Essential Fireplace Accessories HGTV

Historical fire pits were sometimes constructed in the ground, in caves, or at the middle of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor flame pits was that they produced hazardous or irritating smoke inside the house.Fire pits developed into elevated 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 burnt with all the smoke rising to the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to enable the roof vents to be covered so snow and rain wouldn't enter.

Additionally throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent 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 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 largely fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings handily. 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, raised 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 that greatly enhanced the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a lengthier place on very top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing up the smoke and from the construction. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected into the room. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern kitchens.

Instead it relied on simple designs with little 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 have been a sign of wealth, which to some 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 efficiency, depending on the plan.

Historically they have been utilized for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses. A fireplace might 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 room, a neck, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

Related Images with Essential Fireplace Accessories HGTV

Hearth Accessories Fireplace Accessories Tool Sets Fireplace Screens

On the exterior there's frequently 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 hood, cap, or shroud serves to keep rainwater out of the exterior of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a much greater problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners than with the standard masonry chimney, that divides up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the crown or cap.

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

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

Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the USA, several states and local businesses have laws restricting these kinds of fireplaces. They must be properly sized to the area to be heated. There are also air quality management issues due to the amount of moisture they release into the room atmosphere, and oxygen detector and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed in the place that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.

Pleasant Hearth Arched 4Piece Fireplace Tool SetFA219TA The Home Depot

AccessoriesFor the inside, common in current Western civilizations include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, along with fire dogs, all which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel for a fire. Heavy metal firebacks are occasionally utilized to capture and re-radiate heat, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames set before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash.

Over time, the purpose of fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They were used for heat on chilly days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also served as a gathering place within the home. These fire pits were generally centered within a room, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

Dimplex 23Inch Standard Electric Fireplace Insert/Log Set DFI23096A

Toole Industrial Hand Forged Iron Fireplace Tool Set Kathy Kuo Home

Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace designers of this time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind 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.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of 2 parts, the surround as well as the insert. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, marble or granite. The insert was where the fire burnt, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with decorative tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were believed to add a cozy ambiance to homes.

Toole Industrial Hand Forged Iron Fireplace Tool Set Kathy Kuo Home Video

Some fireplace units include a blower which transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated area and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also 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 produced from cast iron, but are also manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated concept though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider just the effect of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, intended to heat the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so as the 15th century. The best method to estimate the output of a fireplace is in case you detect 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 such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as large as 80% in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the initial heat is provided through a large glass while the flame is burning. During this time period the construction, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This warmth is then equally radiated for several hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from its surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace set