Of Polar Bears And External Inglenook
Watching a short documentary, a five year old wondered why polar bears never feel cold, they don’t have summer weather, no sun round the year and yet they carry on their lives with strength and energy. For one part the little man’s dilemma was realistic. Thinking through though, these polar bears must have some kind of internal fireplaces! With this thought, we can expand the theories we have with those of our external firesides.
There have been houses built in ancient times that boasted over sixteen chimneys! The huge barns in country England with their manicured loans, planted forests and great wood fires still bring out the constant unity in the communities they stand. The very tradition of family reunions, holiday camps, traveler’s inn and concerts serve as the modern time family reunions as the world becomes a global village. One thing for sure though is that the internal heat saving functions of the ancient hearths could well have been borrowed from the functions of the bear fur. Thick as it is, it has the overall duty of insulating the skin against rapid heat loss through radiation same as the chimney bookplates that conduct the heat energy and re distribute back into the room.
Gas fires could also use cast iron back plates though I doubt the effect would have a great impact in large tea and family rooms. Overhauling your hearth each year, to find the best solution for your house heating problems could both be expensive and exhausting. Consider this, igloos are made of the snow, but the insides are the warmest palaces on Greenland, or the south and north poles! The reason is of course what I will call with liberty, the polar bear solution. An idea, try molding the fire pit with clay, it is a good retainer of heat and keeps warm long after the fire is put off!