About Rumford Fireplaces

ABOUT RUMFORD FIREPLACES

Rumford fireplaces are more popular now than at any time since 1850. With the high cost of heating fuel, the legendary heating efficiency of the Rumford fireplace is extremely attractive to those who are building, restoring, or remodeling their homes and are concerned about heating costs. Also, Rumford fireplaces are one of the only clean-burning masonry fireplaces. Rumfords have been laboratory tested and meet or exceed all wood-burning appliance emission regulations making them vastly more environmentally friendly than your standard fireplace.

The Rumford fireplace was named for its creator Count Rumford who was born Benjamin Thompson in Woburn, Massachusetts in 1753. (The Rumford Museum is located in Woburn, Massachusetts). Because he was a loyalist, he left (abruptly) with the British in 1776. He spent part of his life as an employee of the Bavarian government where he received his title, "Count of the Holy Roman Empire." Rumford is known primarily for the work he did on the nature of heat.

Rumford wrote two papers detailing his improvements on fireplaces in 1796 and in 1798. He was well known and widely recognized during his lifetime -- so much so that in the 1790s his "Rumford fireplace" became state-of-the-art worldwide.

Rumfords were very popular in this country when people heated their homes with fireplaces. Thomas Jefferson built Rumfords at Monticello, and George Renick , who introduced shorthorn cattle to Ohio in the 1790s (creating Route 22 in the process), built them in Chillicothe, Ohio.
In 1854 Henry David Thoreau, in Walden, listed Rumford fireplaces, along with plaster walls and Venetian blinds, among the comforts taken for granted by civilized man. By mid-century everyone had Rumford fireplaces and the word "Rumford" was synonymous with "fireplace."

As homes homes began being heated by sources other than fireplaces, i.e. coal, oil, and natural gas, the efficiency of the Rumford fireplace became secondary to style and decor.

However, with the ever increasing costs and uncertainty of heating fuels in today's world, as well as concerns about the environment and global warming, the Rumford fireplace is making an impressive comeback.

As a mason who has build many Rumford fireplaces in New England, I can attest to their superior heating efficiency and envonmental friendliness.

Learn more about Rumford fireplaces from the expert’s expert Jim Buckley at
http://www.rumford.com

Thanks for reading this Blog. A guess it's pretty obvious that I am passionate about the efficient and clean burning Rumford fireplace.

I would appreciate hearing about your opinion and experiences with Rumford fireplaces.

Builder Man (Tony)

Rumford Fireplaces