Masonry Magazine May 1980 Page. 19
"There were many units on the market at that time," Snell recalls. "One product, the Sir-Q-Lator (also built by George Mayer Manufacturing), stood out from the others because of the way it was constructed. The over-all unit was one of the best from the standpoint of material and craftsmanship, and it gave the best performance at the time."
Then, in 1978, Snell discovered what he considers the "most innovative fireplace design to date," the Queen Air. Using ordinary wood fuel, this unit is capable of heating up to 10 rooms at a fraction of the cost of fossil fuels. And in areas where free wood is plentiful, the cost comes down to nothing. "But, if a person has to buy his wood, he'll buy it regardless of the type of fireplace he has," Snell says.
Although this finished Queen Air fireplace looks conventional, it is really a forced air furnace that can heat several rooms of a house.
People are more concerned with what a force air fireplace can do for them in the long run, rather than with initial installation cost. "I point out to them that the initial cost is almost negligible over a span of time when fuel prices can only go up," he says. "Over a five-year period, fuel bills could be reduced by as much as 85 to 90 percent with a forced air fireplace/furnace. A customer who has this unit and uses it knows it's worth much more than it cost to put in.
"For example, the only time the central furnace will come on is when the fireplace is not in use. And there are some people who keep a fire going constantly. To me, comparing a forced air or a circulator unit to a conventional fireplace is like comparing a Cadillac to a Model T."
continued on page 27
Two craftsmen from mason contractor Jim Snell's crew put finishing touches on the hot air front grill. This grill is equipped with a control shutter that permits transfer of hot air to other rooms.
However, it still takes a selling job to convince customers of the forced air unit's efficiency, according to Snell. He has discovered that some of his fellow mason contractors are not immediately receptive to new fireplace designs either. "Nobody likes change," he says. "It's like the old saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. But it is a fact that a mason contractor can take a forced air unit and install it in a day and a half less time than it takes to build a conventional fireplace. And it always leads to other jobs. It has been my experience that for every forced air unit I install, I generally get any number of referrals. If there were a flaw in a unit such as the Queen Air, I'd be the first one to complain because I'd be installing something I couldn't stand behind. Thus far I have received no complaints."
Snell notes that people are generally more concerned with reduction in fuel bills and what a force air fireplace
The optional glass doors on this unit permit the firebox to create more radiant heat, resulting in more efficient burning of the wood.
MASONRY/MAY, 1980 19