Fireplaceinsert.com, Pearl Mantels Blue Ridge Fireplace Mantel Surround

Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed in the ground, in caves, or at the center of a hut or home. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made flames exists on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of premature indoor fire pits was that they generated toxic and/or annoying smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits grown 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 all 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 wouldn't enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to prevent smoke from spreading through a room and vent it out through a ceiling or wall. These can be put against stone walls, rather than taking up the center of the room, and this enabled smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the issue of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to give 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 immediately, however, since they were more expensive to develop and maintain.

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 efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a longer place on very top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing up the smoke and out of the building. The shallow design improved greatly the amount of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern fireplaces.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more conventional spectra based on rock and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it relied on simple layouts with little unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time have been a symbol of prosperity, which to a degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal made to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, based upon the plan.

Historically they were used 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. A fireplace might have the following: a base, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (utilized in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, home overmantel, a damper, a smoke chamber, a neck, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

Related Images with Fireplaceinsert.com, Pearl Mantels Blue Ridge Fireplace Mantel Surround

Fireplace Mantel mantle Surround Simplicity Design Cast Stone noncombustible eBay

On the exterior there is often a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick function as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. A hood, cap, or shroud functions to keep rainwater from the exterior of the chimney; rain at the chimney is a much larger difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the 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 could pose a substantial health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it is not great for you.

Kinds of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made with sheet glass or metal flame boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electrical fireboxes.

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 counties have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. They must be suitably sized to the area to be heated. Additionally, there are air quality control problems due to the amount of moisture that they release in the room atmosphere, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed in the place that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

Pearl Mantels Auburn Traditional Fireplace Mantel Shelf Fireplace Mantels Surrounds at Hayneedle

AccessoriesA vast range of accessories are used with fireplaces, ranging between countries, regions, and historical periods. For the inside, common in current Western civilizations include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, and fire puppies, 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 sometimes utilized to catch and re-radiate heat, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames placed before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has transformed from one of requirement to one of visual interest. Early ones were fire pits than modern fireplaces. They have been used for heat on chilly days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also served as a gathering place inside the home. These fire pits were generally centered within a space, allowing more people to gather around it.

Artesian White Cabinet 28quot; Infrared Firebox 28WM426T401 28II042FGL ClassicFlame

Pearl Mantels Richmond Fireplace Mantel Surround Reviews Wayfair

Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace designers of this time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a style of fireplace design that has been used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly colored, with a emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their dimensions.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of 2 parts, the surround and the add. The encircle consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, usually in wood, granite or marble. The insert was fire burned, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with decorative tiles. As well as providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were believed to add a cozy ambiance into homes.

Pearl Mantels Richmond Fireplace Mantel Surround Reviews Wayfair Video

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 area and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also increased 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 produced from cast iron, but are also manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex notion although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the effect of heating of the air. An open fireplace isn't, and never was, designed to warm the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so as the 15th century. The ideal method to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is in case you detect you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most elderly fireplaces have a comparatively 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 may also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn cleaner and may reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These modified fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two phases. During the first phase the first heat is offered through a large glass window while the flame is burning. During this time the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then evenly radiated for several hours during the second stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window just offer heat radiated from the surface. Depending on outside temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace mantel