Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association Searches
December 13, 2006
Outdoor Furnace Bans
Wood-burning furnace talk heats up village meeting
Irownwood Daily Globe (Ironwood, MI)
December 12, 2006
Jan Tucker
Alternative Heating Trends
Hearths for the Holidays: Incandescent pieces of furniture or objects of art, designer
fireplaces give high-tech TVs competition for centerpiece of the living room
BusinessWeek
December 12, 2006
Douglas MacMillan
Wood-burning furnace talk heats up village meeting
Irownwood Daily Globe (Ironwood, MI)
December 12, 2006
Jan Tucker
ONTONAGON -- A public hearing on an ordinance to regulate outdoor wood burning
furnaces drew about 15 people to the Ontonagon Village Council meeting Monday.
The major objection to the proposed ordinance was a section which indicated that the
regulations would govern all outdoor wood furnaces and there is no grandfathering
exceptions to the rules.
Skip Schulz, in a written and public statement, said that his furnace was built seven years
ago in compliance with every requirement set by the manufacturer and the strict
guidelines of the insurance company. He said he doubted the legality of "no
grandfathering," indicating it will be challenged in court. Schultz said he meets all the
requirements of the ordinance except the 15 feet from the property line.
Dale Goodreau questioned the portion of the ordinance which requires an annual permit.
Manager Penny Hill said there would be no cost for the permit.
"Why do you have to know where they are, can't you just look and see them?" he
questioned.
Several objected to the burning of garbage which is also prohibited in the ordinance.
"There are too many burning trash and garbage," Tim Chascsa noted.
Mike Rubich urged that stiff penalties be in place for those who violate and burn trash.
Hill said a misdemeanor violation would have a $500 fine and not more than 50 days in
jail, but only if found guilty in court. Others suggested the village go the civil penalty
route which would impose a fine.
Yvonne Hayes, questioned the possibility of many outdoor furnaces in the same block,
with smoke and wood scattered around the back yards.
"We have a beautiful community and I want it to stay that way," Hayes said.
Village trustee Karen Polakowski explained that the ordinance is intended to protect
neighbors and the community. Hayes then suggested that the council pass a moratorium
on new furnaces until an ordinance is approved.
Several speakers questioned the height required for a furnace, noting that the higher the
stack, the more creosote build-up.
Schultz said there were about six outdoor furnaces in the village. Hill said most are
already in compliance with the proposed ordinance. She suggested that Schulz could
request a variance.
At the close of the public hearing, council member Bill Johnson said the council will
consider all the comments, including the grandfather issue and the steps to be taken to
obtain a variance.
"With only six such units in the village it would not be difficult to consider them
individually," Village president Scott Frazer noted.
Johnson said the purpose of the public hearing is to get input.
"I have not seen any out there out of compliance," he said, noting it is important that
future furnaces are in compliance.
During the public meeting which followed the hearing the council decided to place the
issue on the agenda for a vote at the Jan. 9 meeting. Hill said the village attorney has
indicated the grandfather clause is legal. The council decided it would keep the
grandfather clause in the proposed ordinance because to remove it would grandfather in
other prohibitions such as garbage burning and units not commercially manufactured.
Johnson and Hill will call the present owners of the units, explain to them their reasoning
and suggest that if present owners do not meet the ordinance requirement, they seek a
variance. The council will also instruct them on how to seek a variance for their existing
furnaces.
Hearths for the Holidays: Incandescent pieces of furniture or objects of art,
designer fireplaces give high-tech TVs competition for centerpiece of the living room
BusinessWeek
December 12, 2006
Douglas MacMillan
Once the center of social activity and source of winter warmth in the home, fireplaces lost
their position to the kitchen and television with the advent of central heating. Outside of
high-end homes, where multiple hearths are a growing trend, the fireplace has been left
out of the blueprint altogether by homebuilders.
But a new crop of designer fireplaces, led largely by European makers, looks to reverse
the trend by doing away with homeowners' preconceived notions. Most of these new
fireplaces are gas-fueled, thus eliminating the smell, smoke, and the need to store wood.
For the right price and, sometimes, with the right safety precautions, fire can be a piece of
art or furniture that sets the tone for an entire room.
Some new fireplaces break away from the flat surface of the wall to become a spatial
centerpiece of the room. See-through fireplaces are a popular option for homeowners
seeking to join two rooms, such as a master bed and bath suite. In this case the fireplace
acts as both a barrier and a window between the two rooms. A three-sided fireplace,
which sticks out from the wall, exposes more heat and can be a subtler way to divide a
room into two sections.
European Trend-Setters
Westheim (Germany)-based Max Blank is one of the top names in European designer
fireplaces. The company's products are starting to become recognized—and indeed
imitated—in this country for the way they transform the look and feel of any room. Max
Blank's team of innovators found that the only thing more soothing than the warmth of a
fireplace is the sound of a gentle waterfall, so they combined the two in the $18,000
Niagara model. With the push of a button you control both fire and water, which trickles
over a bold stainless steel curve.
Tom Healy, founder of Connecticut-based Spark Fires, says that while European tastes
are exerting some influence on the emerging trend of designer fireplaces here in the U.S.,
the safety restrictions imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency force American
makers to be a little more ingenious. "Our emissions [regulations] are more stringent. So
by time you try to convert [European designs] to be usable in the U.S. you've turned an
orange into an apple," he says.
Nevertheless, Spark Fires is finding vibrant demand for its products on American shores.
"There is a paradigm shift taking place in this industry. Baby boomers don't just want to
burn wood any more," he says. His company's vent-free Fire Ribbon model can be
installed on interior or exterior walls, or in a corner, and does not require a chimney. A
built-in Oxygen Depletion Sensor monitors air quality to ensure that carbon monoxide
and soot levels in the room stay well below harmful levels.
Intrigued by the innovations in fireplaces but not ready to part ways with the flat-screen
TV that dominates your living room? A Surrey (England)-based company called Picture
House has the solution for you: a standalone fire with a retractable plasma TV shelf,
which conceals itself in an elegant, inconspicuous cabinet. The company offers eight
different combo models, which run $4,000 to $11,000 (excluding TV) and can be shipped
anywhere in the world. Now with the press of a button, you can go from a fireside tea
time with Grandma to a raucous wide-screen Super Bowl party.