# Anyone familiar with "Firerock" brand fireplaces?



## Panzer5 (Oct 21, 2008)

I'm putting together a proposal for an addition and someone suggested I use FireRock as the fireplace. I've been to their site & it looks good - but I'd like input from anyone who's used / built one of these before.

I've downloaded their manual - but it is barely legible.

Tanks in advance...

Have some specific questions:


- They require a 6 inch slab foundation on CB. For a flush mount installation (with the chimney outside of the house), can I build the foundation the same dimensions as the baseplate? - or should it be wider? (Plan is to cover exterior with brick).


-How well does it perform?


- Any problems or things I should be aware of when building?


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

Panzer5 said:


> I'm putting together a proposal for an addition and someone suggested I use FireRock as the fireplace. I've been to their site & it looks good - but I'd like input from anyone who's used / built one of these before.
> 
> I've downloaded their manual - but it is barely legible.
> 
> ...


Never heard of them but I got to this point pretty quickly... "Hot air rises. Unfortunately, most fireplaces have a straight back wall which allows heat to escape directly into the chimney before warming the room. FireRock Conventional fireplaces feature an angled back wall that reflects heat outwards into the room, not up the chimney. "

I find that statement completely inaccurate, none of my hand made fireplaces have a straight back. Sales pitch. 

The site says this:

" It takes masons two or more weeks to build a fireplace using the old fashioned construction method. Alternatively, a FireRock fireplace can be installed in one or two days. The components in a FireRock system are large and fit together easily, so construction is quick and hassle-free. Installation is as simple as stacking the components, mortaring them together, adding firebrick, and finishing the outside with the veneer or mantle of your choice.
Labor and materials usually cost $8,000 to $15,000 for a site-built masonry fireplace. Because FireRock fireplaces install in a matter of days, labor savings can be significant, typically cutting overall costs by at least 50% compared to a site-built masonry fireplace."

First off all me and a laborer who can joint can build a 30' chimney and fireplace in 5-6 days. I was doing them with another mason in 2 1/2. So thats b.s.

I wish I was getting 8-12k for a fireplace/chimney lol, please.

The bit about rounded lintels and whatnot...ok sounds good unless you veneer it with a brick.

This sentence has nothing to do with eachother:

"Brick absorbs heat. That is why a brick fireplace takes time to heat up and doesn't send adequate heat into a room. FireRock's refractory masonry materials are engineered to reflect heat so that your fire will heat up quickly and burn more efficiently. That means more heat output while using less wood, gas, or other fuel."

Its the angle of the sides of the firebox that radiates heat into the room. We have already discovered the Rumford fireplace, this company is trying to re invent the wheel. Deep fireboxes without side walls that have decent angles wont radiate heat into the room. 

A fireplace that does radiate heat into the room doesnt create heat as much as it creates a warmth. What that means is it wont directly increase the temperature as much as it feels like it does. Assuming the chimney is on the outside of the house. If its inside then that changes things a bit.

A Rumford kit from Superior clay is about $1200 I think, and its perfection. I am sure this product is good too, but I dunno, I would just build it by hand and use a Rumford kit.


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## masonlifer (Jun 10, 2007)

I've installed three of these in one house for gas fireplaces. Not impressed with them or any fireplace with a twenty year warranty, but that's what the owner wanted. If they want herringbone pattern in firebox, be aware that the back wall in the one I put together came straight up about ten inches and then started the slope toward the front. 
Lay it up dry to the smokeshelf to get an idea of how it goes together and some trimming/grinding may be needed. good luck.


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## firerockstevens (Jul 22, 2011)

*FireRock fireplaces*

Gentlemen:

First, allow me to apologize if our manual prints out in poor quality, I will have it checked. More importantly, let me respond to a few things posted here.

Our price position wording is based on a wide data base. We currently have 250+ distributors in 42 states plus Canada. I realize there are some pockets where a brick and mortar fireplace costs less, there are, I assure you, places where they cost more. Our comparison estimate is based on an average.

Our twenty year warranty is dictated to us by the insurance company that provides the backing. There is no way to buy more than twenty years. 

Our product is fully tested to UL-127 and found compliant, something brick and mortar fireplaces can never be. This compliance is then reviewed and published as compliant with the IRC by the ICC in Whittier, CA. There are additional approvals by individual cities including Los Angeles and it's L.A.R.R.; none of which can a brick and mortar fireplace be found compliant with. This includes Jim Buckley's/Superior Clay Rumford.

I know Jim Buckley and I respect his knowledge and work, I will not use this space to impugn his product. I will say it is considerably more expensive than a FireRock. Your $1,200 number does not begin to pay what a Superior Clay Rumford will end up costing.

There are differences in how and when a refractory masonry fireplace, like FireRock, and a brick and mortar fireplace provide heat. The refractory product, as the name implies, reflects heat as it is created. This allows the minimum clearances and the "greater heat into the room" claims. A brick and mortar fireplace absorbs the heat of the fire and then radiates it back once a thermal balance is exceeded.

I do not expect brick mason's to be "impressed" with our product, although many are. FireRock is an excellent alternative if budget is a concern or there are space constraints. It has also helped to win back many homebuilders and homeowners from the "tin box" category which I know we can agree is the worst choice.

Thank you,
Jeffrey W. Stevens
President / Founder
FireRock Products, LLC
Birmingham, AL


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

firerockstevens said:


> Gentlemen:
> 
> Our price position wording is based on a wide data base. We currently have 250+ distributors in 42 states plus Canada. I realize there are some pockets where a brick and mortar fireplace costs less, there are, I assure you, places where they cost more. Our comparison estimate is based on an average.


Fair enough.



> I know Jim Buckley and I respect his knowledge and work, I will not use this space to impugn his product. I will say it is considerably more expensive than a FireRock. Your $1,200 number does not begin to pay what a Superior Clay Rumford will end up costing.


Fair enough, Ive exchanged a few emails with him also, he seems like a good guy.



> Your $1,200 number does not begin to pay what a Superior Clay Rumford will end up costing.


Right, thats pretty much what the kit costs. The firebrick, hearth, chimney ect still all need to be provided for. It is an additional cost of $1200 for the materials of the kit.

I had one in a previous house I had built and I am pretty impressed and happy with its performance as I used it maybe 5x's a week in the winter. 



> I do not expect brick mason's to be "impressed" with our product, although many are. FireRock is an excellent alternative if budget is a concern or there are space constraints. It has also helped to win back many homebuilders and homeowners from the "tin box" category which I know we can agree is the worst choice.


I agree the tin box is horrid. I guess for me anyways, the literature I read translated to "we made this so that you dont need to hire a real mason, our guys will show up in a box van and install it". Im not sure if it is something intended for masons to put together or not. Things that have "step 1,2,3" tend to be targeted towards homeowners or general construction skilled people. Not necessarily trade specific.

It is always nice to see a manufacturer poke in from time to time. No offense intended and I wish you the best of luck with your product.


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## dbrons (Apr 12, 2010)

> There are differences in how and when a refractory masonry fireplace, like FireRock, and a brick and mortar fireplace provide heat. The refractory product, as the name implies, reflects heat as it is created.


I don't understand this. The "bricks and mortar" fireplaces that I build all have refractory bricks, and mortar, in the firebox. So to the extent that radient heat can be reflected by them, they would perform similarly to your firebox. 

If you are referring to the wall behind the firebricks then how are they supposed to reflect heat back through the, also reflective, firebricks? 

I always thought the idea was that bricks hold heat and slowly release it, conducting heat to the air around them and then to the walls and rooms nearby. The conductive heat that isn't absorbed by the bricks or air in front will just go on up the chimney. So in this regard I would think a traditional brick fireplace would be better. 

The radient heat, yes, will spread out from the fire into the room but like I said I don't see how having your shell, behind the firebricks, built refractory, could improve that transfer much.

Dave


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## firerockstevens (Jul 22, 2011)

The clay mass created by the layers of brick and mortar will continue to absorb heat until the entire edifice is hot. A refractory product will only absorb enough heat to get the 1 1/4" brick hot before a thermal imbalance is reached and begin reflecting heat at that point. Now, by the same token, during cool down a brick and mortar fireplace will provide heat long after the fire has gone out, not true with a refractory product.


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## MuttMutt (Aug 1, 2011)

I built a large boulder retaining wall and wanted to incorporate a large outdoor fireplace into it and I was a little hesitant to transition from wash machine sized boulders to brick. I did use the firerock product and found it fit well, built fast and have been very pleased with the product. Although the outdoor fireplace is much simpler with no flue and only six feet of chimney I would not be reluctant to use in home.


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