Content
- Stones burst in the hearth - what to do?
- Not all stones are suitable for the construction of a fireplace
- Beware of natural stones and concrete
- Suitable stones for the fireplace
- Tips
Not all stones are suitable for the fireplace
Stones burst in the hearth - what to do?
A fireplace in your own garden is built in no time - for the simple version, you just have to dig out a shallow pit and surround it with stones. However, not all stones are suitable for the construction of a fireplace - many, especially soft natural stones and concrete, burst in the fire.
Not all stones are suitable for the construction of a fireplace
Stones bursting with great heat can not only destroy laboriously erected or even brick fireplaces, but may even become very dangerous even as splinters and pieces fly around. From some rocks - such as pebbles and limestones - the fragments fly up to ten feet. Those hit by such splinters can be seriously injured.
Beware of natural stones and concrete
Caution is especially required for soft natural stones such as all limestone, pebbles and sandstones. Even conventional concrete is not suitable for the construction of a fireplace and, if exposed directly to the heat, will quickly jump or even burst. The cause of this phenomenon is water, which penetrates into the rock and evaporates at high heat - the result is bursting rock, which can no longer withstand the internal pressure. Also absolutely taboo in the fire are so-called Ytong or gas concrete blocks.
Suitable stones for the fireplace
Ergo, you should use rock types that are resistant to heat and can only absorb very little moisture when building a fireplace. Granite, for example, a hard natural rock, should not be directly in the fire, but is well suited for the border of a fireplace. Basalt in turn belongs to the volcanic rocks and is extremely refractory - ergo ideally suited for use in and around fireplaces. The same applies to fired and thus from the outset refractory bricks such as clinker, bricks, bricks and firebricks. Anyone who wants to concretise or wall his fireplace should definitely use refractory concrete (so-called "fire concrete"), which is specially manufactured for temperatures between 1,100 and 2,000 ° C.
Tips
To further protect the stones in and around the hearth, they should be covered with a water-impermeable material outside of use. If you do not like this solution optically, a roofing would be possible.