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Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed in the floor, within caves, or in the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of premature indoor fire pits was that they generated toxic and/or annoying smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The medieval great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where an open fire burned with the smoke climbing into the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be coated so snow and rain would not enter.

Additionally throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from spreading through a room and vent it out through a ceiling or wall. These can be placed against rock walls, rather than taking up the center of the room, and this enabled smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the issue of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it feasible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general usage instantly, however, since they were expensive to develop and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the venting and airflow system. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace which greatly improved the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a lengthier area on very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing the smoke up and out of the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant heat projected into the room. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern fireplaces.

Instead it relied on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was still placed on supplying quality gems. Stone fireplaces now have been a sign of prosperity, which to some degree is still the idea today.A fireplace is a construction made of brick, stone or metal made to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance that they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficiency, depending upon the plan.

Historically they have been used for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or alternative flue allows exhaust to escape. A fireplace may have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney crane (used in laundry and kitchen fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel pub, house overmantel, a damper, a smoke chamber, a throat, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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On the exterior there's often a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick act as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A cap, hood, or shroud functions to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a much larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the cap or crown.

Organizations such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology warn that, according to different studies, fireplaces can pose a significant health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it's not great for you.

Kinds of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made out of sheet glass or metal fire boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for either gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.

Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and gas fuel sources. In the United States, several states and local counties have laws limiting these kinds of fireplaces. They need to be suitably sized to the area to be heated. There are also air quality control issues because of the amount of moisture they release in the room atmosphere, and oxygen detector and carbon dioxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed in the place that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the inside, common in recent Western civilizations include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, and fire puppies, all which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel to your fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are sometimes utilized to capture and re-radiate warmth, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames placed before the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ashes. Other wider accessories can include log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and much more.

As time passes, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of requirement to one of visual interest. Early ones were fire pits than modern fireplaces. They have been used for heat on cold days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the home. These fire pits were usually based within a room, allowing more people to collect around it.

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Many flaws were found in ancient fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace designers of the time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design that has been used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, instead of their size.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of 2 components, the surround and the add. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, granite or marble. The fit was fire burned, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were believed to add a cozy ambiance to homes.

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Some fireplace components incorporate a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, leading to a more evenly heated space and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also enhanced with the use of a fireback, a piece of metal that sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but are also manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex notion though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider just the effect of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, intended to warm the atmosphere. The best method to gauge the output signal of a fireplace is if you notice you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum necessity for example in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating process in two stages. During the first stage the initial heat is offered through a large glass while the flame is burning. During this time the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then equally radiated for several hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from its surface. Depending on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.white fireplace