Fireplace Mantel Decor: Mantel Surround Ideas By The Pros

Historical fire pits were sometimes constructed in the floor, within caves, or in the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor flame pits was that they generated hazardous or annoying smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits developed into raised hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke depended on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where an open fire burnt with all the smoke rising to the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be coated so snow and rain would not enter.

Additionally during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from dispersing a room and vent it out via a ceiling or wall. These can be put against rock walls, rather than taking up the middle of the room, and this allowed smaller rooms to be warmed.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more reliably venting smoke out. They made it possible to give the fireplace a draft, and also made it feasible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They didn't come into general usage instantly, however, as they were more expensive to build and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, raised the grate of the fireplace, improving the venting and airflow system. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace which greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a lengthier area on very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing up the smoke and out of the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant heat projected into the space. Rumford's layout is the foundation for modern fireplaces.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took to a more conventional spectra based on rock and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it relied on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time were a symbol of prosperity, which to a degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal made to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design.

Historically they were used for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses.

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On the exterior there is frequently a corbeled brick crown, in which the projecting courses of brick act as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A cap, hood, or shroud functions to keep rainwater out of the outside of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a far greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the traditional masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the rain. Some 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 could pose a significant health threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it is not good for you.

Kinds of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made with sheet glass or metal flame 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 propane fuel sources. Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the United States, some states and local businesses have laws limiting these kinds of fireplaces. There are also air quality control problems due to the quantity of moisture that they discharge in the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the place that's heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesA wide assortment of accessories are used with fireplaces, ranging between states, regions, and historical periods. For the interior, common in recent Western cultures comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, along with fire puppies, all of which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel to your fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are occasionally used to capture and re-radiate warmth, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames set in front of the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ashes.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of visual interest. Early ones were more fire pits than contemporary fireplaces. They were used for warmth on cold days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also served as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were generally based within a space, allowing more people to gather around it.

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Many flaws were found in early fireplace designs. The most renowned fireplace designers of this period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which was used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly lit, with a emphasis on the level of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their size.

From the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of 2 components, the surround as well as the insert. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, usually in wood, marble or granite. The fit was where the fire burned, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to add a cozy ambiance into houses.

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Some fireplace components incorporate a blower which transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, leading to a more evenly heated space and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be enhanced with the use of a fireback, a sheet of metal that sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made from cast iron, but are also made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated notion although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the impact of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, intended to heat the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so as the 15th century. The best way to gauge the output of a fireplace is if you notice you are turning the thermostat down or up.

Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum necessity for example in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two stages. During the first stage the first heat is offered through a big glass window while the fire is burning. During this time period the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then equally radiated for several hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just provide heat radiated from its surface. Based on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace mantel decor