An average fireplace helps heat a home. An outstanding fireplace provides warmth, acts as the focal point of a space, and inspires people to come together.
One of the challenges with traditional wood-burning fireplaces, as well as most direct vent models, is the limitation on which materials can be used around the fireplace opening. Artwork, electronics, and wall finishing materials like wood, marble, and steel cannot typically be placed around traditional fireplaces because of the excessive heat the units generate.
Cutting-Edge Technology. Endless Design Possibilities.
Ortal cool wall fireplaces are fundamentally different. Their innovative cool wall technology enables the free flow of cool air between the fireplace and surrounding walls, making them not only the most efficient fireplace on the market but also creating endless design possibilities.
Other fireplace brands can generate temperatures of 280-380 degrees Fahrenheit 0-6” above the fireplace while Ortal reduces this to around 160 degrees 0-6” above the fireplace. With such an enormous difference in temperature, this will allow the use of certain materials that would typically warp or crack when subjected to high heat.
Where most competing brands, using functional fireplaces, require a clearance zone of non-combustible materials, Ortal allows the use of a combustible finish all the way down to the glass surface.
Let’s shine a spotlight on a few of the wall finishes that can be used with Ortal fireplaces.
Wood
Wood will become warped, splintered, discolored, or cracked over time when placed too close to a significant heat source, such as a fireplace. Using wood materials immediately around the face of a typical fireplace can also present a fire hazard, and may conflict with city codes. Because Ortal fireplaces are designed using an innovative cool-wall technology, wood (depending on its condition and moisture content) can be used immediately around or within a few inches of the fireplace opening.
Quartz and Marble
Quartz and Marble can easily crack, melt, warp or discolor from the heat generated by most fireplaces. While these materials will suffer damage between 170 and 280 degrees, Ortal allows you the freedom to design without worry.
Metal
Metals are heat-conducting by nature, a reality that has severely limited their use around fireplaces in the past. Ortal’s technology makes the use of metal finishing around the fireplace opening and surrounding walls possible. Metal material placed near Ortal fireplaces do not become excessively hot, nor will they warp. This creates a world of possibilities for designers, from industrial-inspired steel designs to ornately-hammered metal tile motifs.
Additional Benefits of Ortal’s Cool Wall Technology
Ortal makes it possible to incorporate artwork, tapestries, and other decorative items above and around the fireplace opening. A space that would normally require a compromise of material, when using such a strong heat source, suddenly becomes a designer’s canvas. The below image, for example, has a surrounding wall made from fabric. Flat screen TVs can also be placed above Ortal fireplaces, creating a warm and inviting entertainment space for the whole family.
For more than 30 years, Ortal has lead the industry with cutting-edge fireplace designs that are as striking and sophisticated as they are functional. Learn more about how Ortal fireplaces can transform your residential and commercial spaces. Contact us at 818-238-7000.
