Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the ground, within caves, or in the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor flame pits was that they generated toxic and/or irritating smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in structures, but venting smoke depended on open windows or holes in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally situated hearth, where an open fire burned with the smoke rising to the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be covered so snow and rain would not enter.
Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from spreading through a room and vent it outside through a wall or roof. These can be put against rock walls, instead of taking up the center of the room, and this enabled smaller chambers to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the issue of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke out. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to place fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings handily. They didn't come into general use instantly, however, since they were more expensive to develop and maintain.The 18th century saw two important developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly enhanced the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a longer place at the very top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing the smoke up and from the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the quantity of radiant heat projected into the room. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern fireplaces.
The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took to a more conventional spectra based on rock and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it depended on simple designs with little unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to 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 a degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal made to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for its relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, depending upon the design.Historically they were utilized for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows exhaust to escape.
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On the exterior there is often a corbeled brick crown, in which the casting courses of brick function as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A hood, cap, or shroud functions to keep rainwater out of the outside of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a far greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, that divides up all but the most violent rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the cap or crown.
The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it's not good for you.Types of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made with sheet metal or glass fire boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for either gas or wood or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.A few kinds are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electric mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing electric fireplaces.
Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by either gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the USA, several states and local businesses have laws restricting these kinds of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality management problems due to the quantity of moisture that they release in the room air, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the area that's heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.
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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, as well as for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the house. These fire pits were usually based within a space, allowing more people to gather around it.
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Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. Along 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 kind of fireplace design that was used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly colored, with a emphasis on the level of the substances used in their construction, as opposed to their size.
By the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of 2 components, the surround and the insert. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, marble or granite. The fit was fire burnt, and was built of cast iron often backed with decorative tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to bring a cozy ambiance into homes.Amazon.com: SEI Antebellum Media Console with Electric Fireplace, Black/ Walnut: Kitchen Dining Video
Some fireplace components incorporate a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated space and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be enhanced by means of a fireback, a piece of metal which sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made from cast iron, but can also be made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated concept though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the effect of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to warm the atmosphere. The ideal way to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is in case you notice you are turning the thermostat down or up.
Most elderly fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency score. 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 inserting 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 provided through a large glass window while the fire is burning. During this time period the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then evenly radiated for many hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from its surface. Depending on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.amazon electric fireplace
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