Fireplace heating system

Claim 1

In a heating system including a fireplace having a front opening, a top opening and a chimney having a bottom opening, the improvement comprising hood means interposed in substantially free-standing relationship between said top opening of said fireplace and said bottom opening of said chimney and including wall means defining a passageway for flue gases and the like from said fireplace to said chimney, said passageway having a major dimension oriented generally upwardly from the top opening of said fireplace to said bottom opening of said chimney and being inclined with respect to the vertical whereby a substantial surface area of said wall means extends obliquely upwardly and across a substantial portion of the flow path of said flue gases as said flue gases pass upwardly through said passageway and said surface area of said wall is thereby heated, said wall means further defining a bottom peripheral edge substantially coterminal with said top opening of said fireplace, said hood means having cross-sectional dimensions less than the corresponding cross-sectional dimensions of said top opening of said fireplace such that said hood means is withdrawable through said top opening, flange means detachably secured to at least a major portion of the peripheral dimension of said bottom peripheral edge of said wall means and extending generally outwardly therefrom to engage said top opening of said fireplace and at least partially support said hood above said top opening of said fireplace, whereby said hood is removable through said top opening of said fireplace when said bottom edge of said wall means is detached from said flange means, housing means exterior to said hood means and extending between said fireplace and said chimney to enclose the space therebetween, said housing means being spaced apart from said hood means and cooperating therewith to define an air flow passageway exteriorly of said hood means and between said hood means and said housing means, duct means pneumatically connecting said passageway between said housing means and said hood means with a source of air remote from said fireplace, and further duct means pneumatically connecting said passageway with a remote location at which heat is desired, whereby air passing through said passageway is heated by reason of its proximity of said surface of said hood means and passed to said remote location.