Choosing the right Fireplace Grate

Fireplace grates are a necessary addition to open fires, providing a wealth of benefits in terms of functionality and safety as well as improving the fire’s aesthetics. When choosing a grate for your fireplace, there are various things to take into consideration in terms of functionality, style and price.

Here, we help explain a little more about what differentiates various types of grate from one another.

Weight & Thickness

If you are a household who rarely use their open fire, there is no need for a high grade, heavy-duty grate, a simple, lightweight grate will work just fine. If, however, you use your open fire frequently – anything more than once a month or so – it is worth getting a grate of a medium grade to ensure that it can withstand the effects of these more regular fires. As for open fires that are used daily, it is important to have a grate that is as thick and as strong as possible; only this grade of grate will withstand the daily burning of a variety of types of wood.

Fuel Types

Depending on the type of fuel you will be burning within your open fire, the grate you choose will play an important part. If you are burning coal or wood, cast iron grates are the ideal choice as they have small gaps which allow smaller bits of wood and coal to stay on the grate which means that they will burn for longer and in a more efficient manner.

Style & Overall Appearance

One obvious consideration to make when choosing your grate is which style, type or material will look right in your home. Fitting in with your existing décor, the grate should also fit the style of your fireplace itself. In general, more bizarre and state-of-the-art designs tend not to last the test of time as well as more classic styles. Indeed, the open fire itself is a traditional aspect of properties, so why not match this traditionalism with a conventional, simple grate.

Cost

Keeping an open fire burning is, in itself, a cost consideration. What with the fuel required, the maintenance of the chimney and fireplace and the various pieces of equipment needed, the grate is an additional aspect that many may not take into consideration, but which is extremely important not only for safety and functionality, but for aesthetic purposes. Different grates cost different amounts, but homeowners have a wide variety of choice to suit their individual budgets, meaning that there really is a suitable grate out there for everyone.

Here at the Rotherham Fireplace Centre, we are proud to provide a range of high quality, brilliantly designed electric fireplaces to our customers’ homes throughout Rotherham, Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and the surrounding South Yorkshire Area.

For more information on any of these or our other fireplaces, get in touch with our friendly team of experts today or pay us a visit and let us help find the right solution for you at a great price.