Selection of tiles
Tiles – elements of decoration
Since time immemorial glazed ceramics is present in homes as functional and decorative items. Its relation to nature and heritage of cultures from around the world is obvious to such an extent that nowadays no one undermines its qualities. These timeless values also find their reflection in stove and fireplace tiles. Over various ages, artists and craftsmen gave them a character to match current trends, and the design reflected the time and age of creation. Frequently tile surfaces of stoves were made to suit a particular interior design of court, palace and sacred rooms. Today a stove is still a main “furniture” at a house, it is still a decoration and often a pride of its owners, almost in every case a result of a sophisticated custom project with a selected colour scheme. What makes a stove stand out from other furniture is the heat production and a healthy climate in a room for a long time. As no other heater or heating system, it “operates” in an off-season and thus makes us enjoy watching.
Tiles are single elements forming larger assemblies which as coverings are available as tile claddings of stoves and fireplaces. Their operation is determined to a varying degree. In hearth stoves they provide decoration of heating surface with a reduced heat-storing function. In the basic function, i.e. tile stove, their operation cannot be replaced by any other material. Tile stoves, from technical point of view, are bodies or masses of stored heat-energy in materials of increased density and adequate porosity. Stove is a heating device in which a process of fuel combustion takes place with a direct energy recovery to its mass without any other factors. Chamotte mass of increased density transfers the energy to tile mass through air gap which equalises temperature over the surface outside the stove. Tiles are intended to radiate energy in every direction. For correct emission of heat energy a condition of relative tightness of covering and slow, uniform heating of the covering from the inside, occurs. The repeatable heating cycle depends on many factors: mass used per stove, area being heated, room insulation and weather conditions themselves. Heating cycle should not be shorter than 8h, and it should be determined by the amount of load fuel to deliver energy to the stove mass. In practial terms such heating cycles are adapted to different lifestyles, leaving home and coming back and daily activities. Temperature in the storage mass should not drop during the heating cycle by more than 50%. Surface temperature on tile covering should not exceed 80°C. Properly selected stove mass along with tiles ensures combustion of fuel for max. 3h and the mentioned min. 8h of heating time. In this case what is very important is the weather so reception of heat by the room, though the system itself, its mass, construction all have a great impact on heating efficiency. All these issues are within rules of clean combustion and conditions for use of devices in an environment-friendly way. Tile coverings taking various shapes, always perform the same function – they receive heat energy from the inside and emit it outside. Worth noting are remarkable hypo-allergenic and healthy qualities. Heat energy released from the tile surface is radiated in every direction. Directions are provided by shape of both the stove and the tile. Heat energy radiation is the healthiest way a human can get heated up. We receive it naturally and without a heated air around us. Such air, if in excess or overheated, causes health problems with children and vulnerable people. A large part of energy from a tile stove is emitted as heat radiation, and a stove can be seen as a source of light as with light a healthy heat radiation is transferred. In heating process, part of energy is always converted to convection, and the heated air starts to transfer the heat dynamically into other areas of rooms. That is why it is possible to get more than one room heated by a tile stove. By applying a healthy, environment-friendly heating by a tile stove in our houses, we provide ourselves the highest and cheapest heating and aesthetic comfort. Each stove heats us in two ways, first it is necessary to prepare fuel, then bring it and fire up, finally a stove comes into play – healthy and warm!
