Fireplace Grate

There is not much to say about a fireplace grate except for the fact that they are “grate”. No actually they really are. A fireplace grate will hold your wood above the floor of your fireplace. This actually serves several purposes. One of the main convenience factors of a fireplace grate is that they are designed to hold the wood in one spot. The ends are slightly curled to force the logs to roll to the center. This prevents you from endlessly having to stoke the fire and move the logs around.

The grate also keeps the burning logs from touching the firebox floor which creates less heat and wear and tear on the bottom of your fireplace. The grates also are allow air to flow under the logs, another reason these fires need less tending and are easier to light. Speaking of lighting you can also place your fire starter material under the logs in the grate and it will be easier to light.

The grate also allows burning embers to fall through and rest under the logs, this produces a constant heat source that lights your new logs right away. Most fireplace grates are made from cast iron or steel. There are also fireplace grate heaters which are hollow and when heated they force warm air back into your home. These are not as effective as a fireplace blower, but they require no power and are inexpensive.

Cast iron grates last the longest. Steel grates have the biggest spaces which are perfect for burning wood. If you will be burning coal in your fireplace then you may need to get a cast iron fireplace grate. These cast iron fireplace grates can be used for wood also, but steel is the best wood burning fireplace choice.

Other considerations for choosing a fireplace grate are the size of your fireplace and the amount of clearance you want underneath the grate. You get what you pay for and the more heavy duty the longer lasting the grate will be. Grates don’t really require maintenance, but you can take them out and give them a good cleaning if need be in the spring.

Some signs that a steel fireplace is heavy duty are things like powder coating and the thickness of the bars also the more bars the better. Fireplace grates do rust and eventually wear out, so keep these things in mind when shopping for a new grate.

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