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Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed from the floor, in caves, or in the center of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor fire pits was that they generated hazardous or irritating smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits developed into elevated hearths in structures, but venting smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The medieval great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where a open fire burnt with the smoke climbing into the port in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow would not enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from dispersing a room and vent it outside through a wall or roof. These could be placed against stone walls, rather than taking up the middle of the room, 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 faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it possible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to put fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general use instantly, however, as they were expensive to build and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the venting and airflow system. The 18th century saw two major developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace which greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting a lengthier area on top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing up the smoke and out of the building. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant heat projected to the space. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern fireplaces.

Rather it relied on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces now were a sign of prosperity, which to a degree is still the idea today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, based on the design.

Historically they were used for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses. A fireplace might have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (used in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel pub, home overmantel, a damper, a smoke chamber, a neck, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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On the exterior there is often a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick act as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A hood, cap, or shroud serves to keep rainwater out of the exterior of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a much larger difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, which soaks up all but the most violent rain. A few 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 various studies, fireplaces can pose a significant health threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it is not great for you.

Kinds of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made out of sheet metal or glass fire boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for either gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electrical fireboxes.A couple of types are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electric mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing electric fireplaces.

In the USA, several states and local counties have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. They need to be properly sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality control issues due to the amount of moisture that they release into the room atmosphere, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the area that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses to the exterior of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the interior, common in recent Western civilizations include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, and fire dogs, all of which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes utilized to capture and re-radiate heat, to safeguard the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames placed before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash. For fireplace tending, tools comprise pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and instrument racks.

As time passes, the purpose of fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits than contemporary fireplaces. They were used for heat on cold days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the home. 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 ancient fireplace designs. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. The most famous fireplace performers of this period 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 a emphasis on the level of the substances used in their construction, instead of their dimensions.

From the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of two parts, the surround as well as the add. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, usually in wood, marble or granite. The insert was where the fire burnt, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to bring a cozy ambiance to 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 area and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also enhanced with the use of a fireback, a piece of metal that sits behind the fire 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 is not, and never was, intended to heat the atmosphere. The best method to gauge the output signal of a fireplace is if you detect you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most older fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency score. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces may also be modified by adding special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and may reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the first heat is provided through a big glass while the fire is burning. During this time the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then evenly radiated for several hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only offer heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.gel fireplace