INSTALLATION & OPERATION

Items To Consider Before Installation

The outdoor wood fireplaces constructed by The King of Hearths are a very high-quality precast fireplace meant to enhance your outdoor living. They are not meant to be used inside a roofed area or building. Clearances to combustible materials are a major consideration. The stack of your fireplace is equipped to accept a chimney cap. A cap with a spark arrestor is required. There should be no combustible materials within 8 feet of the cap. The front of the fireplace opening requires a minimum of a 4-foot area where there should be no combustible materials. This includes items as wood decking, furniture and the like. Look for items such as power lines and trees in your yard area to make sure you have a safe clearance.

Pad Requirements

Your King of Hearths outdoor fireplace is constructed from a high strength lightweight concrete. Because of this, it may not be necessary to pour a pad to place your fireplace. Because the fireplace itself does not need assembly or to be mortared together a traditional frost foundation may not be required. You will need to remove all organic material (plant matter and topsoil) under your slab or hearth. That material needs to be replaced with gravel material and then compacted for support similar to what is done in preparation for proper sidewalk or driveway installations. Minimum pad dimensions are:

King Arthur: 50 inches wide by 40 inches deep
Guinevere: 42 inches wide by 32 inches deep

The pad should be poured a minimum of 6 inches deep. A rebar mat needs to be installed in a checkerboard fashion with 12-inch centers. This will keep the pad from splitting and putting undue pressure on the fireplace. If using one of our hearths it will only be necessary to level the hearth. In the event you are using a sidebox it will be necessary to enlarge the pad width by 24 inches. Pads should cure for 7 days before the placement of your fireplace.

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Fireplace Placement

Once your pad or hearth installation is complete you can place your fireplace. Remove the stack from the firebox. Your fireplace will come on a sturdy pallet in order to safely get the fireplace close to its final placement. It is not recommended to remove the fireplace from the pallet until it is placed next to the slab or hearth. The pallet will ensure proper weight displacement of the fireplace when coming across rough terrain. On the rear of the firebox, there will be 2 fork pockets to lift the fireplace from its pallet and place onto the slab or hearth. It is advisable to center the fireplace on your slab or hearth for equal weight distribution. The stack needs to be placed at this point. Make sure it is centered on the opening at the top of the firebox. It is not necessary to mortar the stack. When you complete your facing with cultured stone, cultured brick or stucco it will lock in and seal your stack. King Arthur has a 2 piece stack to accommodate the larger firebox.

Conditioning Your Fireplace

It is recommended at this point before the facing is applied to build a few small fires. Make sure you have a proper chimney cap installed. Your King Of Hearths fireplace already has the firebrick installed. You can burn right on the bottom of the fireplace or install a log grate if you wish. This preburn is recommended to temper the unit. All materials including concrete will react to heat. This process will help bring the materials to a near-final rest before the facing is applied. Your fireplace is meant to burn wood. Burning garbage, wood treated with preservatives or other materials can create temperatures much hotter than wood. In other words, protect your investment. NEVER use gasoline or diesel fuel to start your fireplace. The preferred method would be using cardboard or kindling for a starter.

Finishing Your Fireplace

Your King Of Hearths fireplace is left purposely with a semi-rough surface. For best results mesh and scratch coat the surface to ensure a good bond between the unit and your finish material, whether it be cultured material or natural stone facing or stucco. It is recommended to leave a small gap of a quarter-inch between the bottom of the fireplace veneer and pad. The reason for this is to prevent your facing from contacting the hearth or slab during the months when some movement can take place. Your King Of Hearths dealer will be able to make proper recommendations for your application. In the event you select to install one of our sideboxes with your fireplace you will notice that the height is slightly higher than the flat part of the firebox. This is done intentionally to ensure that a proper slope is installed in the veneer applied to prevent water and or ice pooling where the 2 precast units join. It is not necessary to anchor the sidebox to the firebox. The weight of the sidebox and the locking done by the veneer makes this not needed.

Warning

Before you start ANY fire, make sure the burning area is COMPLETELY dry. Spark arrestor is required before starting a fire.

Everyone associated with The King Of Hearths wants to ensure that you are happy with your new fireplace. We would appreciate your comments and would like to see pictures of your completed project. Our idea is to create an outdoor atmosphere that you and those people important to you will remember as special times.

* Stress Cracks in fireplaces and ovens are micro-fractures that are a normal occurrence and do not affect the structural integrity of the unit, nor are grounds for rejection.