The Complete Handbook of Fireplace Reflectors

Chapter 1: Understanding Fireplace Reflectors

The Function of a Fireplace Reflector

Before you specify, sell, or install a fireplace reflector, you need a clear mental model of what it actually does. A fireplace reflector is a panel of material, usually metal, placed inside a firebox or directly in front of it, designed to re-emit or redirect thermal radiation back into the living space. It does not generate heat. It does not make a fire burn more efficiently in a chemical sense. What it does is alter the distribution of the heat that is already being produced.

Consider a standard masonry fireplace. When a log burns, it releases energy in several forms: convection (heated air and combustion gases rising up the chimney), conduction (heat conducted into the surrounding masonry), and radiation (infrared electromagnetic energy emitted directly from the flames and the hot surfaces). For anyone sitting a few feet from the opening, it is the radiant component that you feel on your face and hands. This radiation travels in straight lines. If the firebox is deep and dark, a large portion of the radiant energy is absorbed by the firebrick on the back wall and the sides. The masonry then conducts that heat to the surrounding structure, where much of it is eventually lost to the outside or to unoccupied rooms through the chimney mass. The net result is a fire that looks warm, but a room that heats up slowly and unevenly.

A reflector addresses this specific problem. By placing