Custom gas assist, island, wood fireplace... Thoughts? Suggestions?

[Awshin]

Okay, I am building a new home. I plan on making a 4 sided see through fireplace with glass on all 4 sides. This will be the center piece of the home. It will be visible from all four quadrants of the home. The rough fireplace dimensions are as follows: hearth 5.5 x 9', the inside dimensions will be 16 inches less on three sides.

I plan on putting 4 red iron posts bolted to the floor extending through the hearth up to a second story catwalk then necked down to two chimneys. Around the red iron, I plan on putting 6x6 square metal tubing. I would attach the glass to that. The glass will be 48 inches tall. At the top of the glass, I will bolt plate metal to the square tubing. My builder suggested we Run the gas down the 6x6 square tube and into the hearth. Then pop up in the center of the as the burner. One concern I have is the metal on the side getting too hot and the heat causing the metal to expand and the glass to break. I also don't want it so hot if you touched the side your skin would sizzle.

Anyway, does this sound like a doable project? Cost is not really a concern. This is the main piece of the entire house.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

With a large enough budget, anything is possible.

 

[Awshin]

With a large enough budget, anything is possible.

Problem is engineering it.

 

[bholler]

You will need an engineer who really knows gas well to get it to work and to have it pass inspection. Even with an engineers stamp it may not get passed

 

[bholler]

And you want to burn wood in it also? You do realize even if you get it passed the inspector and it actually does exhaust the smoke you will have to clean that glass after every fire. It also can't be regular or even tempered glass it needs to be ceramic glass. What is your budget for this part of the build?

 

[Awshin]

And you want to burn wood in it also? You do realize even if you get it passed the inspector and it actually does exhaust the smoke you will have to clean that glass after every fire. It also can't be regular or even tempered glass it needs to be ceramic glass. What is your budget for this part of the build?

Yes primarily wood. Just a gas assist. I only turn the glass on until the logs are on fire. I figured the glass will get sooty, but I like that. I currently have a two pass through fireplace with a gas assist. I burn wood all winter. I budgeted 20k.

 

[bholler]

Yes primarily wood. Just a gas assist. I only turn the glass on until the logs are on fire. I figured the glass will get sooty, but I like that. I currently have a two pass through fireplace with a gas assist. I burn wood all winter. I budgeted 20k.

20k is no where near enough. I would expect close to 10k just for a custom chimney large enough to handle this. 2 just doesn't work. The engineering will be expensive. The glass will be a few grand. Have you built the foundation for it?

 

[Awshin]

20k is no where near enough. I would expect close to 10k just for a custom chimney large enough to handle this. 2 just doesn't work. The engineering will be expensive. The glass will be a few grand. Have you built the foundation for it?

Foundation is built. I had 4 foot footers poured below the concrete slab. Two chimneys won't work? How about three? Cost really isn't an issue. I definitely don't want smoke billowing out through the house though.

 

[Bad LP]

This sounds very complicated and thus expensive. Not even sure it would work well. I know of a restaurant near me with a much simpler see thru fireplace and it has a tendancy to smoke as evidenced by the soot staining on the manonary.

 

[barnaclebob]

Your builder should be outsourcing this to someone who has experience building custom high end fireplaces. Whoever does this should have a good sized portfolio for you to flip through and see their work. Whoever you go with should be able to explain how they are sizing the flue system to prevent smoke spillage.

Personally I'd like to see a sketch of what you have planned, it sounds really cool.

Any metal that goes from the inside to the outside of the firebox will likely be hot enough to burn you once this comes up to temp.

 

[bholler]

Foundation is built. I had 4 foot footers poured below the concrete slab. Two chimneys won't work? How about three? Cost really isn't an issue. I definitely don't want smoke billowing out through the house though.

No you want one chimney which will need to be custom built. Because they don't make anything that big normally. I didn't run the numbers but 24" minimum possibly larger.

 

[Awshin]

Here is a pic of the house so far. The plan was to put two copper caps on the two chimneys right in the center of the house.

 

[Awshin]

No you want one chimney which will need to be custom built. Because they don't make anything that big normally. I didn't run the numbers but 24" minimum possibly larger.

Okay, if you have two does it draft from one?

 

[Awshin]

This sounds very complicated and thus expensive. Not even sure it would work well. I know of a restaurant near me with a much simpler see thru fireplace and it has a tendancy to smoke as evidenced by the soot staining on the manonary.

It will have 4 sides glass with air intake ran valves through the hearth.

 

[bholler]

Okay, if you have two does it draft from one?

Yes many times one exhausts and the other acts as an intake which negates the draft and causes smoking. Sometimes 2 flues works but it is a gamble.

 

[bholler]

It will have 4 sides glass with air intake ran valves through the hearth.

You will need intakes equal to the volume of the flue at least. You need to find an engineer who will design this and put his stamp on it if you have any hope of getting it to pass inspection. It is just so far beyond anything covered in code most inspectors won't even consider it without that.

 

[Awshin]

Your builder should be outsourcing this to someone who has experience building custom high end fireplaces. Whoever does this should have a good sized portfolio for you to flip through and see their work. Whoever you go with should be able to explain how they are sizing the flue system to prevent smoke spillage.

Personally I'd like to see a sketch of what you have planned, it sounds really cool.

Any metal that goes from the inside to the outside of the firebox will likely be hot enough to burn you once this comes up to temp.

Here is a shoddy drawing.

 

[bholler]

Here is a shoddy drawing.

I can tell you the sheet metal smoke chamber area is going to need to be insulated and the chimney pipe will need to be enclosed in a chase.

 

[SpaceBus]

I cannot imagine how much wood this thing would chew through. The smoke would be like a cruise ship.

 

[bholler]

I just looked it up and the glass you will need will be 8 to 10k

 

[Awshin]

I just looked it up and the glass you will need will be 8 to 10k

Not too bad. I actually pulled up my budget and planned for up to 50k. I thought it would be less though.

 

[Awshin]

I cannot imagine how much wood this thing would chew through. The smoke would be like a cruise ship.

Lol!

 

[Awshin]

I can tell you the sheet metal smoke chamber area is going to need to be insulated and the chimney pipe will need to be enclosed in a chase.

Is chase the fire resistant block?

 

[bholler]

Is chase the fire resistant block?

No just something outside the clearance to combustible range of the chimney that prevents anyone from touching it. The amount of insulation needed in the smoke chamber area will need to be figured out by your engineer again because there is no code precident.

 

[Awshin]

I cannot imagine how much wood this thing would chew through. The smoke would be like a cruise ship.

I have 200+ acres that I have to pull standing dead off of. I typically just burn massive piles. Now I cut and stack in a pallet container. That way I just can put it on the back porch.