Dimplex GDS501243SC Concord 73quot; Electric Fireplace Media Console

Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed from the floor, in caves, or in the middle of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they produced toxic and/or irritating smoke inside the house.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in buildings, but venting smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where an open fire burnt with the smoke rising to the vent 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 during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to stop smoke from spreading through an area and vent it outside through a wall or roof. These could be placed against rock walls, rather than taking up the center of the space, and this enabled smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it possible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They didn't come into general usage immediately, however, since they were expensive to develop and maintain.

Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a longer place on top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which has been 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 space. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern fireplaces.

Rather it relied on simple layouts with little unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was still placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces now have been a sign of wealth, which to some degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance they create and also for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, depending on the plan.

Historically they were utilized 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 might have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (used in laundry and kitchen fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel pub, house overmantel, a damper, a smoke room, a neck, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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On the exterior there's often a corbeled brick crown, in which the casting courses of brick act as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A cap, hood, or shroud serves to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a far larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, that divides up all but the most violent rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the crown or cap.

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

Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with sheet metal or glass flame boxes.Electric fireplaces could be built-in replacements for gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.A few types are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electrical mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing gas fireplaces.

Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and gas fuel sources. Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by either gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the United States, several states and local businesses have laws restricting these types of fireplaces. There are also air quality control issues because of the amount of moisture that they release into the room atmosphere, and oxygen detector and carbon dioxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed in the area that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the interior, common in recent Western cultures comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, and fire dogs, all which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel for a fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are occasionally used to capture and re-radiate heat, to safeguard the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames set in front of the fireplace to include embers, soot and ashes. For fireplace tending, tools include pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and instrument racks.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits than modern fireplaces. They were used for warmth on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were usually centered within a space, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

Whalen Media Fireplace Console for TVs up to 55quot;, Dark Cherry eBay

Whalen Media Fireplace Console for TVs up to 55quot;, Dark Cherry eBay

Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace performers of the period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design which has been used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly colored, with a emphasis on the level of the substances used in their construction, instead of their dimensions.

From the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of 2 components, the surround as well as the add. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, marble or granite. The insert was where the fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with decorative tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to bring a cozy ambiance into houses.

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Some fireplace units incorporate a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated space and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also increased 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 made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex concept although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficacy tests consider just the impact of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, intended to warm the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so since the 15th century. The ideal way to gauge the output of a fireplace is if you notice you are turning the thermostat down or up.

Most elderly fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn cleaner and may reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the initial heat is offered through a big glass window while the flame is burning. During this time period the construction, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This warmth is then evenly radiated for many hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only provide heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace console