Can a wood fireplace be completely open without any boundaries and just a chimney

fireplacesafety

I usually see fireplaces that are open only on one side. This would be a standard example:

https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/fireplace-with-fire-burning-royalty-free-image-75406522-1541632053.jpg

The flames are surrounded by 3 walls and open on the one viewing side. Recently I've noticed some fireplaces such as:

https://www.mason-lite.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/THREE-SIDED.jpg

http://www.mason-lite.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Western-Fireplaces-7-3-wLogo-1.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/af/68/aa/af68aaae13686134c06bce0da4c03947.jpg

These are open on three sides. Does this mean it would be possible to have a fireplace in the middle of a room that is completely open on all sides, with only a chimney? I suspect you would want some sort of protective screen for debris and such.

Best Answer

Yes - examples are out there. For practical reasons the chimney tends to be metal, or in older buildings, just a smokehole in the roof.

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