowing the fireplace to be used with both a closed and open firebox. It is possible for doors to converge using magnets. Magnetic doors prevent incomplete closure or accidental opening.
When choosing a mount, you should pay attention to the fact that complex designs will be more expensive than simple ones.
The fireplace door is secured using special loops on a steel or cast iron frame. The handles are made of non-heating material. The choice between a steel and cast iron frame depends on the decorative preferences of the customer. However, in Lately Still, preference is given to steel frames, since cast iron, while withstanding high temperatures, is subject to physical wear.
The door is the front component of any fireplace, so when choosing it, not only functional, but also aesthetic parameters are important. The design depends both on the functions of the fireplace and on the wishes of the buyer. Both standard equipment is possible, including a frame with a metal frame, as well as individual options using decorative forged elements, ornaments, and stained glass.
When caring for glass fireplace doors, you must follow certain rules:
- Clean only after complete cooling;
- use special compounds that form additional protective film and facilitating subsequent care.
To make cleaning easier, you can purchase self-cleaning fireproof glass coated with an invisible layer of metal oxide, which, with increasing temperature, promotes complete combustion of deposited soot.
Purchasing and installing fireplaces and related accessories is a trend modern design residential premises. And by purchasing certified glass doors for a fireplace, you can be sure that you have made your home not only cozy, but also safe.
Fireplace lovers fall into two categories - those who like open fireplaces and those who prefer closed type. All that distinguishes open from closed are fireplace doors! Let's try to objectively consider both options, highlighting their pros and cons.
Fireplace door with glass – buy or save?
Closed fireplaces are not only doors, but also a cast iron or steel firebox inside the structure. Technologies do not stand still, and even ordinary fireplaces are already equipped with various economic systems, trying to use their resources to the maximum. But really open type there is no chance, and it is hopelessly outdated? In fact, this is not so - the open type of fireplaces has very significant advantages that cannot simply be ignored.
- Firstly, you will be able to see the fire not hidden behind glass or other obstruction.
- Secondly, an open fireplace gives off heat in the form of radiant energy, which is more useful than convection heat.
- Thirdly, an open firebox looks more harmonious in traditional fireplace designs.
- Fourthly, an open fireplace is a source of open fire on which you can cook food on a grill, spit or in a pot.
- And fifthly, open fireplaces begin to provide warmth literally from the first spark!
Among the disadvantages of the open type is a fairly low coefficient useful action
– a fireplace cannot be used as a serious alternative to a heating system, especially in regions with cold climates. While the wood is burning, then the fireplace warms, practically without accumulating heat. Of course, the very first drawback is the low safety of the structure - sparks flying in all directions can really cause a fire, not to mention the fact that an open fire in a house with small children is generally inappropriate! To all this we add the possible appearance of smoke, especially during ignition, a draft through the chimney, and the consumption of a large amount of combustion air.
Closed fireplace - why install fireplace doors?
Now let's take the closed type of fireplaces into the balance. Let us immediately note that ideally this is not only a combustion door, but also many other technological achievements. For example, if desired, a closed fireplace can become the central unit of a backup heating system - it can either be connected to the water circuit in the radiator system or forced convection of hot air. In a dacha, this option may generally be the main one if the heated area is not very large. The closed type design, compared to the open counterpart, allows you to obtain a much larger amount of heat from the same amount of wood.
The fact is that in a closed space the most complete combustion of wood is achieved - according to some efficiency research closed fireplaces are 4 times higher than the efficiency of open-type samples!
Respectively, high level Efficiency allows you to use wood much more economically. In addition, a well-made closed fireplace will have the ability to control the supply of primary combustion air, and to put it simply, you will be able to regulate the intensity of combustion and its duration. For example, for evening gatherings you can reduce combustion to a minimum, while on cold winter evenings you will quickly warm up by turning on the air supply to its fullest.
Another advantage of closed fireplaces is the afterburning system carbon monoxide. In fact, this dangerous gas is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon, formed due to a lack of oxygen during combustion. However, in closed types of fireplaces, an additional air flow is supplied to the upper part of the combustion chamber, which promotes complete combustion of CO - its oxidation to harmless CO 2. Fire safety For obvious reasons, closed fireplaces are an order of magnitude higher than open ones. In addition, as a pleasant bonus, you will get much less soot and coals, since the combustion of wood will be more complete. Often, well-made closed structures also have a removable ash box into which all the ash is poured. Fire-resistant glass, as a rule, has increased resistance to contamination by combustion products.
Of course, all the advantages of the closed type can be completely negated if the protective door and other parts described above are not installed correctly. How more complex system, which you purchase for your fireplace, the less likely it is that you will be able to assemble it yourself. However, if you decide to just install the door for greater security, then this process is completely doable without outside help.
Fireplace door - install it yourself
When you decide to install a firebox door immediately at the fireplace construction stage, this process will go completely unnoticed for you - brickwork will be immediately adapted to the door. However, when the fireplace was built several years ago, and you decided to do this seemingly simple task, then it will be much more trouble. In order for the door to be installed without unnecessary monotonous labor, you will need tools such as a grinder equipped with a cutting wheel for ceramics, building level, heat-resistant oven mixture, ceramic dowels and screws, asbestos thread.
How to install a fireplace door with your own hands - step-by-step diagram
Step 1: Deciding on the sizes
Manufacturers of fireplace doors do not produce them wider than 70 cm - such a design will be too heavy for the fireplace. Therefore, the glass fireplace door you are about to buy is optimal option should not be wider than 50 cm. Focus on the existing opening and select a door a little wider than the opening so that you can insert it more tightly. When the door is purchased, remove the glass from it to avoid unexpected situations during installation. This is usually quite easy to do - the glass is clamped with bolts.
Step 2: Cutting the Grooves
The most dusty and dirty work awaits you, because you will have to cut nothing more than a brick, and even in a closed space. With a high-power grinder, you can reduce the amount of dust if someone else pours water on the cutting line, but if the grinder is less powerful, you will have to cut exclusively dry. In this case, don’t even think about doing without a respirator (or at least a gauze bandage) and safety glasses, otherwise all this dust will settle on your lungs and eyes. Once you've gone through one seam, you can use a hammer and chisel to chip away the brick pieces. Try the door on - if it fits tightly, then we have achieved the desired goal.
Step 3: Insert the door
The heat-resistant baking mixture should be mixed as thoroughly as possible, following the instructions on the package. It is better to knead in small portions so that you can work it out in half an hour. When the solution is ready, soak the asbestos cord in it and wrap it around the perimeter of the door in at least two layers, trying to achieve its uniformity. When the cord is wound, carefully insert the fire door into its place, tapping if necessary rubber mallet along its surface.
Additionally, the door must be secured with ceramic dowels - it must have the appropriate connectors. If you notice a gap somewhere around the perimeter, even a small one, it is best to seal it using the same asbestos cord - dip it in the solution and push it into the gap with a screwdriver, and carefully seal the surface with the remainder of the solution.
Today, more and more more people who have their own country or private houses, dachas, bath buildings or simply summer gazebos on the street, they prefer all kinds of portable combustion devices (potbelly stoves, induction or sauna structures) to stationary heating. No matter how different these heating units for a bath are in their structure, design or construction, some details remain unchanged. For example, each sauna stove has doors for the combustion chamber or other compartment. A seemingly insignificant detail can greatly affect the operation of the entire unit.
Today, everything is divided into several groups based on what material the parts are made of:
- All stoves belong to the first type cast iron elements. Cast iron stove doors for combustion devices are not very popular nowadays due to the fact that they are very capacious, heavy and inconvenient to use. Their installation also causes a lot of problems.
- The second group includes stoves iron and some cast iron doors. As a rule, the main material is stainless steel, and combustion devices with iron doors are used, mainly in baths or for other purposes in which the stove is in direct contact with water. In cast-iron furnace units for the home, iron doors are practically not used due to their technical characteristics.
- The third type includes all oven doors, where the main or secondary material is panoramic glass. Parts made from this material are much more common today than cast iron or steel elements (or other metal) for combustion devices.
In this article we will look specifically at panoramic glass doors: let's describe them as bad and the good side, we will list the areas of use of combustion devices with glass doors, and talk about the varieties of this type of element.
Advantages and disadvantages of glass doors
- First positive quality stove parts for heating units made of panoramic glass is their (resistance to high temperatures), which cannot be said about cast iron elements. This quality is very important, because if the parts are not heat-resistant, the heating or heating device will not be able to work properly. Glass, thanks to its specific chemical properties, as a rule, can withstand very high temperatures, unlike stainless steel.
- It should be noted that the second advantage of stoves with glass stove doors is their fire resistance, which also cannot be said about cast iron doors. This is also very important, since the oven doors often come into contact with open fire while the heating device is operating.
- It’s impossible not to notice that everyone wants to add a little coziness to the interior of their home or gazebo. And the sight of flames and burning wood will make it perfect. Stove doors made of glass are transparent, and when you want to heat the sauna stoves, it will be a pleasant bonus beautiful view living fire.
- Another positive feature is that these doors completely safe when operating a sauna stove. The parts are made of special glass, which includes transparent crystal ceramics and heat-resistant quartz. This composition ensures the complete absence of explosion hazard and the possibility of fire.
- Lightness and small sizes glass elements also play a significant role in the installation of parts and their use.
Despite the abundance of advantages of glass doors for bathhouses or country stoves, negative sides also available:
- The first disadvantage is fragility of the material. This means that the installation of parts must be carried out with the utmost care and thoroughness. Also, when you install the elements in sauna stoves, it is not recommended to slam them while using the unit.
- The second disadvantage is the fast panoramic glass dirty. A large number of People using stoves with glass doors have encountered this problem. The material quickly becomes covered with dirt, soot, and most of all, soot. You will have to spend a lot of time cleaning surfaces and eliminating dirty coatings.
Read also: How to light a stove correctly
As you can see, there are much fewer negative sides than positive ones, which is why glass doors for ovens are so in demand.
How to install a glass door
Before directly installing the sauna stove doors, you need to check how easily they can be opened. If the part is tight and difficult to open, it needs to be developed.
In Russia, asbestos gaskets are used extremely rarely in sauna stoves. Today, asbestos is borrowed from industrial furnaces(not for the bath). In this type of stove, asbestos is necessary because industrial heating units encounter very high temperatures.
As a rule, in conventional room heating structures the temperature is not that high, and the door frame is never in direct contact with the flame, so the expansion of standard furnaces is very small. Even though some piece iron wire, which is located near the door, is naked, the door itself is quite strong and durable. Some experienced stove makers drill several holes in the door frame, this is done near its edge (for greater guarantee). Nowadays there are many in various ways securing the furnace doors for the bathhouse.
The best and proven method to avoid the oven door falling out: during installation combustion door need to be riveted to it metal plates(their thickness should be 2-3 mm.) on the top and bottom sides. It is recommended to choose metal plates with special widened ends. After all the steps done, you need to press them into the brick.
You should also pay attention to the fact that before installing the stove door, you need to attach grate. Then you need to attach special plates and wires to the door and place it on the solution. The next action will be to spread the plates or ends of the iron wire onto the inner walls of the combustion compartment of the heating unit. Then you need to put the other ends on two bricks and press them on top with one or two bricks.
Corner installed door It is recommended to check using a plumb line. As a last tool, you can use softened iron (preferably steel) wire, which has previously been fired in an oven. The diameter of the iron wire should be approximately 3 mm and the length 110 cm. After you have inserted the latter into the hole in the door frame, you need to fold the wire in half and twist it very tightly (there should be no rings). If you did the job poorly and rings still form (especially in the door area), you need to hit them with a hammer. The blow is made along the entire length of the wire.
Many owners of various fireplaces and large ovens People often ask themselves the question: should I buy a door or is it better to save money? Each option has its pros and cons - it’s nice to spend time near an open fire, you can admire the crackling fire, fry small portions of food, and enjoy a pleasant atmosphere. If there is a closed type of fireplace with doors, then a person feels safe without fear that a spark will fall out or smoke will come into the house. Having compared all the points, you need to decide whether to install a door for your fireplace or not.
The most popular materials are glass doors made of heat-resistant glass, they are made using special technology and can withstand temperatures up to 800 ᵒC. They can also open in different ways - single, have 2 hinged doors, or rise vertically.
Glass doors come in different shapes:
- Round convex;
- Oval;
- Rectangular;
- Trapizoidal.
The glass door opening the fireplace or stove has metal carcass and a seal that allows the doors to close tightly. Most fireplaces are heated regular firewood, and sometimes coniferous species, which are capable of releasing not only soot, but also resin.
To avoid rather troublesome cleaning, many fireplaces have a self-cleaning system.
The cleaning works in such a way that the air flow does not allow soot and tar to settle on the doors, so they do not become dirty.
DIY fireplace door with glass
To get a beautiful fireplace door with glass, you need to prepare a metal frame of a certain size or frame elements. Next, they need to be welded to each other by welding, forming required length piece. It is imperative to fix and then clean the joints of the elements from residues.
Glass doors must not only be installed correctly, but also comply with standards during their production in order to obtain a quality product as a result:
- Production must occur continuously, or with short interruptions;
- Polishing is best done at high temperatures;
- Also a key step is coating the glass surface with special chemical elements, thanks to them, it becomes much stronger.
You also need to select and weld the curtains; the final stage is installing the glass doors into the finished frame and fixing them. Before starting work, be sure to protect your eyes from particles of debris and shavings, and while working with welding, wear a special protective helmet. It is better to wear gloves on your hands, and when working with electric tools (grinder, sandpaper), you must follow all safety rules.
Types of fireplace doors
There are several most popular materials from which doors are made to prevent it from getting too hot near the fireplace. Forged - presented in the form of a lattice with various patterns and ornaments made of steel. A fence of this type does not fully fulfill its function, since sparks can fall through the holes and smoke can leak out.
Such fencing is used for Art Nouveau style, irreplaceable classics, and modern design.
Depending on the stylist’s idea, you can also create interesting combinations various materials between themselves. Ceramic ones are produced by firing clay at a high temperature, this contributes to the material’s sufficient resistance to open fire. Doors of this kind are often installed in ovens, if provided for by the designer. This style adds appeal and coziness, and will create harmony in a home that has a rustic feel.
Metal blinds have a fairly attractive design and provide complete safety. Such doors are made of cast iron; it has increased resistance to high temperatures, but for greater reliability, additional coating is also carried out using fire-resistant enamel. These types of doors are used quite rarely; they need to be handled very carefully so as not to end up with a rough room.
There are options from different types glass:
- Tempered;
- Borosilicate;
- Kvartsev.
Tempered glass is produced by first heating it to a high temperature, then rapidly cooling it. After such procedures, the glass becomes sufficiently resistant to both high temperatures and various damages that often occur in everyday life. Quartz doors are made of quartz or sand, there are practically no foreign impurities observed. Such a material has a very painstaking and complex manufacturing procedure, but is highly resistant to various temperature changes, so it has an acceptable cost, but for many it is too high.
Borosilicate glass is made from substances such as silica and boron oxide. Due to their low melting point, they not only have resistance to very high temperatures, a variety of mechanical damage, but are also quite plastic when compared with ordinary glass. Doors of this kind can decorate and transform almost any interior, adding attractiveness, comfort and color to it, and in combination with forged elements, they will look elegant and stylish.
We install glass for the fireplace with our own hands
Even when making glass doors with your own hands, they must have certain functions. Air must penetrate freely and unhindered into the fireplace itself so that the fuel can burn well and efficiently. Also, sparks and fire should not be allowed to spread into the room itself. It is necessary to use only heat-resistant material that can withstand high temperatures and not burst when the fireplace burns.
A glass door for a fireplace should consist of the following elements - frame, sash, locking mechanism, handle, ventilation duct, plate blinds. To install it correctly, you need to purchase all these components and arm yourself with a set of tools. It is imperative to make all measurements in advance so as not to purchase excess material. First, a steel frame is made, then carefully inserted into it glass elements, then the entire structure is installed in its place using canopies. The final step is to install the handle and valve.
Installing a fireplace door (video)
In conclusion, it is worth noting that installing a door on a fireplace is not a difficult task, anyone can do it. A high-quality installation will allow you to safely enjoy the beauty of the flame.
