How Hot Does A Fireplace Get?

Regardless of whether you’ve recently become a homeowner and finally have your very own fireplace, or you’re planning on installing one during your next home renovation project - a fireplace is a surefire way to elevate your home with a cozy ambiance.

Besides giving your home a touch of sophistication, fireplaces have the ability to create a warm and inviting atmosphere that will make guests feel welcome and set the perfect tone for quiet nights curled up in our favorite armchair with your hot cocoa and book.

But, before you grab your box of matches and stack your logs, you might currently be wondering just how hot a fireplace can get, and if that sounds about right - rest assured that you’ve clicked on the right article!

Read on to find your answer.

How Hot Does A Fireplace Get?

Types of Heat

In order to understand how hot a fireplace can get, it’s first a good idea to make sure that you’ve gotten your head around the way that heat works.

As we’re sure you might already know, all types of heat sources (including your crackling and cozy fireplace) will generate three different kinds of heat in total.

These are heat convection, heat conduction and heat radiation - read on to discover what each type of heat does:

• Heat convection: First up we have heat convection, which is a type of heat that is created during the transportation of heat that is able to move/travel through the air.
  
  So, with that being said, if your fireplace happens to have its very own chimney, it means that most of the heat convection will be expelled up and out of the chimney, rather than in your home.
  
  The main reason for this is that heat convection is typically known to struggle to become very warm, although it is worth noting that a specifically designed fireplace fan will be able to help raise its temperature considerably.
  
  
• Heat radiation: The next type of heat that we’re going to be talking you through is heat radiation.
  
  Otherwise referred to as radiation, radiant heat is able to be created from the infrared rays that are dispersed within the air as soon as firewood is ignited, and even though they might very well be invisible to the naked eye, the heat that they produce can be felt very strongly.
  
  So much so, that it is worth keeping in mind that the majority (if not all) of the heat that you feel coming from a fire is typically all thanks to heat radiation.
  
  
• Heat conduction: Last but certainly ot least, the final type of heat that is created by a fireplace is something known as conductive heat, which we’re sure you’ve likely already heard about.
  
  Unlike the other two types of heat sources that we have touched upon above, conductive heat occurs when heat is bounced from one object to another, and it can only be achieved via direct contact.
  
  As an example, if you’ve ever placed your hand around a mug of hot coffee and instantly felt it scold you, then you have experienced heat conduction.
  
  Moreso, when it comes to heat conduction, the bulk of heat created will travel/bounce directly from one object to another that is far cooler, and it is done so in such a way that the heat will be able to continuously travel.
  
  While this can be a little bit of a pain occasionally (just think about all those times that you’ve accidentally placed your hand on something hot, such as a stove) it can also be extremely useful in other types of situations, particularly for helping to warm houses and keep them at an optimal toasty temperature.

Additional Factors To Keep In Mind

Alongside the three main types of heat that are typically created when a fireplace is lit, there are also a variety of other factors to account for that can also impact the overall temperature of your fireplace.

For instance, the first factor to take into consideration is the overall quality of your fireplace.

If you have a brand new, state-of-the-art fireplace, then the chances are that your fireplace is going to be able to offer you a high-quality performance and consistently clean, long-lasting burns of optimal temperatures.

In addition to this, the overall temperature that a fireplace will be able to ultimately offer will also mainly come down to what type of firewood has been used, if it is a softwood or hardwood, as well as what their burning temperatures are.

As an example, if you’re planning to use strictly seasoned wood, then it’s highly likely that you’re going to discover that your fireplace is able to reach extremely high temperatures due to its low moisture content.

On the flip side, if you’re planning on using unseasoned wood, then you should keep in mind that this type of wood will typically offer you a far milder temperature peak than seasoned wood, especially given the fact that this type of wood does not undergo a drying process.

It should also be noted that softwoods and hardwoods tend to offer varying levels of heat. As an example, while hardwoods (such as oak and maple) tend to be burned more slowly and generate relatively very high levels of heat, softer wood (including cedar) tend to offer a much quicker burn with low to moderate temperatures.

How Hot Does a Fireplace Get?

After taking the time to read through all of the above, you should now be well aware that maximum fireplace temperatures can vary depending on a variety of different factors.

However, to help give you more of an insight into what to expect, you can typically expect a wood-burning fireplace and a gas-burning fireplace to get to around 1000 degrees Fahrenheit each.