Home Decorators Collection Grand Haven 59 in. Media Console Electric Fireplace in Black89215

Ancient fire pits were sometimes built from the ground, in caves, or at the center of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires is present on all five inhabited continents. The drawback of early indoor flame pits was that they produced toxic and/or irritating smoke within the house.Fire pits developed 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 during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow wouldn't enter.

Additionally throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to prevent smoke from spreading through an area and vent it outside through a wall or roof. These can be put against rock walls, rather than taking up the middle of the room, and this allowed smaller rooms 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 give the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general use immediately, however, as they were expensive to develop and maintain.

The 18th century saw two major developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also improved the airflow by pulling air from a basement and venting out a longer area at the very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford made a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which has been better at drawing up the smoke and from the construction. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant heat projected into the space. Rumford's design is the foundation for modern kitchens.

Instead it depended on simple designs with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was still placed on supplying quality gems. Stone fireplaces at this time were a symbol of wealth, which to some degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a structure made from brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for its relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficacy, based upon the plan.

Historically they were utilized for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses. A fireplace may have the following: a base, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney crane (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.

Related Images with Home Decorators Collection Grand Haven 59 in. Media Console Electric Fireplace in Black89215

Real Flame Chateau 41 in. Corner Electric Fireplace in White5950EW The Home Depot

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 outside walls. A cap, hood, or shroud serves to keep rainwater from the outside of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a far larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, that divides up all but the most violent rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the crown or cap.

The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it is not great for you.

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

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, several states and local counties have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. They must be suitably sized to the area to be heated. There are also air quality management problems due to the amount of moisture they release in the room air, 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 completely sealed in the area that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the outside of the structure.

Real Flame Ashley 48 in. Electric Fireplace in Blackwash7100EBW The Home Depot

AccessoriesFor the inside, common in current Western civilizations comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, and fire dogs, all of which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel for a fire. Heavy metal firebacks are occasionally used to capture and re-radiate heat, to safeguard the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames set before the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ash. For fireplace tending, tools comprise pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and instrument stands.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to contemporary fireplaces. They have been used for warmth on chilly days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place within the home. These fire pits were generally based within a space, allowing more individuals to collect around it.

Dimplex Harleigh Electric Fireplace with 26 In. Firebox In a Walnut Finish The Home Depot Canada

Carmel 55 in. Media Console Electric Fireplace in CherryDISCONTINUED

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

By the 1800s most new fireplaces were composed of 2 components, the surround as well as the add. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, marble or granite. The insert was where the fire burnt, and was constructed of cast iron frequently backed with decorative tiles. As well as providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were believed to bring a cozy ambiance to homes.

Carmel 55 in. Media Console Electric Fireplace in CherryDISCONTINUED Video

Some fireplace units incorporate a blower which transports more of the fireplace's heat to the air 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 piece 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 complex notion 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 method to gauge the output of a fireplace is if you detect you are turning the thermostat up or down.

Most elderly fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency score. 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 may reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a massive fire window, allowing an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the first heat is provided through a large glass window while the flame is burning. During this time period the structure, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This warmth is then evenly radiated for many hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only offer heat radiated from the surface. Depending on temperatures 1 to 2 daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.home depot electric fireplace